JPH11232201A - Communication resource control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a large number of users to utilize multiple communication processing servers arranged so as to be distributed on a wide network according to user's necessity. SOLUTION: A user's terminal to be a leader registers a communication setting request and required application format information in a communication resource managing agent 10. A user's terminal to be a member outputs an application request to the agent 10. Upon receiving the application request, the agent 10 checks the propriety of the user's terminal and then permits the user's terminal to use a communication processing server 1. Consequently a communication processing server 1 having the shortest distance from the user's terminal is selected from multiple servers 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multipoint conference communication or information communication system which enables each communication participant to exchange information bidirectionally with a plurality of communication participants through at most one bidirectional line. The present invention relates to a network system that realizes a high-performance communication service, such as broadcasting of information over a time axis that allows different information acquisition times.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Today, information services using the Internet are widely used, but the most frequently used are file transfer services such as FTP and HTTP. These set up a TCP / IP connection between a user terminal (hereinafter, referred to as a client) for acquiring a file and a user terminal (hereinafter, referred to as a server) for distributing a file, and distribute information from the server to the client. .

[0003] The use frequency of information on the Internet has a remarkable difference for each information. Information transfer of frequently used files is repeatedly transferred over a transmission network while straddling a time axis. Since repeatedly transferring the same information is a waste of network resources, the following cache server method and mirror server method are being studied as means for solving this. (1) Cache Server Method A cache server is a device having both a function of receiving a request from a client as a server, a function of acquiring information from a server as a client, and a function of temporarily storing information. In information distribution using a cache server, a user requests information from the cache server. The cache server transfers the requested information to the user if it holds the information, and otherwise obtains the information from the server and transfers it to the user.

A study has been made to reduce the number of times information is directly transferred from a cache server by connecting the cache servers in multiple stages or making an inquiry about whether information is held between different cache servers. In the cache server method, frequently used information is stored in a server. In other words, the retained information is determined by the behavior of the user, and the retained information is not determined by the intention of the information provider. (2) Mirror server method A mirror server is a server that holds a copy of information of another predetermined server. Servers used by a large number of users can distribute loads by dispersing mirror servers in various places, and at the same time can reduce an increase in traffic due to repeated transfer of the same information.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the concept of stored information distribution using a mirror server. Usually, the server and the mirror server are owned by the information provider. (3) Web Hosting Method A form in which a network operator sets up a server in a network and provides a partial directory on the server so that a network user can write information is called Web hosting. The network operator can install a mirror server of the provided server in the network.

[0006] A communication system for holding a conference between persons at three or more remote locations is called a multipoint conference communication system. There are two ways to exchange information between terminals performing a multipoint conference, and the first method is a mesh connection method in which information is transmitted from each terminal to all conference terminals. In the second method, a multipoint conference unit (MCU) that temporarily aggregates information from conference terminals and redistributes the aggregated information to each conference terminal is prepared, and each terminal transmits and receives information to and from the MCU. Connection method. The mesh connection method has a disadvantage that the number of communication lines required increases as the number of conference participants increases. M
In the CU connection method, if MCUs are connected in multiple stages, many points can be connected efficiently. ITU-T as a recommendation that defines the technical specifications for data conferencing with MCU connection
T. There are 120.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the concept of multipoint conference communication using an MCU. FIG. 23A shows an example in which one MCU is used, and FIG. 23B shows an example in which MCUs are connected in multiple stages.

The above-described information distribution on the Internet using a mirror server and multipoint conference communication in which MCUs are connected in multiple stages are communications in which two or more users share the same information. For example, in information distribution on the Internet using a mirror server, a plurality of users acquire the same information over a time axis. Also, other conference participants receive information from the user speaking in the conference. As described above, in information distribution and multipoint conference communication on the Internet, two or more users share the same information using a communication network.

Further, in information distribution and multipoint conference communication on the Internet, a communication processing server that provides functions other than information transfer is provided between users (between an information provider and an information user,
Or, between conference participants), information transmission is efficiently realized. The specific functions of the communication processing server differ depending on the type of communication, and examples of stored information distribution and multipoint conference communication are shown in Table 1.

[0010]

[Table 1] Here, each entity of information transmission between users via the communication processing server is called a “session”. For example, when a user who transmits information distributes information to many users using a mirror server in the network, the information distribution is regarded as one session.

In the multipoint conference communication, when a plurality of communication processing servers are used for a given communication, a tree-like logical connection relationship is set between these communication processing servers, and a higher-level communication processing is performed. The server provides a certain function to the lower communication processing server. Specific functions differ depending on the type of communication, and examples of stored information distribution and multipoint conference communication are shown in Table 1.

Here, in this tree-like logical connection relationship, the communication processing server of the next lower level connected to a certain communication processing server is called the "next-stage server" of the communication processing server. The communication processing server at the highest level is called a “route server”.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a logical connection relationship between communication processing servers. In FIG. 24, a certain communication processing server functions as a server of a certain tier, but actually, a certain communication processing server can also function as a server of a plurality of tiers.

The user uses the highest-level communication processing server for a certain purpose. Selecting the highest-level communication processing server is called “root server selection”. The specific purpose of the route connection processing differs depending on the type of communication, and examples of stored information distribution and multipoint conference communication are as shown in Table 1.

Many users select and use one server from an arbitrary communication processing server from the viewpoint of communication efficiency. Usually, the communication processing server closest to the user is selected. Alternatively, the communication processing server with the lowest load is selected. Selecting an arbitrary communication processing server is referred to as “any server selection”. The purpose of using the communication processing server by selecting an any server differs depending on the communication processing. Table 1 shows examples of stored information distribution and multipoint conference communication.

[0016]

In such a conventional information distribution on the Internet, a server to which many users provide information simultaneously holds a plurality of TCP connections and transfers a plurality of information at the same time. . As a result, the load on the server is increased, and the bandwidth required for the network interface of the server is increased in order to guarantee a certain or higher information transfer rate to the user. The cache server method and mirror server described above are intended to reduce this problem. However, in the cache server method, whether the information requested by the user corresponds to the information held by the cache server is a stochastic event. It does not work effectively for many information providers.

On the other hand, in order for an information provider to provide information using the mirror server method, it is necessary to set up a mirror server at its own branch office or the like. For this reason, the mirror server method is not a method that anyone, such as an individual or a small company, can implement.

In the conventional multipoint conference communication, when a multipoint conference is held in a wide area, the MCUs are connected in multiple stages, and the number and distance of necessary communication lines can be reduced. When a large company with a business base in a wide area holds a multipoint conference, the MCU installed in the branch office can be used to hold a multipoint conference by connecting the MCUs in multiple stages. When conducting a conference, it is difficult to secure MCUs distributed over a wide area.

As described above, communication that is efficiently realized by using a server (hereinafter, referred to as a communication processing server) that provides functions other than information transfer, such as a mirror server and an MCU, in a wide area is used for personal communication. And it is difficult for users of small businesses to implement. In addition, even in a mode in which a large company independently sets up a communication processing server and implements advanced communication, the number of communication processing servers that can be set up is limited due to the cost required for setting up and securing physical space. is there.

Therefore, since the position of the available communication processing server is limited, inefficient information transfer occurs depending on the communication. For example, in the case of a company that has a multipoint conference device only in Tokyo, two lines for transferring information to Tokyo are required even when a multipoint conference is held at the branch offices in Kyoto and Osaka.

When a failure occurs in an available communication processing server, communication cannot be performed without another available communication processing server. In addition, even if there is another communication processing server, as a result, if the installation position is distant, inefficient information transfer may occur.

In the Web hosting system, a network operator operates a communication processing server (server, mirror server).
The above problem does not occur because
In the b hosting method, a user makes an application for use to a server provider, and the server provider manually secures resources on the server. Therefore, the user cannot quickly secure resources.

Further, the Web hosting method is a form in which resources are secured manually by a server provider, and there is a limit to the speed of processing that can be performed manually by a human, so each of a large number of information distributions performed on a network is performed. Cannot select a mirror server according to the distribution of information users.

Therefore, there are other means for controlling communication processing servers such as a plurality of mirror servers and MCUs distributed over a wide area by automatic processing which does not require the intervention of human hands, and utilizing these servers as necessary. System provided to users of the Internet (hereinafter referred to as "high-performance communication network")
It is desired to realize the above and to solve the above problems.
However, in order to realize such a high-performance communication network, there are further problems to be solved as follows.

For example, from among the communication processing servers existing by the automatic processing, one or a plurality of communication processing servers to provide the physical resources necessary for the session are selected in consideration of the distribution of the users ( (Hereinafter referred to as service resource allocation processing) to prevent the occurrence of inefficient information transfer, reduce the amount of required information transfer, and efficiently realize a session.

The logical connection relationship between a plurality of communication processing servers providing resources for the same session by automatic processing is determined in consideration of the distribution of users participating in the session (hereinafter referred to as a service). (Referred to as a logical connection process of resources) to prevent the occurrence of inefficient information transfer, suppress the necessary amount of information transfer, and realize a session efficiently.

For a session by automatic processing,
While re-executing the “service resource allocation process” and the “logical connection process of service resources”, while responding to dynamic changes such as the distribution of users participating in the session and the failure occurrence status of the communication processing server, Achieve session efficiency and fault tolerance.

Further, in the conventional mode in which a user sets up his / her own communication processing server, the server has an access right of the user, such as permitting only writing of information or permitting both writing and reading, according to the user. It can be set and operated, and such access right setting is frequently used.

Therefore, even when the user uses the communication processing server of the high-performance communication service provider, it is necessary to provide the user with a means for making the same access right setting to the communication processing server.

For example, some mirror servers are operated without limiting users. Therefore, even when the user uses the communication processing server of the high-performance communication service provider, it is necessary to provide the user with a means for securing the communication processing server without specifying the server user.

As one form of a high-performance communication network,
A method is conceivable in which a user contacts a manager of a high-function communication service provider and a person of the high-function communication service provider manually inputs settings of the communication processing server. However, according to this method, it becomes difficult to quickly respond to user requests as the number of users increases. It is necessary to implement a means that can immediately respond to user requests.

In the above description, a mirror server and an MCU have been described as communication processing servers. However, various communication processing servers other than these may be devised in the future.
Therefore, as a mechanism for controlling a plurality of communication processing servers distributed over a wide area, we have realized a system that can be applied in common even if the types of communication processing servers are different, and developed a high-performance communication service using a new communication processing server. It needs to be realized quickly.

Further, since the network system is deployed in a wide area, a large load is applied to the control of the session and the communication processing server on the system, but responsiveness to the control must be ensured, and the system is different. You must also consider deployments that span network administrators. In such a case, the control system functions to distribute the control system in order to cope with the wide area system, and to localize the management information of the user and the communication processing server. It is also an issue to fully realize

The present invention has been made in such a background, and it is desirable that a large number of users can use a large number of communication processing servers distributed over a wide area network as needed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-performance communication network capable of performing such functions. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication resource control device capable of reducing a burden on a user required for performing communication. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication resource control device capable of improving communication efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication resource control device capable of realizing highly fault-tolerant communication.

[0035]

The most important feature of the present invention is to secure the resources of the communication processing server promptly based on the user's intention by securing the resources of the communication processing server using communication messages. .

Further, the communication resource control system grasps the geographical distribution and the number of users who access resources added to the session by listing the participants or target areas in the session setting request message, and uses the grasped use. Based on the geographical distribution and number of users and the network configuration information acquired in advance, the communication resource control device selects a communication processing server that provides A logical connection relationship is determined.

Further, by describing the target area in the session setting request message, the position and the number of communication processing servers to which the communication resource control device provides resources can be determined for a session intended for an unspecified user.

Furthermore, by asking the information of the communication processing server that provides the resource every time the resource is accessed, the position and number of the communication processing server and the logical connection relation between the communication processing servers are dynamically changed. Even if it is updated, the user can access the communication processing server to be used at that time.

In addition, when a failure occurs in one communication processing server, the user can access another communication processing server, thereby improving fault tolerance. According to the communication procedure of the present invention, for example, a difference between communication processing servers such as multipoint conference communication and a mirror server results in a difference between resource specifications and contents described in a resource descriptor, and a communication procedure does not depend on a difference between communication processing servers. Become common. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of development steps for realizing a new high-performance communication network for a newly devised communication processing server, and to quickly provide a new service.

Further, the communication resource control device can grasp the regional distribution and the number of users by the session correction request message, and the fluctuation and the state of the communication processing server and the network (whether a failure has occurred, load, etc.) )
The communication control system dynamically updates the location and number of communication processing servers and the logical connection relationship between communication processing servers in response to changes in communication, and maintains communication efficiency and fault tolerance. Is done.

By realizing a procedure for asking the next server between the communication control system and the communication processing server, the logical connection relationship between the communication processing servers can be determined dynamically instead of statically. A logical connection relationship between the communication processing servers is determined for each resource.

Further, by asking the next server every time the communication processing server is accessed, even if the logical connection relation is dynamically re-determined, the communication processing server can determine the correct next connection server at that time. Access to the Dan server is made possible, and it is possible to cope with fluctuations in the geographical distribution of users and improve fault tolerance.

The session setting request message and the resource addition request message allow the user mode of the participant and the resource open mode in which each user mode has authority to be defined, so that the user can flexibly control the access right to the resources of the communication processing server. Is realized.

By selecting a family representative agent from each communication resource management agent belonging to a domain group in which a certain area (hereinafter referred to as a domain) is a domain of one higher level, the agent participates in a session for the domain group. A service resource is allocated to the domain group based on the number of users, and localization of domain-specific session and resource management information and control means is realized. In addition, by selecting the family representative agent from the domain group rather than the domain of one higher rank of the domain, load concentration on the communication resource management agent of the higher rank is reduced. Further, the selected family representative agent is not fixed for all sessions, but is different for each session, thereby distributing the load on the communication resource management agent.

By the transaction processing between the communication resource management agents, the processing in the communication resource management agent is determined by one message exchange between the communication resource management agents in principle without using the generally performed two-phase commit. I do. (Means 1) A high-performance communication network according to the present invention includes a plurality of communication processing servers distributed at a plurality of separated points and a communication resource control device for controlling the communication processing servers. Performs high-performance communication processing such as speaker selection and information storage for multipoint conference communication. The communication resource control device performs communication (hereinafter, referred to as a session) using this communication processing server. It has means (session storage means) for storing the list of participants or target areas of the session and the resources (such as storage disk space) of the communication processing server used for the session. It is realized by automatic processing that does not require intervention.

Session setting function: a communication message (“session setting request message”) indicating that a session is to be newly defined and a list of participants or target areas of the session is received from the user, and based on this message, Function to register a new session in session storage means.

Resource addition function: A communication message ("Resource addition request") indicating the definition of a new resource, the session to which the resource is to be added, and its resource specifications (for example, storage capacity if the resource is information storage disk space). Message)) from the user, select the communication processing server to which the resource is to be provided in accordance with the message, and select the resource on the selected communication processing server (hereinafter, the resource is actually reserved on the communication processing server). A function for securing resources (called "physical resources") and registering the secured physical resources in the session storage means.

Securing physical resources on the communication processing server,
Function to register in session storage means.

Resource open function: Information necessary for receiving a communication message indicating that a resource is used from a user and accessing a communication processing server providing the resource to be used (for example, the address of the communication processing server) Such,:
A function to send back a communication message (hereinafter, “resource open confirmation function”) describing the “resource descriptor” to the user.

Service resource allocation function: For each defined resource, a function for determining the number and location of communication processing servers to which resources are to be provided.

Service resource logical connection function: There are a plurality of communication processing servers that provide resources for the defined resources, and logical communication between the communication processing servers such as information mirroring relations and multipoint conference parent-child connection relations. A function that determines logical connection relationships when connection relationships need to be set.

Access server determination function: a function of determining, for a certain user, a communication processing server to be accessed by a user when there are a plurality of communication processing servers providing resources for the defined resource.

The advanced communication system according to the present invention is characterized in that a user performs an advanced communication service according to the following procedure.

Procedure 1: First, a user who sets a session (hereinafter, "owner") sends the session setting request message to the communication resource control device to define a new session.

Step 2: Next, the owner sends the resource addition request message to the communication resource control device, defines resources, and adds them to the session.

Procedure 3: At the time after the execution of Procedure 1 and Procedure 2, the participant sends the resource open request message to the communication resource control device when it becomes necessary to use the resource.

Step 4: Upon receiving the resource open request message, the communication resource control device determines a communication processing server to be accessed by the participant (hereinafter, “access server determination step”).

Step 5: The communication resource control device sends the resource open confirmation message to the participant.

Step 6: The participant accesses the communication processing server according to the resource descriptor of the received resource open confirmation message.

FIG. 25 is a conceptual diagram of a sophisticated communication network according to the present invention. FIGS. 26 and 27 are diagrams showing the procedure of the advanced communication system according to the present invention. FIG.
As shown in (1), in the intelligent communication network according to the present invention, the communication resource control device transmits the permission to use the communication processing server to the user terminal according to the resource securing request from the user terminal.

As shown in FIG. 27, when there is a session setting request from the user 1 to the communication resource control device, the communication resource control device sets a session and returns a session setting confirmation to the user 1. Further, when there is a resource addition request from the user 1 for defining the usage form of the communication processing server, the communication resource control device sets the resource addition and returns a resource addition confirmation to the user 1. Further, when receiving a resource open request from the user 2, the communication resource control device determines a communication processing server to be accessed and returns a resource open confirmation to the user 2. At this time, the communication processing server in which the distance between the user terminal of the user 1 and the user terminal of the user 2 is short is selected as the communication processing server to be accessed. (Means 2) Further, the communication resource control device according to the present invention is characterized in that it has means for performing the following procedures by exchanging messages on a communication network.

Session modification function: A communication message ("session modification request message") describing a modification of a session and a list of participants or target areas to be added or deleted for the session is received from the user, and in accordance with the message. A function for updating session information registered in the session storage means.

Further, the communication resource control device changes the once determined service resource allocation and service resource logical connection to a change in the number of participants in the session and a change in the state of the communication processing server or network (failure occurrence, load, etc.). It is characterized by having a function of dynamically re-determining according to. (Means 3) Further, the communication resource control device has means for performing the following procedure by exchanging messages with the communication processing server on a communication network.

Next server inquiry procedure: The communication processing server sends a message (hereinafter, “next server inquiry message”) to the communication resource controller,
It has a logical connection with the server about a certain resource secured on the server, and inquires of another communication processing server corresponding to the next stage (hereinafter, “next stage server”). Procedure for notifying a message (hereinafter, “next-stage server reply message”) in which information necessary for the control device to perform processing on the next-stage server, such as the address of the next-stage server (hereinafter, referred to as “next-stage descriptor”), is provided. I do. The high-performance communication system according to the present invention is characterized in that the communication resource control device and the communication processing server execute the following procedure.

Step 1: The communication processing server accessed for a certain session sends the next server inquiry message to the communication resource control device.

Procedure 2: The communication resource control device determines the next server based on the logical connection relationship of the communication processing server at that time (hereinafter, “next server determination step”). The next server response message is sent. (Means 4) Further, in the communication resource control apparatus according to the present invention, the session storage means stores information indicating the type of authority of the user as an attribute of a participant of each session (hereinafter, "user mode") as an attribute of each resource. And a capability of storing a correspondence between a mode and a list of resource open modes (values for distinguishing resource use modes) permitted for the user mode (hereinafter, “permitted resource open mode list”). I do.

Further, in the advanced communication system according to the present invention,
In the session setting request message or the session modification request message, the owner indicates the user mode of the participant, and in the resource addition request message, the user indicates a permitted resource open mode list for the resource requested to be added, In the resource open request message, the user indicates the resource open mode, and when the communication resource control device receives the resource open request message, confirms the user mode of the user who transmitted the message in the session to which the resource belongs, Check the permitted resource open mode list of the resource for the user mode, and accept the resource open request if the resource open mode described in the resource open request message is included in the permitted resource open mode. And performing a city, a decision to refuse to resource open request if not. (Means 5) Further, the main points of means used to provide a system for making a user use the communication processing server over a wide area are as follows. That is, a configuration is employed in which one or more communication processing servers are arranged at one or more points, and a hierarchical domain for controlling them is defined.

A communication resource management agent, which is a module of the communication resource control device, is arranged in each domain, and each communication resource management agent has session management information, resource management information, session control means, and resource control means. The session management information and the resource management information are, in principle, localized so as to have only information about the domain and the suburban domain. Localize to control only the domain. The session control means and the resource control means include a selection means for selecting another communication resource management agent to which the control message is to be transmitted.

The above-described localization will be described more specifically as follows. That is, according to the hierarchies of communication processing servers, the communication resource control device is distributed and arranged in each domain as one or more devices (hereinafter referred to as “communication resource management agent”) at one or more points. Of the communication processing server. A communication resource management agent (hereinafter referred to as a "family representative agent") having local session or resource management information and control means for each domain group (hereinafter referred to as "sibling domain group") having the same upper-level domain. )) For each session. The family representative agent has at least means for allocating information on the number of participants in the sessions belonging to the domain group and allocating service resources. In the assignment of the service resources, for each domain, it is determined whether or not a physical resource is arranged in the domain, and when it is arranged, a communication processing server providing the physical resource is selected. (Means 6) In the case of realizing (Means 5),
Distributed transaction processing must also be implemented to prevent inconsistencies in session or resource management information between communication resource management agents. Therefore,
The communication resource management agent also includes a transaction processing means characterized by a canceling process of a session or resource control process and an exchanging means of a canceling message.

A more specific description is as follows. In other words, the communication resource management agent has a means for storing information necessary for canceling the session control and resource control processing, a means for updating the information during the processing, and a means for storing information when a failure occurs during the processing or when another error occurs. A communication processing server that cancels the processing when receiving the processing cancellation request message from the communication resource management agent, and uses a means for exchanging a processing cancellation request and response message with another communication resource management agent; Between transactions.

As described above (means 1), by securing the resources of the communication processing server by the communication message, the means for promptly securing the resources of the communication processing server based on the user's will be provided to the user. Becomes possible.

Furthermore, the communication resource control system can grasp the geographic distribution and the number of users accessing the resources added to the session by listing the participants or the target areas in the session setting request message. Becomes

The communication resource control device selects a communication processing server that provides resources so that the information transfer amount is reduced based on the grasped geographical distribution and number of users and network configuration information acquired in advance. The determination of the logical connection relationship between the communication processing servers is realized.

Further, by describing the target area in the session setting request message, the position and the number of the communication processing servers that provide the resources can be determined by the communication resource control device for the session for the unspecified user. .

Further, by asking the information of the communication processing server that provides the resource every time the resource is accessed, the position and the number of the communication processing servers and the logical connection relation between the communication processing servers are dynamically updated. Even if done, the user can access the communication processing server to be used at that time.

[0086] In this way, when a failure occurs in one communication processing server, the user can access another communication processing server, thereby improving fault tolerance.

According to the communication procedure of the present invention, for example, the difference between communication processing servers such as multipoint conference communication and a mirror server is the difference between the resource specification and the content described in the resource descriptor. It is common regardless of the difference.

As a result, the number of development steps for realizing a new high-performance communication network for a newly devised communication processing server can be reduced, and a new service can be promptly provided. Compared with the conventional communication system, (means 1) produces the following effects.

In the conventional cache server method, resources cannot be secured based on the user's will.
For example, an information provider who wants to transmit information efficiently cannot be provided with a means for securing storage server resources.
The intelligent communication network according to the present invention can provide such an information provider with a means for securing storage server resources.

In comparison with the conventional Web hosting system, the user cannot quickly secure resources or optimize the control of the communication processing server for each of a large number of information distributions on the network. The intelligent communication network according to the present invention makes it possible to optimize the control of the communication processing server according to each information distribution by automatically allocating service resources and logically connecting service resources. Further, it is possible to provide the user with a means for quickly securing resources.

Compared with the conventional system in which communication is performed using a mirror server or an MCU owned by a user, in the high-performance communication network according to the present invention, the user can quickly set up a communication processing server set up by a third party. Can be secured and used. As a result, it is possible to realize a network in which a large number of communication processing servers distributed over a wide area are shared by a large number of users. As a result, it is possible to improve communication efficiency by selecting a communication processing server at an optimal position for each communication to improve communication efficiency, and by selecting another communication processing server according to occurrence of a failure. .

Further, as described in (Means 2), the communication resource control device can grasp the regional distribution and the fluctuation of the number of users by the session correction request message, and this fluctuation and the state of the communication processing server and the network (failure) The communication control system dynamically updates the position and number of communication processing servers and the logical connection relationship between communication processing servers according to changes in the occurrence, load, etc.), thereby improving communication efficiency and fault tolerance. It is realized that the nature is maintained.

By implementing the procedure for querying the next server between the communication control system and the communication processing server as (means 3), the logical connection relationship between the communication processing servers is determined dynamically rather than statically. It is possible to determine the logical connection relationship between the communication processing servers for each resource. Also, by making the procedure to ask the next server every time the communication processing server is accessed, even after the logical connection relationship is dynamically re-determined, the communication processing server accesses the correct next server at that time. To be able to
It responds to changes in the geographic distribution of users and improves fault tolerance.

The session setting request message and the resource addition request message shown in (means 4) allow the user mode of the participant and the resource open mode in which each user mode has authority to be defined, and the user can use the communication processing server. A means for flexibly specifying an access right to a resource is realized.

As shown in (means 5), by selecting a family representative agent from each communication resource management agent belonging to a domain group in which a certain domain is a domain of one higher level, the agent is assigned to the domain group. A service resource is allocated to the domain group based on the number of participants in the session, thereby realizing localization of domain-specific session and resource management information and control means. In addition, by selecting the family representative agent from the domain group rather than the domain of one higher rank of the domain, load concentration on the communication resource management agent of the higher rank is reduced. Further, the selected family representative agent is not fixed for all sessions, but is different for each session, thereby distributing the load on the communication resource management agent.

The transaction processing between the communication resource management agents as shown in (Means 6) does not use a generally performed two-phase commit, but in principle allows one message exchange between the communication resource management agents. The processing in the communication resource management agent is determined.

That is, the present invention is a communication resource control device provided with a means for controlling resources of a communication processing server which mediates information transmission between N user terminals. A feature of the present invention is that the communication processing servers are distributed and arranged in advance on a network, and resources are allocated on one or more communication processing servers in response to a resource provision request from one of the user terminals. There is a means for securing and a means for selecting one of the communication processing servers for which resources have been secured in response to a resource use request from the user terminal.

Here, “communication processing server that mediates information transmission between N user terminals” means that a session according to the present invention is established when a plurality of users access the communication processing server. The processing server does not actively establish information transmission between users. For this reason, the expression “communication processing server that mediates information transmission between N user terminals” is used instead of the expression “communication processing server that transmits information between N user terminals”.

The communication processing server is provided with means for storing information from the information provider terminal, and means for distributing the information stored by the storing means to a user terminal that desires the information, The mode of using the resources of the communication processing server may be transmission of stored information between user terminals. Alternatively, the communication processing server is provided with a unit for aggregating information from a plurality of user terminals and a unit for broadcasting the information aggregated by the aggregating unit to a plurality of user terminals. The mode of using the resources of the server may be multipoint conference communication between a plurality of user terminals.

Thus, the session between the information provider and the information acquirer using the network can be efficiently performed. Further, a conference using a network can be efficiently held. Further, the communication processing server is installed by the network management company, and the user only has to pay the cost for obtaining the right to use the communication processing server, so that advanced services can be obtained at low cost.

Means for receiving a request for setting a session from said one user terminal via said communication processing server;
Means for receiving a request to provide a resource of a communication processing server for a set session, selecting a communication processing server to provide a resource according to the resource providing request, and selecting a resource on the selected communication processing server Request receiving means for receiving a request from a user terminal participating in the session to use a communication processing server in which resources are reserved, and a means for allowing the user to use the communication processing server in accordance with the use request. It is preferable that the information processing apparatus further comprises means for selecting a communication processing server to be used and transmitting information necessary for using the selected communication processing server to the user terminal.

When a request to use a communication processing server is received from the user terminal and the user terminal selects a communication processing server to be used, the communication processing server having the shortest connection path from the user terminal is selected. It is desirable to include means for selecting Thus, efficient information transfer can be performed.

When a request for providing resources of a communication processing server is received from the user terminal and a communication processing server to be provided with a resource is selected, a data transfer order between the selected communication processing servers is set. Means for receiving a use request of a communication processing server from the user terminal, and when the user selects a communication processing server to be used, the transfer order of the transfer order may be determined depending on the use purpose of the communication processing server indicated by the use request. Means for selecting the most upstream communication processing server.

A means for receiving the change of the participant of the session set by the means for receiving the session setting request, and a communication processing server to which the resource is to be provided according to the content of the change received by the receiving means are reselected. A means for re-securing resources in the reselected communication processing server, or a means for monitoring the load of the network and the communication processing server, and a user terminal receiving a use request of the communication processing server. When determining the communication processing server to be used, if the load on the selected communication processing server is high or the load on the communication path between the selected communication processing server and the user terminal is high, an alternative It is desirable to have means for selecting a communication processing server.

Thus, it is possible to select an optimum communication processing server according to a dynamically changing use request and a network situation.

A communication processing server in which a resource has already been arranged has means for inquiring another communication processing server having a logical connection with the self for the resource. It is desirable to have means for transmitting the information of the communication processing server having the above to the communication processing server which made the inquiry.

[0097] Thus, the communication processing servers can be logically connected to perform an operation linked with each other.

A means for storing information indicating authority in the session for each of the user terminals participating in the session as attributes of the set session, and the use request receiving means refers to the storing means. The communication processing server may be configured to include a unit that determines whether a use request can be accepted, or the use request accepting unit may use the communication processing server for the one user terminal that has transmitted a session setting request. May be configured to include means for inquiring about the authority of the user terminal that has transmitted the request in the session.

Thus, it is possible to appropriately use the communication processing server according to the authority of the user terminal.

A plurality of areas are provided on a network, and the areas are arranged in a hierarchy. When allocating resources on the network, means for deciding whether to allocate the resources for each area is determined. When there is an area in which the resources are arranged according to the determination result of the determining means, one or more communication processing servers among the communication processing servers included in the area may include means for securing the resources. desirable.

As described above, it is possible to realize localized control by dividing the network into domains.

There is one or a plurality of areas in the same rank, and when the one or more areas have a common upper rank area, when the resources are arranged in the upper rank area, the same rank is set. Means for arranging the resource in one or more areas of the tier, and when the resource is not located in the area of the higher tier, the resource is assigned to any of the one or more areas of the same tier. It is desirable to provide means for not disposing.

For the set session, means for arranging the resources in the area when the number of the user terminals belonging to the area belonging to the session exceeding a threshold value is provided, or Means for calculating a cost related to the area,
Means for comparing the cost of allocating the resource to the area according to the calculation result of the calculating means with the cost of not allocating the resource to the area according to the calculation result; If the cost when the resources are not allocated to the area exceeds the cost when the resources are allocated to the area, means for arranging the resources in the area may be provided.

When there is one or a plurality of communication processing servers that provide resources according to one resource providing request in one area, any one of the communication processing servers represents the area in the one resource providing request. It is preferable that the communication processing server includes means for making a communication processing server to perform the communication processing, and means for logically connecting the representative communication processing server as a next-stage communication processing server with respect to the communication processing server representing the area on the upper level of the area.

When there is one or a plurality of communication processing servers that provide resources according to one resource provision request in one area, any one of the communication processing servers represents the area in the one resource provision request. Means for making a communication processing server that performs communication, and a communication processing server that does not belong to any area on the lower level of the area among communication processing servers other than the representative communication processing server in the one area. It is preferable to provide a means for logically connecting the server as a next-stage communication processing server to the server.

When the user terminal is made to access any of the communication processing servers that provide the resources, the lowest-level area of the area to which the user terminal belongs and that includes the communication processing server that provides the resources And a means for selecting a communication processing server that provides the resources included in the area selected by the selecting means as a communication processing server to be accessed by the user terminal.

When the user terminal is to be accessed by the highest-level communication processing server in the logical connection relationship, the representative of the highest-level area of the area including the communication processing server that provides the resource. It is desirable to have means for selecting a communication processing server to be used as a communication processing server to be accessed by the user terminal.

Means for storing a communication participant in the area and an arrangement status of resources in the area used for the communication, and a plurality of the communication participants share a common upper level by referring to the storing means. When belonging to a plurality of peer-to-peer areas having the above-mentioned area, it is preferable that the plurality of peer-to-peer areas include means for securing the resources for the plurality of peer-to-peer areas.

At this time, it is preferable that a plurality of the means for collectively securing the resources are provided dispersedly in the plurality of areas of the same rank, and a means for selecting one of them for each session setting.

A region of one higher rank of the predetermined region is defined as a parent region, a plurality of regions of one lower rank of the predetermined region is defined as a child region group, and a plurality of regions having the parent region in common are defined as a sibling region group. When receiving a control message from a communication resource control device belonging to one of the user terminal and the child area group, the control message is transferred to the means for securing the resources in the brother area group. Means for receiving the control message from the communication resource control device belonging to any of the sibling area groups, and securing the resources of the parent area and the other sibling area groups and the child area groups as a whole. Means for transferring the control message to the means, and receiving the control message from the communication resource control device belonging to the parent area, the sibling area group and the child area. It is desirable to have a means for transferring the control message to the means of ensuring the overall the resources of the group.

For each of the areas, it is desirable to have means for canceling the processing when a failure occurs during execution of the processing by each means or when a message requesting cancellation of the processing is received.

It is preferable that a plurality of cancellation means are provided and include means for notifying the occurrence of the failure or the request message to other cancellation means.

[0113]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention provides N user terminals TE1 to TE
This is a communication resource control device provided with a communication resource management agent 10 which is a means for controlling resources of the communication processing server 1 which mediates information transmission between n.

Here, the feature of the present invention is that the communication processing server 1 is distributed and arranged in advance on the network, and the communication resource management agent 10 operates in response to a resource provision request from the user terminal TE0. Alternatively, resources are secured on a plurality of communication processing servers 1 and user terminals TE0 to TE0
One is to select one of the communication processing servers 1 whose resources have been secured in response to a resource use request from TEn.

The communication processing server 1 stores information from a user terminal TE0 as an information provider terminal, and stores the stored information in user terminals TE1 to TE
n, and using the resources of the communication processing server 1 is transmission of stored information among the user terminals TE1 to TEn.

The communication processing server 1 aggregates information from the user terminals TE1 to TEn, broadcasts the aggregated information to the user terminals TE1 to TEn, and uses the resources of the communication processing server 1. One form is user terminals TE1 to TE1.
Multipoint conference communication between TEn.

In FIG. 1A, a plurality of domains 5 are provided on the network, and the domains 5 are hierarchically arranged. A plurality of communication processing servers 1 are arranged for each domain 5. , The domain 5 in which the user terminal TE0 is accommodated is set as the highest level, and the user terminals TE1 to TE
The domain 5 in which En is accommodated is defined as the lowest level. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, there is also a configuration in which the communication processing server 1 is arranged only on the lowest ladder.

[0119]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The embodiment of the present invention is an example of a high-performance communication network aiming at efficiently providing a stored information service to a user using a stored information transfer server as a communication processing server. In the embodiment of the present invention, the service provided by the upstream communication processing server to the downstream one in the logical connection relationship described in the section of the related art is transfer of stored information. [Configuration of Communication Processing Server] First, FIG. 6 shows some examples of the configuration of the communication processing server in the network. What is applicable to both examples is that a network is hierarchically configured as a domain. The domain is one of the domains that control or manage communication resources and system users.

A domain is also a unit of service resource allocation for a resource, in the sense that whether to allocate a physical resource for one resource is selected for each domain. System users belong to one of the lowest-tier domains.

The communication processing server belongs to one of the domains, but there may be a communication processing server that does not necessarily belong to the lowest hierarchical domain. Although there is no particular limitation on the method of dividing the domain, generally, differences between network operators and geographical circumstances are taken into consideration. Note that allocating a physical resource to one domain for one resource means that a communication processing server arranged in the one domain or a lower hierarchical domain provides the physical resource for the one resource.

FIG. 1A shows a form in which communication processing servers are individually arranged in each of the tier-level domains.
The communication processing server deployed in the domain of the lowest level,
Usually, users belonging to the domain are accessed. A communication processing server deployed in a domain other than the lowest level is normally accessed by a user belonging to a lower level domain belonging to the domain. An example in which a communication processing server arranged in a domain other than the lowest level is used is a form in which a plurality of sibling domains having few participants in a session in the domain share the communication processing server of the parent domain. When a physical resource is arranged in a domain for a certain resource, the communication processing server that provides the arranged physical resource is the communication processing server arranged in the domain.

FIG. 1B is different from FIG. 1A in that the communication processing server is provided only in the domain of the lowest level. The communication processing server can be accessed by a user belonging to an arbitrary domain, not limited to the domain to which the communication processing server belongs. When a physical resource is arranged in a certain domain for a certain resource, the communication processing server that provides the arranged physical resource is the communication processing server arranged in the lowest hierarchical domain belonging to the domain. When a physical resource is shared by a plurality of domains for a certain resource because the number of participants in the session is small, etc., the physical resource is allocated to a domain on a higher hierarchical level of the plurality of domains. It is deployed in one of the lowest-level domains within that domain.

That is, when the sibling domains share the physical resources of the upper domain, the communication processing server that provides the physical resources arranged in the upper domain is not shown in FIG.
(A) is a communication processing server arranged in the upper domain and is always the same, but FIG. 1 (b) is a communication processing server arranged in one of the lowest-tier domains and is selected for each resource. It is a good thing.

According to this arrangement method, in FIG. 1A, the load tends to be concentrated on the communication processing servers in the upper domain, but in FIG. 1B, the communication processing servers can be allocated for each resource. Thus, the load on the communication processing server can be distributed.

The feature of the logical connection between the communication processing servers in the case of this configuration is that a plurality of communication processing servers are selected for one resource for a domain group of the next lower level belonging to one domain. In this case, for the one resource, the other communication processing server assigned to the domain group of the next lower level is selected as the next server to the communication processing server that provides the physical resource arranged in the one domain. Is to set the logical connection.

FIG. 1 (c) is an improved version of FIG. 1 (b), and has a smooth hierarchical structure. A plurality of domains are formed as the highest rank, and the number of the ranks is one less than that in FIG. The feature of the logical connection between the communication processing servers in the case of this configuration is that, when a plurality of communication processing servers are selected for one resource with respect to one lower domain group belonging to one domain, For the one resource, a logical connection is set between any one of the selected communication processing servers and each of the other communication processing servers.

By adopting this form, when the configuration of the communication resource control system is decentralized and a communication resource management agent which is an execution module of the communication resource control system is arranged in each domain, FIG. 1) or FIG. 1B, the load on the communication resource management agent in the upper domain is reduced.

In the following description, the detailed description will be continued by taking the arrangement configuration of FIG. 1C as an example.
It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be applied to the arrangement shown in FIG.

[0130] For convenience of description in the future, various definitions of the domain will be made here. A domain on one higher level of one domain is defined as a “parent of the domain” or a “parent domain”. A domain group at one lower level of one domain is defined as a "child of a domain", a "child domain", or a "child domain group". A group of domains having the same parent as one domain is defined as a “brother of domains”, a “brother domain”, or a “brother domain group”. One domain, a parent domain of the one domain, and a group of sibling domains of the one domain are defined as “family of domains”, “family domain”, or “family domain group”. A domain group on a higher level of one domain is defined as an "ancestor of a domain", an "ancestor domain", or an "ancestor domain group". Then, the lower-level domain groups belonging to one domain are defined as “descendants of the domain”, “descendant domains”, or “descendant domain groups”. [Basic Concept of Information Transfer] Here, a logical connection relationship between communication processing servers based on the above-described method of arranging communication processing servers will be described. The point is that the upper / lower relationship of the communication processing servers in the tree-like logical connection relationship between the communication processing servers described in the section of the related art is described by the upper / lower domain tiers in the hierarchical arrangement of the communication processing servers.
That is, it is mapped to a lower-level relationship.

The main points of the connection relationship between the user and the communication processing server are as follows. In other words, in the case of root connection, that is, in the case of connecting when a user tries to send information, the connection destination communication processing server is the highest-level domain among the communication processing servers assigned to the corresponding resource. In the case of any connection, that is, the communication processing server of the connection destination when the user tries to obtain information,
Among the communication processing servers assigned to the resource, the communication processing server is assigned to the lowest tier of the domain to which the user belongs.

The above point is smooth and the communication processing server is arranged only at the lowest level, and more specifically, as follows. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a logical connection relationship between communication processing servers when the communication processing servers are arranged at the lowest level. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper / lower relationship of the communication processing server group assigned to each domain for one resource exists in the following two forms.

(1) One is a logical connection relationship from one domain to a sibling domain when focusing on a family of a certain domain. Hereinafter, the upper communication processing server in this case or the domain to which the communication processing server is assigned is referred to as the “primary” of the family.

(2) The other is a logical connection relationship from the parent domain of the family of (1) to one domain. In addition, the communication processing server to which the user connects in the route connection is assigned to the domain of the highest level among the communication processing servers assigned to one resource, and is logically connected to the sibling domain as a higher level. Have a relationship.

It should be emphasized again that, since the communication processing server is actually located in the lowest hierarchical domain, if a physical resource is located in a domain other than the lowest hierarchical level for a certain resource, the The communication processing server to which the resource is to be provided is selected from the communication processing servers arranged in the lowest hierarchical domain in the domain.

At this time, one of the selected servers is selected as the “primary” of the domain. It is also possible for a communication processing server to be the primer for multiple tiered domains. (Also, the primary can be changed dynamically. For example, it can be changed each time a resource is opened.) It is to be noted that delegating the primary role of a plurality of domains for a certain resource to one communication processing server for one communication processing server. Is possible. Rather, it is more efficient in terms of information transfer.

Here, as an attribute of a certain communication processing server for a certain resource, a ladder level of a domain having the communication processing server as a primary is defined as a “primary level”. Here, it can be said that the logical connection relationship between the communication processing servers for one resource can be expressed using this primary level.

That is, in the tree-shaped logical connection relationship, the highest communication processing server (root server) has the highest primary level, and for a certain communication processing server, the primary server of the next lower level than its primary level. A communication processing server having a level is a server next to the communication processing server.

[Outline of Communication Resource Control System] Next, an outline of the communication resource control system will be described. The main functions of the communication resource control system are as follows.

(1) Information on the owner, participants, user modes of the participants, etc. is managed based on the session setting procedure.

(2) Information such as the relationship between the user mode and the resource open mode is managed based on the resource addition procedure, and it is determined for each domain whether or not to allocate a communication processing server resource for each resource. When assigning, a communication processing server is selected (service resource assignment). Further, based on the determination and selection, a logical connection relationship between the communication processing servers for the resource is maintained. Also, the communication processing server resources are re-allocated according to the change of the session participant or the usage status of the communication processing server resources.

(3) On the basis of the above logical connection relationship, the communication processing server determines another communication processing server or a user terminal to be accessed for information transfer.

(4) After confirming the access authority of the requester based on the resource open procedure, the system user determines the communication processing server to be accessed for information transmission. The communication resource management agent is composed of the following blocks.

A communication interface for exchanging messages with a user, a communication processing server, another communication resource management agent, etc., a database (DB) for storing session information and resource information, and management and control of sessions and resources These blocks can be easily implemented using conventional computer resources, network resources, and software.

[Configuration of Communication Resource Control System] Next, FIG. 3 shows some examples of arrangements of communication resource management agents in a network. The main points are as follows.

(1) FIG. 3A shows that one communication resource management agent exists in the network. It controls the communication processing server of the whole network. This arrangement is hereinafter referred to as “centralized type”.

(2) FIG. 3B shows that a plurality of communication processing servers are distributed. Each communication resource management agent shares and controls the communication processing server. This arrangement is hereinafter referred to as “distributed type”.

Normally, there is one communication resource management agent for each domain, and the configuration is such that the communication processing server of the domain is controlled. The information possessed by each communication resource management agent will be described in detail later, but, in short, the management information of the communication processing server belonging to the domain,
In addition, the management information of the set session and resources is set. Among them, the information of the session participant and the communication processing server resource allocation are related to the domain.

The distributed type has the following advantages over the centralized type.

(1) Response to globalization of networks: When networks span different managers, it becomes necessary to manage system users and communication processing servers in each network. The distributed type can easily respond to such a demand.

(2) Change localization of control or management information:
When the information of the system user or the communication processing server is changed, only the communication resource management agent of the domain to which the information belongs needs to be changed, so that the influence on other domains can be minimized.

(3) Improvement of expandability (scalability): The expandability of the network system of the present invention can be increased by the above two effects.

(4) Improving the responsiveness of the user with the communication resource management agent: Since the user only needs to access the communication resource management agent of the domain to which the user belongs, the response of the exchange with the communication resource management agent is possible. Performance may be improved.

When the domain configuration method is the sharp configuration, attention is paid to each family of the domain, and among them, it is the parent domain that allocates a communication processing server resource for one resource to a group of child domains. On the other hand, when the domain configuration method is the smooth type configuration, the same assignment is made to any of the child domains. A parent domain or a child domain that performs such communication processing server assignment, or these communication resource management agents are referred to as "family representative", "family representative domain",
Or "Family Representative Agent".

In the case of the sharp type configuration, the family representative is always the same. On the other hand, in the case of the smooth configuration, the family representative may always be the same, or may be determined for each family domain for each session. By making a difference for each session, a load distribution effect is produced.

The following is the information structure that the communication resource management agent has as a database (DB) when the configuration method of the communication resource control system is a centralized type. The left side is the configuration information name, and the right side is the component name (separated by '+'). In the right qualifier of the component name, * is 0 or more, and + is 1 or more. Communication resource management agent DB = {user information} * +
{Session information} * + {Communication processing server information} * + Network configuration information User information = User identifier + Access information Communication processing server information = Communication processing server identifier + Access information + Capacity size Session information = Session identifier + Owner information +
｛Participant information｝ * + ｛Resource information｝ * Owner information = User identifier Participant information = User identifier + User mode Resource information = Resource identifier + ｛Access authority information｝ * + Resource specification + ｛Domain allocation information 割 当 て* Access authority information = User mode + {Resource open mode} * Assignment information for each domain = Domain identifier + Participant presence flag + Assignment flag + Primary level list + {Communication processing server assignment information} * Communication processing server assignment information = Communication processing Server identifier + Primary level list Primary level list = {Primary level} * Each resource includes information as to whether or not to allocate a physical resource to each domain (assignment information for each domain). However, the assignment information for the domain that is not the lowest level does not include information (communication processing server assignment information) to which communication processing server was specifically assigned, but only information (assignment flag) and a primary level of whether or not to assign. is there. Information on which communication processing server is specifically assigned is expressed as communication processing server assignment information in the lowest hierarchical domain.

For the information structure, refer to the above, and a supplementary explanation will be given here. “User information” is information of a user who uses the high-performance network system of the present invention, and exists for each user.

The “session information” is management information of the set session, and exists for each session.

"Communication processing server information" is configuration information of the communication processing server, and exists for each communication processing server.

“Network configuration information” is configuration information of the transmission network.

[0161] "Access information" is information for means for accessing a user or a communication processing server, and includes a network address and the like.

“Capacity size” indicates the available capacity of the communication processing server.

"Owner information" is the information of the user who has requested the setting of the session. “Resource information” is management information of the resource added to the session, and exists for each resource.

The "access right information" is information on the access right possessed by the user, and is composed of a set of a user mode and zero or more access types (resource open mode) allowed for the participants of the user mode.

The “resource open mode” is a type of access to a physical resource. The variation varies depending on the type of the communication processing server, but usually includes “writing” for transmitting information, “reading” for acquiring information, and both “reading / writing”.

The "resource specifications" are various information when the user uses the communication processing server, and vary depending on the type of the communication processing server. For example, the capacity and time to be used.

The “assignment information for each domain” is various kinds of information relating to the physical resource arrangement for the domain, and exists for each domain.

The "participant presence flag" is a flag indicating whether or not a participant in the session exists in the domain or any of its lower domains.

The "assignment flag" is a flag indicating whether or not to assign a communication processing server to the domain.

The "primary level list" is a column of the primary level assigned to the domain or the actual communication processing server.

[0171] "Communication processing server allocation information" is information indicating the communication processing server that provides the allocated physical resource, and also includes a primary level list indicating which tier level primary is delegated.

However, as will be described repeatedly, the “communication processing server allocation information” exists only in the case of the lowest hierarchical domain. This is because the domains other than the lowest level delegate the provision of physical resources to the lowest level domain.

The following is the information structure that the communication resource management agent has as a DB when the configuration method of the communication resource control system is a distributed type. The left side is the configuration information name, and the right side is the component name (separated by '+'). The right qualifier of the component name is *: 0 or more and +: 1 or more. Communication resource management agent DB = {user information} * +
｛Session information｝ * + ｛Communication processing server information｝ * + Network configuration information + Transaction book Transaction book = ｛Transaction page｝
* User information = User identifier + Access information Communication processing server information = Communication processing server identifier + Access information + Capability size Session information = Family representative session information | Non-family representative session information Family representative session information = Session identifier + Owner information + ｝ Number of family participants｝ + ｛Participant information｝ * + ｛Resource information｝ * + (Child family representative identifier) Non-family representative session information = Session identifier + Owner information + ｛Number of participants ｛+ ｛Participation Information {* +} resource information {* + (child family representative identifier) + own family representative identifier Resource information = family representative resource information | non-family representative resource information Family representative resource information = resource identifier + {access authority information}
* + Resource specification + {Family resource allocation information} + {Communication processing server allocation information * Non-family representative resource information = Resource identifier + ｛Access authority information｝ * + Resource specification + ｛My own resource allocation information｝ + ｛Communication processing Server allocation information｝ * Access authority information = User mode + ｛Resource open mode｝ * Resource allocation information = Allocation flag + ｛Primary level｝ * + (Allocation domain information) Communication processing server allocation information = Communication processing server identifier +
｛Primary level ｛+ ｛Service user identifier｝ * For each domain included in the session information and resource information of the communication resource management agent of a certain domain, the domain, sibling domain, parent domain,
It is about a child domain. That is, the arrangement of information unique to the domain is localized as much as possible.

The session information and resource information of a certain communication resource management agent concerning a session or a resource differ depending on whether or not the domain of the communication resource management agent is a family representative of the session or the resource. In the case of a family representative, in addition to their own domain, they have detailed session information and resource information of other families. On the other hand, if it is not a family representative, it has detailed session information and resource information only for its own domain.

The information structure is referred to the above, and the supplementary explanation is made here mainly on the points different from the centralized type. The “transaction book” is a collection of information on transactions by the communication resource management agent.

"Transaction page" is information for each transaction.

“Session information” and “resource information”
The information that the communication resource management agent has depends on whether or not it is a family representative for the session.

"Family representative session information" is management information on a session when the communication resource management agent is a family representative for the session, and has information on the number of participants for the family domain. This is different from “non-family representative session information” which has only the number of participants for the own domain. Both the “family representative session information” and the “non-family representative session information” exist only when the communication resource management agent is at the lowest level.

The “child family representative identifier” is the identifier of the family representative domain in the child domain, and is possessed by the communication resource management agent of a domain other than the lowest level.

"My own family representative identifier" is the identifier of the domain of the family representative in the own domain.

"Family representative resource information" is management information on resources when the communication resource management agent is a family representative for a session to which the resource is added, and has resource allocation information for the family domain. In this point, it is different from “non-family representative resource information” having only resource allocation information for its own domain. Note that both the “family representative resource information” and the “non-family representative resource information” exist only when the communication resource management agent is at the lowest level. Hereinafter, each process performed by the communication resource control system will be described in detail. Each process will be described on the assumption that the communication resource control system is of a centralized type, and after the description of each process, a description of a distributed type will be given.

[Session Setting Procedure] First, the session setting procedure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the session setting procedure. The main points are as follows.

(1) A user who sets a session sends a session setting request message to the communication resource management agent. The parameter is an identifier of the user, a session identifier of the session, and a set of zero or more {participant or target area of the session} and a user mode for them.

(2) The communication resource management agent performs the following processing with the given values as inputs. New session information is generated in the DB (generation of session information). A session identifier and owner information are written in the session information. The values are the identifier of the user of the input parameter and the session identifier, respectively (setting of basic information).

Also, participant information is written in the session information. Each value is a set of a participant or a target area to the session of the input parameter and the user mode (participation information setting).

(3) The communication resource control system sends a response message to the session setting request to the user. The parameter is the result of the request.

[Resource Addition Procedure] Next, the resource addition procedure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the resource addition procedure. The main points are as follows.

(1) A user who intends to set a session sends a resource addition request message to the communication resource management agent. The parameters are the identifier of the user, the session identifier of the session to be added, the resource identifier of the resource to be added, a set of 0 or more {user mode and permitted resource open mode list}, and 0 or more resource open modes. Pairs, resource specifications. Note that the permitted resource open mode list is zero or more resource open modes allowed for the user mode.

(2) The communication resource management agent performs the following processing with the given values as inputs. The session information of the session to which the resource is to be added is extracted from the DB using the session identifier of the input parameter as a key. Generate resource information and add it to the session information (generation of resource information).

The resource identifier, access authority information, and resource specification are written in the resource information. The value is a resource identifier of each input parameter, a set of a user mode and a permitted resource open mode list, and a resource specification (setting of basic information).

The service resource allocation is determined and the resource information is updated (service resource allocation). In some cases,
A resource use notification message is sent to the communication processing server.

(Notification to Communication Processing Server) (3) The communication resource control system sends a response message to the resource addition to the user. The parameter is the result of the request.

Here, the service resource allocation process will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the service resource allocation operation. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of allocating service resources to a group of domains. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of determining the physical resource providing communication processing server. In this process, the communication control system determines the following. (i) For each domain, determine whether or not physical resources should be allocated to that domain. (ii) For each family of the domain, determine a primary domain. (iii) Determine the actual communication processing server that provides the physical resources. Unless there is no communication processing server that provides physical resources due to excessive supply or the like, there is one or more physical resources to be allocated and one or more communication processing servers to provide.

Since the method of arranging the communication processing server is “arranged only at the lowest level”, the above determination is made from the domain of the upper level. More specifically, when a physical resource is allocated to one domain, a physical resource is allocated to at least one of child domains of the one domain, and no physical resource is allocated to one domain. Does not place a physical resource in any of the child domains of the one domain. Because, when allocating physical resources to the upper-level domain, the lower-level domain is delegated the selection of the communication processing server that provides the physical resource, and finally the communication processing server is actually allocated. This is because a higher-ranking domain is assigned to the lowest-ranked domain and delegated. By using such a mechanism, service resource allocation can be performed for each resource. Specifically, the communication resource management agent performs service resource allocation in the following sequence.

(1) Start (2) Hierarchy level lev of domain for deciding allocation
Is initialized to 1. However, if the participant of the session to which the resource is added is local, it is initialized to the value of the ladder level that accommodates the local.

(3) The following processing is performed as long as lev is lower than the lowest level.

As shown in FIG. 7, the processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 is performed for each domain group having the same parent. (i) If the “assignment flag” in the “assignment information for each domain” of the parent domain is “Y”, the physical resource is assigned to at least one of the domain groups, and the “assignment for each domain” of the determined domain is assigned. "Y" is set to the "assignment flag" in the "information", and an element having a value obtained by adding 1 to lev is added to the "primary level list" in the "assignment information for each domain". For a domain not to be arranged, “N” is set in the “assignment flag” in the “assignment information for each domain” of the domain. If lev is an initialization value, it is assumed that “assignment flag” of the parent domain = Y and “primary level list” = lev. (ii) If any element other than the element having the value of lev is set in the “primary level list” in the “assignment information for each domain” of the parent domain, the primary of the ladder indicated by those levels is set to the domain group. Any one or more of them are delegated, that is, those elements are distributed to any one or more of the domain groups, and those elements are added to the “primary level list” in the “assignment information for each domain” of the domain to be distributed. Set the value. le
v is added by 1 and the process returns to (3).

(4) The processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 is performed for each lowest-order hierarchical domain. If any element is set in the "primary level list" in the "assignment information for each domain" of the domain, one or more communication processing servers arranged in the domain are assigned, and the "assignment for each domain" of the domain is assigned. In the "information", a "communication processing server assignment information" field is generated, and an identifier of the communication processing server is set. Also, each element set in the “primary level list” is distributed to the allocated communication processing server, and “communication processing server allocation information” in “domain-specific allocation information” corresponding to the communication processing server to be distributed. Set its element to the "primary level list".

(5) Termination In determining the physical resource arrangement for each domain performed in step (3) (i) of the sequence, for example, the following criteria are used.

(I) Place in a domain where session participants exist: When placing in a domain where session participants do not exist, participation of another domain in a communication processing server that provides physical resources located in the relevant domain This is because, if a user tries to access, the distance between the communication processing server and the participant becomes longer, network cost may increase, and access delay may increase. In addition,
“Participant exists” in a domain that is not the lowest tier means that there is a participant in any lower tier domain.

(Ii) Arrange in a domain where many session participants exist. Specifically, if the number of session participants belonging to the domain exceeds a predetermined threshold, physical resources are allocated to the domain. If physical resources are placed in a domain with a large number of participants, and the communication processing servers deployed in the domain provide the physical resources, the number of participants who can access communication processing servers that are close to each other will increase. is there.

(Iii) The cost of arrangement is compared. In other words, the costs in the case where the physical resources are arranged in a certain domain and in the case where the physical resources are not arranged are calculated and compared, and the one with the lower cost is selected. Here, the cost includes the cost of transmitting information between the accessing participant and the communication processing server that provides the physical resource, between the communication processing servers, and the cost for securing the physical resource in the communication processing server. including.

(Iv) Place in the domain specified as the target area of the session. If the domain has a lower domain, place it in one of the lower domains,
Can be located in all lower domains. The judgment can use the above three points. [Next Stage Server Inquiry Procedure] Next, the next stage server inquiry procedure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the next server inquiry procedure. The main points are as follows.

(I) The transfer source communication processing server sends a next stage inquiry request message to the communication resource management agent. The parameters are the resource identifier and the value of the number of stages.

(Ii) The communication resource management agent performs the following processing with the given values as inputs. The communication processing server to be the next transfer destination is determined, and the descriptor of the server is obtained (next-stage server determination processing). The server is 0 or more. That is, as described above, since the form of the logical connection is a tree, there may be a plurality of communication processing servers at the transfer destination, while, when the communication processing server at the bottom of the tree makes an inquiry, There is no destination communication processing server.

(Iii) The communication resource management agent sends a response message to the next server inquiry request to the communication processing server. The parameter is a resource descriptor of 0 or more transfer destination communication processing servers.

In the above-mentioned sequence, the communication resource management agent determines the communication processing server to be the next transfer destination described in (ii), as shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the access server inquiry procedure.

(1) Start (resource information has been extracted) (2) Based on the communication processing server assignment information in the assignment information for each domain of the extracted resource information, all communication processing servers satisfying all of the following conditions are searched. Extract the communication processing server identifier. The number of communication processing servers to be satisfied is zero or more. A communication processing server that satisfies the condition is a communication processing server to which a primary level having the same value as the value obtained by adding 1 to the value of the number of input stages is assigned, and the value obtained by subtracting 1 from the value of the number of input stages. The ancestor domain having the same value as the ancestor domain is the same communication processing server as the communication processing server that issued the inquiry.

(3) For each of the extracted communication processing server identifiers, the communication processing server information of the communication processing server is extracted from the DB using the identifier as a key.
The “access information” in the information shall be included in the resource descriptor of the parameter of the response message.

(4) End. [Resource Open Procedure] Next, the resource open procedure will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the access server inquiry procedure. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the access authority check process. The main points are as follows.

(1) A user who attempts to access sends a resource open request message to the communication resource management agent. The parameters are a user identifier, a resource identifier, and a resource open mode.

(2) The communication resource management agent performs the following processing with the given values as inputs. Session information and resource information are D using the resource identifier of the input parameter as a key.
Remove from B.

It is checked whether the user indicated by the user identifier of the input parameter is authorized to access the input parameter in the resource open mode. If not, the response message ends with no resource descriptors. (Access Authority Check Processing) The communication processing server to be accessed is determined, and the descriptor of the server is obtained. (Access Server Determination Process) (3) The communication resource control system sends a response message to the resource open request to the user. The parameter is a resource descriptor of the communication processing server. The above access authority check processing is specifically performed as shown in FIG.

(1) Start (the session information and the resource information have been extracted) (2) The user mode included in the request message parameter included in the session information is extracted.

(3) All the resource open modes corresponding to the user mode are extracted from the access authority information in the resource information.

(4) Check whether the resource open mode of the parameter of the request message is included in those resource open modes. If it is included, it is assumed that the user has the access right. If not included, it is determined that the user does not have access authority. When the target area of the session is defined and the user indicated by the input user identifier is accommodated in the domain of the target area, the user also has the user mode of the target area. And the above processing is performed.

The contents of the access server determination process differ depending on whether the access type is read / write. As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the connection type of the user when the access type is write is a root connection, and when the access type is read, it is an any connection.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the access server determining process. The access server determination process in the case of a route connection is performed as shown in FIG.

(1) Start (resource information has been extracted) (2) Based on the resource information, search for a communication processing server that satisfies all of the following conditions. The communication processing server that satisfies the condition is a communication processing server to which the lowest primary level is assigned for the resource.

(3) The communication processing server information of the communication processing server is extracted from the DB using the communication processing server identifier of the communication processing server as a key and the communication processing server identifier of the communication processing server as a key. "Access information" shall be included in the resource descriptor of the parameter of the response message.

(4) Termination In the case of an any connection, a domain belonging to the user and in which the communication processing server providing the physical resource exists is selected from the lowest tier, and the physical resource in the selected domain is selected. Is a communication processing server to which the user should access. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the access server determination process. Specifically, the access server determination process is performed as shown in FIG.

(1) Start (resource information has been extracted) (2) Based on the resource information, search for a communication processing server satisfying the following condition. The communication processing server that satisfies the condition is the lowest in the domain of the domain to which the user indicated by the user identifier of the parameter of the request message belongs and the upper domain accommodating the domain in which the communication processing server is deployed or the domain itself. Such a communication processing server.

(3) The communication processing server information of the communication processing server is extracted from the DB using the communication processing server identifier of the communication processing server as a key and the communication processing server identifier of the communication processing server as a key. "Access information" shall be included in the resource descriptor of the parameter of the response message.

(4) Termination By performing the process for any connection in this way,
Since the topology selects a communication processing server in a domain closer to the user, the user can access the communication processing server closer to the user. As another method, a method of selecting a communication processing server at random or selecting a communication processing server with a small network load or a small server load can be considered. [Distribution of Communication Resource Control System] Next, each processing when the arrangement method of the communication resource control system is a distributed type will be described. Basically, there is no change in the points mentioned in the description of the centralized type described so far. For example, there is no difference in the exchange between the user or the communication processing server and the communication resource management agent. The main differences are as follows.

The resource allocation information for each domain and the communication processing server information are distributed to each domain. Therefore, service resource allocation and routing are performed by the communication resource management agents of each domain in cooperation.

As described above, the family representative agent has detailed information on sessions and resources for each domain of a family, and the family representative agent controls the sessions and resources of each domain of the family. Do. The non-family representative communication resource management agent queries the family representative agent for information about other domains.

When each communication resource management agent over a wide area performs one process as a communication resource control system, a method of propagating control messages between the communication resource management agents is, for example, hierarchical propagation via an upper domain. There is a way. Specifically, it is as follows.
Generally, the processing of the communication resource control system starts when a communication resource management agent of the domain to which the user belongs receives the control message of the user. The communication resource management agent that has received the message from the communication resource management agent of the user or the child domain sends the message to the family representative agent. In some cases, the message is returned to the user or the original message sender. The family representative agent that has received the message from the communication resource management agent of the sibling domain sends the message to the communication resource management agent of the parent domain. Send a message to each communication resource management agent in the sibling domain. Send a message to the family representative agent in the child domain. In some cases, the message is returned to the communication resource management agent of the original message transmission source. The family representative agent receiving the message from the communication resource management agent of the parent domain sends the message to each communication resource management agent of the sibling domain. Send a message to the family representative agent in the child domain. In some cases, the message is returned to the communication resource management agent of the original message transmission source.

In addition to the above-described propagation method, the communication resource management agent that has received the user's control message sends a message to the family representative agent at the highest level, and the family representative agent from the family representative agent to the lower level. There is also a way to propagate to agents. Hereinafter, each processing when the communication resource control system is distributed will be described. [Session Setting Procedure] First, the session setting procedure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the session setting procedure. In this procedure, the exchange between the user and the communication resource control system is not different from the centralized type. In the communication resource control system, a session setting message is propagated between a user who attempts to set a session and a communication resource management agent of a domain to which a participant belongs to the session and a higher-order domain. In addition, a family representative agent for the session is determined for each family on each stage. As a determination method, for example, a determination may be made at random or a method having a low processing load may be selected. Also, for the family of the domain of the communication resource management agent that has received the message of the session setting from the user or from the communication resource management agent of the child domain, the communication resource management agent that has received the message may be the family representative agent of the family. Good.

The messages exchanged between the communication resource management agents are specifically as follows. Session setting: Requests to set a session with the user's identifier, session identifier, zero or more participants in the session and the user mode as a request message. The request result is returned as a response message. When the communication resource management agent receives a session setting request message from the user or another communication resource management agent, the communication resource management agent performs the processing shown in FIG.

(1) Start (2) Generate new session information in the DB. (Generation of session information) (3) Perform the following processing. A session identifier and owner information are written in the session information. The values are the identifier of the user of the input parameter and the session identifier, respectively. (Setting of basic information) Participant information is written in the session information. Each value is a set of the input parameter session participant and the user mode. (Setting of participation information) When it is not the lowest level, the family representative agent of the child domain is determined. (Determination of family representative agent) Sends a session setting request message to another communication resource management agent. (Transmission of request message) (4) Termination For the setting of the participation information, the participation information of only the domain or the family domain is set. The setting content differs depending on whether the communication resource management agent is the family representative agent for the session, and furthermore, whether the communication resource management agent is the lowest level. Specifically, it is as follows.

When the own agent is a family representative agent, the number of participants belonging to the domain of the family is tabulated for each domain and set as the number of participants in the family representative session information. If you are not a family representative agent,
The number of participants belonging to only the own domain is totaled and set as the number of participants in the non-family representative session information. When the domain is not the lowest level, the number of the lower domain is included. When it is the lowest level, the participant information of the participant belonging to the own domain is set.

Regarding the request message transmission processing, the method of selecting another communication resource management agent to which the request message is to be transmitted is, in principle, hierarchically propagated via the above-described upper domain. According to the above, the session setting message is propagated between the user who intends to set the session and the communication resource management agent of the domain to which the participant belongs to the session and the higher domain. Specifically, it is as follows.

When a message is received from the communication resource management agent of the user or the child domain, the message is sent to the family representative agent. The family representative agent that has received the message from the communication resource management agent of the sibling domain, when there is a participant in the session other than {own domain and sibling domains and their descendant domains}, sends the message to the parent domain communication resource management agent. send a message. A message is sent to each communication resource management agent of the sibling domain in which the participant of the session exists. If your domain is not at the lowest level, send a message to the family representative agent of the child domain. The family representative agent that has received the message from the communication resource management agent of the parent domain sends the message to each communication resource management agent of the sibling domain for which the participant of the session exists. If your domain is not at the lowest level, send a message to the family representative agent of the child domain. [Resource addition procedure] Next, regarding the resource addition procedure, FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the resource addition procedure. Also in this procedure, the exchange between the user and the communication resource control system is not different from the centralized type.

In the communication resource control system, a resource addition message is propagated between communication resource management agents having session information on a session for which a resource is to be added. The propagation is in accordance with the method described above. Also, in the process of service resource allocation, there is no difference in that allocation determination is performed from the upper domain, but one communication resource management agent does not allocate service resources to all domains, but distributes them. Specifically, the difference is that each family representative agent performs the same assignment for each domain of the family for each family of the domain group. Also, only the lowest-level communication resource management agent makes the decision to select the actual communication processing server that provides the physical resources to be allocated to a certain domain.

The messages exchanged between the communication resource management agents are specifically as follows. Add resources:
The request message includes a session identifier, a resource identifier, zero or more pairs of user mode and resource open mode,
A request is made to add the resource represented by the resource identifier to the session represented by the session identifier using the resource specification as a parameter. The request result is returned as a response message. When each communication resource management agent receives a resource addition request message from the user or another communication resource management agent, it performs the processing shown in FIG.

(1) The session information of the session to which the resource is to be added is extracted from the DB using the session identifier of the input parameter as a key.

(2) The following processing is performed. Generate resource information and add it to the session information. (Generation of Resource Information) A resource identifier, access authority information, and resource specification are written in the resource information. The value is a resource identifier of each input parameter, a set of a user mode and a resource open mode, and a resource specification. (Setting of basic information) The service resource allocation is determined and the resource information is updated.
(Service resource allocation) Sends a request message for a resource addition message to another communication resource management agent. (Transmission of request message) In some cases, a notification message of resource use is transmitted to the communication processing server. (Notification to communication processing server) [Resource open procedure and next server inquiry procedure]
Next, the resource open procedure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the access server inquiry procedure. Also in this procedure, the exchange between the user or the communication processing server and the communication resource control system is not different from the centralized type. However, the access server determination process is performed while exchanging messages between the communication resource management agents. The message is specifically as follows.

Resource open: Using the resource identifier, the resource open mode, and the primary level as parameters as a request message, inquires of the communication processing server assigned to the primary level about the resource indicated by the resource identifier. The descriptor of the communication processing server is returned as a response message. The processing performed by the communication resource management agent, which has received the resource open request message from the user, is roughly the same as the centralized processing.

The communication resource management agent that has received the resource open request message from another communication resource management agent performs the processing shown in FIG. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the access server inquiry procedure. The point is that the communication resource management agent that has received the message from the user has already completed the access right check, so that this check is unnecessary.

(1) Start (2) Session information and resource information are retrieved from the DB using the resource identifier of the input parameter as a key (3) The user indicated by the user identifier of the input parameter accesses in the resource open mode of the input parameter Check if you have permission. If not, the response message ends with no resource descriptors. (Access Authority Check Processing) (4) A communication processing server to be accessed is determined, and a descriptor of the server is obtained. (Access Server Determination Process) (5) Termination The communication resource management agent which has received the request message for the assignment server inquiry from the user or another communication resource management agent performs the access server determination process as shown in FIG.
9 is performed. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the access server determination process. (In the following, the request message is abbreviated as "reception request message.") (1) Start (resource information has been captured) (2) As the input primary level value when the sender of the reception request message is a user When the resource open mode is write, it is regarded as a value obtained by adding 1, and when read, the value is obtained by adding 1 to the step level of the own domain.

(3) When the input primary level is included in the “primary level list” in the “assignment information for each domain” for the own domain, when the own domain is the lowest level, (i) the input primary level Search for “communication processing server assignment information” that includes the level value. The communication processing server information is searched using the communication processing server identifier of the information as a key.

(Ii) Referring to the configuration information of the information, the descriptor of the server is received and included in the response to the request message.

(Iii) Termination When the own domain is not at the lowest level (i) A resource open request message is sent to the family representative agent of the child domain. The parameter values of the request message are the same as those received by the own communication resource management agent. Then, a response message to the inquiry is received. The server descriptor included in the message is used as the server descriptor included in the response to the reception request message.

(Ii) Termination (4) “Assignment information for each domain” for own domain
If the “primary level list” does not include the primary level of the input, if the own domain is not a family representative for the session to which the resource is added, (i) open resources to the family representative agent of the own domain Send a request message. The value of the parameter of the request message is obtained by subtracting 1 from the value of the primary level of the parameter of the reception request message for the primary level, and the other values are the same as those received by the own communication resource management agent. Then, a response message to the inquiry is received. The server descriptor included in the message is used as the server descriptor included in the response to the reception request message.

(Ii) Termination When the own domain is a family representative for the session to which the resource is added, (i) When the tier level of the own domain is not equal to the value of the input primary level (a) Upper domain A resource open request message is sent to the communication resource management agent. The value of the parameter of the request message is 1 from the value of the primary level of the parameter of the reception request message for the primary level.
And the others are the same as those received by the own communication resource management agent. Then, a response message to the inquiry is received. The server descriptor included in the message is used as the server descriptor included in the response to the reception request message.

(B) Termination (ii) When the tier level of the own domain is equal to the value of the primary level of the input (a) In the “primary level list” in “assignment information by domain” for any family domain If the primary level is included, (I) send a resource open request message to the communication resource management agent of the domain. The parameter values of the request message are the same as those received by the own communication resource management agent. Then, a response message to the inquiry is received. The server descriptor included in the message is used as the server descriptor included in the response to the reception request message.

(II) End (b) When the input primary level is not included in the “primary level list” in the “assignment information for each domain” for any family domain, (I) the domain of one higher level Send a resource open request message to the family representative agent of. The value of the parameter of the request message is obtained by subtracting 1 from the value of the primary level of the parameter of the reception request message for the primary level, and the other values are the same as those received by the own communication resource management agent. Then, a response message to the inquiry is received. The server descriptor included in the message is used as the server descriptor included in the response to the reception request message.

(II) Termination (5) Termination [Next-stage server inquiry procedure] Next, the next-stage server inquiry procedure will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the next server inquiry procedure. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the operation of the next server determination process. Also in this procedure, the exchange between the communication processing server and the communication resource control system is not different from the centralized type. However, the next server determination process is performed while exchanging messages between the communication resource management agents. The message is specifically as shown in FIG.

Next-stage server inquiry: With the resource identifier and the number of stages as parameters in the request message, the next-stage communication processing server is inquired about the resource indicated by the resource identifier. The descriptor of the communication processing server is returned as a response message.

The processing performed by the communication resource management agent that has received the request message for the next-stage server inquiry is roughly the same as the centralized processing. More specifically, the process illustrated in FIG. 21 is performed as the next-stage server determination process. (In the following, the request message is abbreviated as “reception request message”).

(1) Start (resource information has been extracted) (2) If the own domain is not the family representative of the session to which the resource is added, request the next-level server inquiry to the family representative agent of the domain. send a message. The parameter values of the request message are the same as those received by the own communication resource management agent. Then, a response message to the inquiry is received. The resource descriptor included in the message is used as the resource descriptor included in the response to the reception request message.

End (3) When the own domain is a family representative of the session to which the resource is added, the number of steps, which is a parameter of the next server inquiry received by the own communication resource management agent, is the level of the own domain. If it is larger than (i) there is no server to be the next stage, it shall not include any resource descriptor included in the response message to the reception request message.

(Ii) End If the number of steps, which is a parameter of the next server inquiry received by the own communication resource management agent, is smaller than the step level of the own domain, (i) the next step with respect to the communication resource management agent of the parent domain Sends a server query request message. The parameter values of the request message are the same as those received by the own communication resource management agent. Then, a response message to the inquiry is received. The resource descriptor included in the message is the resource descriptor included in the response message to the reception request message.

(Ii) Termination When the primary level, which is a parameter of the reception request message, is equal to the level of the own domain. (I) Referring to the allocation information for each domain, the allocation flag = '
y 'Sends an allocation server inquiry request message to the communication resource management agent of each domain set. The resource identifier which is a parameter of the message is the same as the parameter of the reception request message. The number of stages is a value obtained by adding 1 to the value of the parameter of the reception request message. Then, a response message to the inquiry is received from the communication resource management agent of each domain. All the server descriptors included in those messages are resource descriptors included in the response message to the reception request message.

(Ii) Termination (4) Termination [Distributed Transaction] If the communication resource control system is distributed among a plurality of communication resource management agents, a distributed transaction must be realized.
For example, while a message is exchanged between the communication resource management agents and the session setting procedure is being processed, when it is determined that the session setting should be invalidated in the communication resource management agent of a certain domain, the other communication resources are The session setting procedure, including the session setting effectively processed by the management agent, must be canceled for the entire communication resource management agent. The distributed transaction can be realized by, for example, the following method.

A unit of a transaction is defined as one process of a session or a resource as the whole communication resource control system, and a transaction identifier is assigned to each process. Each request message as an interface between the communication resource management agents includes a transaction identifier as a parameter.

As an interface between the communication resource management agents, a cancel request and a response message are prepared. The parameter of the request message includes the transaction identifier of the transaction to be canceled. Further, in the communication resource management agent, a process for canceling each process such as session setting and resource addition is prepared in advance. This reversal process will take place when the revocation cause occurs for that domain,
Alternatively, it is started when a cancellation request message is received from another communication resource management agent.

At the time of processing such as session setting and resource addition, information necessary for cancellation processing which may be performed later is newly created as a transaction page, and is newly stored in the transaction book in the DB of the communication resource management agent. to add. The transaction page is updated sequentially during processing.

Processing such as session setting and resource addition
In the case of propagation between communication resource management agents,
An exchange between two communication resource management agents is determined by a request message and a response message to the request message. Then, when canceling the transaction in the middle of the transaction, the exchange request between the determined communication resource management agents is sent to the determined communication resource management agent. Note that the request message can also be propagated. The propagation route in that case can be the same as the propagation route for normal processing.

The type of information to be stored and the contents of the cancellation process differ for each process. For example, in the case of adding resources, information to be stored is as follows.

Resource Identifier The resource setting request message has already been sent, the response message has been received, the determined communication resource management agent domain identifier has been set, and the processing performed during the cancellation processing is as follows.

A cancellation request message is sent to the determined communication resource management agent domain, and a response message is received.

[0263] The resource is deleted by the resource identifier.

The distributed transaction method described above is superior in terms of processing efficiency and processing response speed because the number of messages is smaller than that of a generally used two-phase commit method.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to realize a high-performance communication network in which a large number of users can use a large number of communication processing servers distributed in a wide area network as required.

As a result, the burden on the user required to carry out the communication can be reduced as compared with the conventional communication using the communication processing server owned by the user, and the user of the individual or small business can be connected to the network. It is possible to distribute a large amount of information to multiple users using the communication processing server of the same, and to allow multiple remote users to hold a multipoint conference using the communication processing server in the network. Become.

Further, it is possible to select a server from among a large number of communication processing servers, so that communication efficiency and fault tolerance can be realized.

The control of optimizing the communication processing server resources for each communication by the communication resource control apparatus makes it possible to reduce the communication processing server resources as compared with a conventional mode using a network operator's server such as Web hosting. It is possible to operate more efficiently and to reduce the amount of required information transfer.

[0269]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A large number of communication processing servers distributed and deployed in a wide area network can be made available to a large number of users as needed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a logical connection relationship between communication processing servers when a communication processing server is arranged at the lowest level.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement configuration of a communication resource management agent in a network.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of a communication resource management agent in a session setting procedure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of a communication resource management agent in a resource addition procedure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement configuration of a communication processing server in a network.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation of allocating service resources to domains.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation of determining a physical resource providing communication processing server.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the next-stage server inquiry procedure.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of the communication resource management agent in an access server inquiry procedure.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation of the communication resource management agent in an access server inquiry procedure.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an access right check process.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an access server determination process.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an access server determination process.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the session setting procedure.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the resource addition procedure.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the access server inquiry procedure.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation of the communication resource management agent in an access server inquiry procedure.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an access server determination process.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication resource management agent in the next-stage server inquiry procedure.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a next-stage server determination process.

FIG. 22 is a view showing the concept of stored information distribution using a mirror server.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the concept of multipoint conference communication using an MCU.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a logical connection relationship between communication processing servers.

FIG. 25 is a conceptual diagram of a sophisticated communication network according to the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a procedure of the advanced communication system according to the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a procedure of the advanced communication system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 communication processing server 5 domain 10 communication resource management agent TE0 to TEn user terminal

Claims (24)

[Claims] 1. A communication resource control device comprising means for controlling resources of a communication processing server that mediates information transmission between N user terminals, wherein said communication processing server is previously distributed and arranged on a network. Means for securing resources on one or more communication processing servers in response to a resource provision request from one of the user terminals, and communication in which resources are secured in response to a resource utilization request from the user terminal Means for selecting one of the processing servers. 2. A communication processing server comprising: means for storing information from an information provider terminal; and means for distributing information stored by the storing means to a user terminal that desires the information. The communication resource control device according to claim 1, wherein the mode of using the resources of the communication processing server is transmission of stored information between user terminals. 3. The communication processing server is provided with means for collecting information from a plurality of user terminals, and means for broadcasting the information collected by the collecting means to the plurality of user terminals, 2. The communication resource control device according to claim 1, wherein the mode of using the resources of the communication processing server is a multipoint conference communication between a plurality of user terminals. 4. A means for receiving a request for setting communication via the communication processing server from the one user terminal, and means for receiving a request for providing resources of the communication processing server for the set communication. Means for selecting a communication processing server to which a resource is to be provided in accordance with the resource providing request, and securing resources on the selected communication processing server. Further, resources are secured from user terminals participating in the communication. Request receiving means for receiving a request to use the communication processing server that has been used, and a communication processing server to be used by the user according to the use request and necessary for using the selected communication processing server. 2. A communication resource control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for transmitting necessary information to said user terminal. 5. When the user terminal receives a request to use a communication processing server from the user terminal and selects a communication processing server to be used by the user terminal, the communication with the shortest connection path from the user terminal. 5. The communication resource control device according to claim 4, further comprising means for selecting a processing server. 6. When a request for providing resources of a communication processing server is received from the user terminal and a communication processing server to be provided with the resource is selected, a data transfer order between the selected communication processing servers is determined. Means for setting, when a request for use of a communication processing server is received from the user terminal and the user selects a communication processing server to be used, the transfer is performed depending on the purpose of use of the communication processing server indicated by the use request. Means for selecting a communication processing server located at the most upstream position in the order. 7. A means for receiving a change of a participant of communication set by the means for receiving the communication setting request;
5. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: means for reselecting a communication processing server to which a resource is to be provided in accordance with the content of the change received by said accepting means, and reallocating resources to said reselected communication processing server. Communication resource control unit. 8. A communication processing server which is provided with means for monitoring a load on a network and a communication processing server, wherein when a user terminal determines a communication processing server to be used by receiving a use request from the communication processing server, the communication processing server is selected. 5. The communication resource control device according to claim 4, further comprising means for selecting an alternative communication processing server when the load on the communication processing server is high or when the load on the communication path between the selected communication processing server and the user terminal is high. . 9. A communication processing server in which a resource has already been allocated to itself has means for inquiring another communication processing server having a logical connection relationship with itself for the resource, and the logical processing is performed in response to an inquiry by the inquiring means. 5. The communication resource control device according to claim 4, further comprising: means for transmitting information of the communication processing server having a connection relationship to the communication processing server that has made the inquiry. 10. A means for storing, as attributes of a set communication, information indicating an authority in the communication for each of the user terminals participating in the communication, wherein the use request receiving means includes: 5. The communication resource control device according to claim 4, further comprising means for referring to determining whether or not a use request of the communication processing server can be accepted. 11. The use request accepting means inquires of the one user terminal, which has transmitted the communication setting request, the authority of the user terminal, which has transmitted the request for using the communication processing server, in the communication. The communication resource control device according to claim 4, comprising: 12. A plurality of areas are provided on a network,
This area is configured in a hierarchical manner, and when allocating resources on the network, means are provided for determining whether or not to allocate the resources for each area, and according to the determination result of the determining means. 5. The communication resource control device according to claim 4, further comprising means for securing the resource in one or more communication processing servers among the communication processing servers included in the area when the resource is allocated. 13. When one or a plurality of areas are present in the same rank, and when the one or more areas have a common upper rank area, the resource is arranged in the upper rank area. Means for arranging the resource in one or more of the same-level tiers, and when the resource is not located in the higher-level tier, in one or more of the same-level tiers. 13. The communication resource control device according to claim 12, further comprising means for not allocating resources. 14. The communication resource according to claim 12, further comprising: means for allocating the resource to the set communication when the number of the user terminals belonging to the communication and belonging to the communication exceeds a threshold. Control device. 15. A means for calculating a cost related to the area for the set communication, a cost when the resource is allocated to the area according to a calculation result of the calculating means, and the resource is not allocated to the area. Means for comparing the cost when the resource is not arranged in the area according to the comparison result of the means for comparing the cost with the resource when the resource is arranged in the area. 13. The communication resource control device according to claim 12, further comprising: 16. When there is one or a plurality of communication processing servers that provide resources according to one resource providing request in one area, any one of the communication processing servers is assigned to the area in the one resource providing request. And means for logically connecting the representative communication processing server as a next-stage communication processing server with respect to the communication processing server representing an area on a higher level of the area. 13. The communication resource control device according to claim 12. 17. When there is one or a plurality of communication processing servers that provide resources according to one resource provision request in one area, any one of the communication processing servers is assigned to the area in the one resource provision request. And a communication processing server other than the representative communication processing server in the one area, the communication processing server not belonging to any area on the lower level of the area. 13. The communication resource control device according to claim 12, further comprising: means for logically connecting the communication processing server to a next communication processing server. 18. When causing the user terminal to access any of the communication processing servers providing the resources,
Means for selecting the area of the lowest floor among the areas including the communication processing server to which the user terminal belongs and which provides the resources, and communication for providing the resources included in the area selected by the selecting means 13. The communication resource control device according to claim 12, further comprising means for selecting a processing server as a communication processing server accessed by the user terminal. 19. When allowing the user terminal to access the highest-level communication processing server in the logical connection relationship,
13. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising means for selecting, as the communication processing server to be accessed by the user terminal, the representative communication processing server in the area of the highest level among the areas including the communication processing server providing the resource. Communication resource control unit. 20. Means for storing a communication participant in the area and an arrangement status of resources in the area used for the communication, and a plurality of the communication participants are shared by referring to the storing means. 13. The device according to claim 4, further comprising means for securing the resources for the plurality of co-located tier regions when belonging to a plurality of co-located tier regions having an upper tier region. Communication resource control device. 21. The system according to claim 20, wherein said means for collectively securing said resources is provided in a distributed manner in said plurality of peer-tiered areas, and includes means for selecting one of them for each communication setting. Communication resource control device. 22. A region of one higher rank of the predetermined region is set as a parent region, a plurality of regions of one lower rank of the predetermined region is set as a child region group, and a plurality of regions having the parent region in common are sibling regions. When a control message is received from a communication resource control device belonging to either the user terminal or the child area group, the control message is sent to the means for securing the resources of the sibling area group collectively. Means for transferring, and when receiving a control message from a communication resource control device belonging to any of the sibling area groups, collectively transfers the resources of the parent area and the other sibling area groups and the child area group. Means for transferring the control message to the securing means;
Means for receiving the control message from the communication resource control device belonging to the parent area, and transferring the control message to the means for securing the resources in the brother area group and the child area group. Item 21. The communication resource control device according to Item 20. 23. The communication according to claim 12, further comprising means for canceling the processing when a failure occurs during execution of the processing by each of the means or when a message requesting cancellation of the processing is received for each of the areas. Resource control unit. 24. The communication resource control apparatus according to claim 23, wherein a plurality of said canceling means are provided, and said communication resource control apparatus includes means for notifying the occurrence of said failure or said request message to another canceling means.