WO2013136526A1

WO2013136526A1 - Distributed application-integrating network system

Info

Publication number: WO2013136526A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/056937
Authority: WO
Inventors: 順史木下; 高田　治
Original assignee: 株式会社日立製作所
Priority date: 2012-03-16
Filing date: 2012-03-16
Publication date: 2013-09-19

Abstract

[Problem] In a distributed application system, utility decreases when a network problem occurs, and the system's overall performance decreases when communication concentrates on a particular computer. [Solution] A distributed application-integrating network system (1) is provided with multiple host computers (30), a network device (10), and a distributed application process (40) that runs on each host computer (30). The network device (10) is provided with: a communication interface (14) that communicates with the host computers (30) on which the distributed application process (40) runs; a monitoring-use logical communication interface that logically communicates with the distributed application process (40) via the communication interface (14); and a management process that communicates with the distributed application process (40) via the monitoring-use logical communication interface.

Description

Distributed application integrated network system

The present invention relates to a distributed application system in which a plurality of host computers are connected via a plurality of network devices.

In recent years, cloud computing that uses computer resources and applications flexibly and inexpensively has attracted attention in individuals, companies, and organizations. In the service infrastructure that provides cloud computing, it is required to ensure cost reduction, reliability, and scalability in order to provide inexpensive services 24 hours a day, 365 days for many individuals, companies, and organizations. The In order to achieve such conflicting objectives, cloud computing often operates application processes (programs) on an inexpensive host computer and cooperates with each other via a network. Thereby, a distributed application system is realized.
Hereinafter, the application process on the host computer may be described as a distributed application process.

In a distributed application system, it is necessary to ensure resource availability by some method. Here, the resource refers to, for example, data referred to by the distributed application process.
Since resources (data) are held across distributed application processes on a large number of host computers, it is necessary to grasp at any time which distributed application processes hold which resources (data). Therefore, it is necessary to manage the location of the resource by some method.
Furthermore, since it is necessary to coordinate a large number of distributed application processes, it is necessary to synchronize the distributed application processes on a large number of host computers using some method.

Various solutions have been proposed in order to deal with common problems of distributed application systems such as securing resource availability, resource location management, and synchronization between distributed application processes.
Clustering is generally adopted as a method for ensuring resource availability. Clustering is a process of monitoring life and death among distributed application processes on multiple host computers, so that when a failure occurs in one host computer, resources are handed over to other host computers, thereby improving fault tolerance. It is.
Patent Document 1 describes an invention in which clustering is performed by performing life / death confirmation called heartbeat communication between host computers.

Mapping is generally adopted as a method for realizing resource location management. Mapping is a process of mapping individual resources to individual distributed application processes using a one-way function called a hash function, and specifying the distributed application processes that hold the resources. A distributed application system handles a very large number of resources. For this reason, if the correspondence between resources and distributed application processes is managed by a tabular database or the like, the table becomes huge and is not realistic.
Patent Document 2 describes an invention for managing resources by mapping them to each computer using a hash function.

Messaging is commonly used as a method for achieving distributed application inter-process synchronization. Messaging is to provide storage areas for sending and receiving messages called exchanges and queues on a host computer. Exchanges and queues exchange messages between distributed application processes to realize information transmission, information sharing, and synchronous processing.
Patent Document 3 describes an invention in which messages are exchanged between computers using exchanges and queues.
Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a standard protocol for messaging.

US Pat. No. 6,438,705 US Pat. No. 6,173,313 US Patent No. 7,818,386

In both the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 and the technology described in Non-Patent Document 1, the mechanism of mutual cooperation between the network layer and the distributed application process layer is disclosed from a viewpoint other than securing connectivity and communication transfer. It has not been. These inventions perform resource availability, resource location management, and inter-process synchronization only at the distributed application process layer. For this reason, when a network failure occurs, there is a risk that the availability of the entire distributed application system may be reduced and the performance of the entire system may be reduced due to communication being concentrated on a specific host computer.

In the invention described in Patent Document 1, heartbeat communication as described above is performed directly between distributed application processes operating on individual host computers or indirectly via a monitoring application on a certain host computer. Do. Therefore, when a failure occurs in the network on the heartbeat communication path, the distributed application process distinguishes whether a failure has occurred in the distributed application process that is the heartbeat communication partner or in the network. I can't.
For individual communication lines such as between a host computer and a network device, or between network devices, there is a mechanism that the host computer or network device at both ends of the communication line detects a network failure such as a link down. It can be grasped only by directly connected devices, and it is difficult for each distributed application process to reliably grasp where a communication line of the distributed application system has failed. Therefore, when each distributed application process is programmed to autonomously perform failure handling operations such as taking over resources to other nodes in the worst case of distributed application process failure without distinguishing between failures There are many. However, when a failure occurs in the upstream network, a large number of downstream distributed application processes simultaneously handle failures and take over a large amount of resources all at once, which may induce a large-scale failure due to resource depletion.

The invention described in Patent Document 2 maintains and manages a list of distributed application processes or host computers on which the distributed application processes operate in order to map resources to distributed application processes. The invention described in Patent Document 2 continues to update the list in a timely manner based on the operation status of the distributed application process and the host computer so that the resource is not mapped to the distributed application process or the host computer in which a failure has occurred. The availability of the list must also be considered so that the list is not lost.
In order to maintain the freshness and availability of the list, it is also known how to multiplex and manage lists between multiple host computers, or how to communicate the operating status and list between host computers using peer-to-peer protocol. It has been. However, these methods are extremely complicated. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the availability of the entire system is lowered due to the complexity of the system.

The invention described in Patent Document 3 provides an exchange and a message queue (hereinafter simply referred to as “queue”) for exchanging messages between distributed application processes by an application process on a host computer serving as a message server. Is. In the invention described in Patent Document 3, a distributed application process accesses an application process that manages exchanges and queues. Therefore, there is a possibility that communication concentrates on the message server where the application process operates. All the messages are gathered once to the message server via the network and are transmitted via the network. As a result, the invention described in Patent Document 3 has a lot of useless operations in the entire system. Furthermore, in the invention described in Patent Document 3, when a failure occurs in the message server, there is a possibility that the message may be disconnected between the distributed application processes. The invention described in Patent Document 3 must also take into account the availability of the message server. Operation management is extremely complicated, and the availability of the entire system may be reduced due to the complexity of the system. there were.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to improve the reliability and performance of the distributed application integrated network system.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the distributed application integrated network system of the present invention is configured as follows.
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a computer, a network device, and a distributed application process operating on the computer are provided, and the network device communicates with the computer on which the distributed application process operates. A distributed application integration comprising: a logical communication interface that logically communicates with the distributed application process via the communication interface; and a management process that communicates with the distributed application process via the logical communication interface. Type network system.
Other means will be described in the embodiment for carrying out the invention.

According to the present invention, the reliability of the distributed application integrated network system can be improved and the performance can be improved.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a distributed application integrated network system in a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a network device in a first embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the host computer in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the management table in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication data in 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the communication of the heartbeat in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the distributed application process registration process of the management process of the network device in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the cluster information exchange process of the management process of the other network apparatus in 1st Embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing heartbeat monitoring and failure notification processing (1) of a monitoring process of another network device in the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the heartbeat monitoring of the monitoring process of other network devices in 1st Embodiment, and a failure notification process (2). It is a flowchart which shows the application process list query process of the management process of the other network apparatus in 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the network device in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the logical communication interface management table for message reception in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the logical interface management table for message transmission in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the logical interface correlation management table for message transmission / reception in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure (1) of the communication data in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure (2) of the communication data in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure (3) of the communication data in 2nd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the example of the messaging in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the logical communication interface registration process for message reception of the messaging management process of the network device in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the logical communication interface registration process for message transmission of the messaging management process of the network device in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the logical interface correlation process for message transmission / reception of the messaging management process of the network device in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the message transmission process of the message delivery process of the network device in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the message reception process (1) of the message delivery process of the network device in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the message reception process (2) of the message delivery process of the network device in 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the distributed application integrated network system in 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the conversion table in 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the host computer in 4th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(Configuration of the first embodiment)

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a distributed application integrated network system according to the first embodiment.
The distributed application integrated network system 1 includes network devices 10-1 to 10-3 and host computers 30-1 to 30-6.
The network device 10-1 is connected to the host computers 30-1 to 30-3 and the network devices 10-2 and 10-3 via communication lines. The network device 10-2 is connected to the network devices 10-1 and 10-3 via a communication line. The network device 10-3 is connected to the host computers 30-4 to 30-6 and the network devices 10-1 and 10-2 via communication lines. Hereinafter, when the network devices 10-1 to 10-3 are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as “network device 10”. When the host computers 30-1 to 30-6 are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as “host computer 30”.
The network device 10 is a device such as a switch or a router, and includes a plurality of communication interfaces 14. The network device 10 performs processing such as forwarding or routing on communication data received by the communication interface 14 via the communication line, and performs communication such as forwarding, routing, or other communication on other layers. 14 for transfer. The network device 10 is connected to another network device 10 or a host computer 30 through a communication interface 14.

The host computer 30 is a computer in which a software program that performs processing in a distributed manner is operated as a distributed application process 40, and is a server device, for example. The host computer 30 is connected to the network device 10 via a communication line.
Each distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30 constitutes a cluster across a plurality of host computers 30 via one or a plurality of network devices 10.
In the first embodiment, the distributed application processes 40 on the host computers 30-1, 30-2, and 30-4 constitute a cluster 100. The distributed application processes 40 on the host computers 30-3 and 30-5 constitute a cluster 200. The distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-6 constitutes a cluster 300. One or more clusters exist in the distributed application integrated network system 1.

Communication lines include public networks, the Internet, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), leased lines, wired networks represented by LAN (Local Area Network), wireless LANs, wireless networks using mobile communication base stations, communication satellites The wireless network may be any of the above.
In the distributed application integrated network system 1, devices represented by the network device 10 and the host computer 30 are identified by the network identification information given to the physical communication interface of each device or the logical communication interface. Is done. Each device communicates with other devices based on the network identification information. The network identification information is, for example, an IP (Internet Protocol) address or a MAC (Media Access Control) address.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the network device according to the first embodiment.
The network device 10 includes a control unit 11 having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage unit 20, a switch controller 12 that performs communication transfer processing, a data bus 13 that connects them, and communication interfaces 14-1 to 14- 14-9, monitoring logical communication interfaces 15-1 to 15-n, and a registration logical communication interface 16.
The communication interface 14 is a physical or logical interface, and communicates with other devices via a communication line. The communication interface 14 is connected to the switch controller 12 via a bus, and is connected to the host computer 30 or another network device 10 via a communication line. The communication interface 14 communicates with the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 operates and other network devices 10.

The monitoring logical communication interface 15 is for the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30 to perform heartbeat communication. The monitoring logical communication interface 15 is connected to the switch controller 12 via a bus. The monitoring logical communication interface 15 logically communicates with the distributed application process 40 via the communication interface 14.
The registration logical communication interface 16 is used by the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30 to register information such as cluster information and heartbeat intervals to configure the monitoring logical communication interface 15. The registration logical communication interface 16 is connected to the switch controller 12 via a bus.

The storage unit 20 is, for example, a volatile storage device represented by a RAM (Random Access Memory), a readable / writable nonvolatile storage device represented by a hard disk or an SSD (Solid State Drive), a magneto-optical medium, or the like. A typical example is a read-only nonvolatile memory device.
In the network device 10, the control unit 11 executes arithmetic processing associated with execution of a software program, for example. The program executed by the control unit 11 and the data used by the program may be stored in the storage unit 20 or may be received from another device via a communication line.

The management process 21 configures the monitoring logical communication interface 15 based on a request from the distributed application process 40 belonging to the cluster, and the distributed application process 40, the cluster, the communication interface 14, and the monitoring logical communication interface 15 are connected. It manages correspondence.
The management process 21 exchanges a list of management information with other network devices 10 periodically or when a configuration change occurs, so that the distributed application process 40 Manage correspondences such as clusters.
The management process 21 communicates with the distributed application process 40 via the monitoring logical communication interface 15.
Furthermore, the management process 21 receives a list request for the distributed application process 40 from the distributed application process 40 and the like, and responds with a list of the distributed application processes 40 operating normally, for example.

The monitoring process 22 is for monitoring the operation status of the distributed application process 40 and notifying a failure. Specifically, the monitoring process 22 includes a heartbeat communication performed by each distributed application process 40 with each monitoring logical communication interface 15 and a communication line with the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 is operating. By monitoring the communication interface 14 connected, the communication disconnection is a failure of the communication line with the host computer 30 or the failure of the distributed application process 40 when the communication disconnection occurs. Carve out In addition, the monitoring process 22 manages the cluster in order to notify the other distributed application processes 40 belonging to the same cluster as the distributed application process 40 in which the heartbeat communication disconnection has occurred, such as failure information. The failure information is transferred to the network device 10.

The management table 23 includes a correspondence relationship between the network identification information of each individual distributed application process 40, cluster identification information, identification information of the communication interface 14, identification information of the monitoring logical communication interface 15, heartbeat interval information, and the like. Information on the operating status of each distributed application process 40 is stored.

The forwarding table 24 stores a correspondence relationship between each communication interface 14 and network identification information possessed by each device. The network identification information stored in the forwarding table 24 includes the network identification information of the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 is operating, the network identification information of the communication interface 14 in the network device 10, and the monitoring logical communication interface 15. And the network identification information of the registration logical communication interface 16. When transferring the communication data, the switch controller 12 refers to the forwarding table 24 based on the transmission destination address (network identification information) of the communication data, and the communication interface 14 corresponding to the transmission destination address (network identification information). To get. The switch controller 12 transmits the communication data via the acquired communication interface 14.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the host computer in the first embodiment.
The host computer 30 includes a control unit 31 having a CPU, a display unit 32 for displaying processing results, an input unit 33 for an operator to input instructions to the host computer 30, and a communication line. A communication interface 34 for connecting to the network device 10, a storage unit 36, and a data bus 35 for connecting them are provided.
The storage unit 36 is a volatile storage device such as a RAM, a readable / writable nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk or an SSD, or a read-only nonvolatile storage device such as a magneto-optical medium. The storage unit 36 is connected to the data bus 35. The storage unit 36 stores the distributed application process 40.
The display unit 32 is a liquid crystal display, for example, and is connected to the data bus 35.
The input unit 33 is a keyboard or a mouse and is connected to the data bus 35.
In the host computer 30, the control unit 31 executes arithmetic processing associated with execution of software. A program executed by the control unit 31 or data used by the program may be stored in the storage unit 36 or may be received from another device via a communication line.
The host computer 30 may be configured by omitting the display unit 32 or the input unit 33.

The distributed application process 40 is a process that performs some processing as a whole system in cooperation with another host computer 30 or another distributed application process 40 operating on the host computer 30. The distributed application process 40 configures, for example, a distributed data processing system or a distributed storage system.
In the distributed data processing program, each distributed application process 40 performs arithmetic processing. In the distributed storage program, each distributed application process 40 shares and stores a large amount of data. Thus, the distributed application process 40 has different functions depending on the purpose of the system. The distributed application process 40 has common problems such as securing resource availability, resource location management, and synchronization among the distributed application processes 40.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management table in the first embodiment.
The management table 23 includes a plurality of entries including a cluster ID column 23a, a heartbeat interval column 23b, a link endpoint ID column 23c, a monitoring endpoint ID column 23d, an application ID column 23e, and a status column 23f. Has been. Each column is a table column. Each entry is a table row.
Each entry in the management table 23 indicates the correspondence between each distributed application process 40 operating on the host computer 30 and the cluster, and the correspondence between the cluster and the communication interface 34 connected to another network device 10. ing.

The cluster ID column 23a stores information for identifying the cluster by the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30.
The heartbeat interval column 23b indicates the heartbeat communication assumed by the monitoring process 22 in the heartbeat communication performed by the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30 to the monitoring logical communication interface 15 on the network device 10. Interval (period) information is stored.
The link end point ID field 23c is information for identifying the communication interface 14 connected to the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 operates or the other network device 10 via a communication line. The interface name and network identification information are stored.

The monitoring endpoint ID column 23d stores network identification information for identifying the monitoring logical communication interface 15. The monitoring logical communication interface 15 is configured by a management process 21 for heartbeat communication by the distributed application process 40.
The application ID column 23e stores network identification information for identifying the distributed application process 40 or the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 operates.
The status column 23f is information indicating the operating status of each distributed application process 40. The status column 23f stores information indicating, for example, whether the distributed application process 40 is operating normally, a network failure has occurred, or a failure has occurred in the application process.
In the present embodiment, there is no entry in the heartbeat interval column 23b, the monitoring endpoint ID column 23d, the application ID column 23e, and the status column 23f, and the entry in which information is stored in the link endpoint ID column 23c. A communication interface 14 connected to another network device 10.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of communication data in the first embodiment.
Each communication data 50 to 53 is configured by mapping a data structure to an Ethernet (registered trademark) communication frame. The communication data structure is not limited to that shown in FIG. 5, and the data structure may be mapped to an IP communication frame or the like.
The transmission destination address 80a is a field for storing network identification information for identifying a communication partner on the network.
The transmission source address 80b is a field for storing network identification information for identifying the communication source on the network.
The tag 80e is a field that stores identification information for classifying communication, and is a field that stores, for example, a VLAN (Virtual LAN) tag.
The type 80f is a field for storing protocol type information, and is a field for a protocol number such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) or UDP (User Datagram Protocol).
The data frame 80g is a field for storing arbitrary data exchanged with the communication partner.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a structure of communication data 50 when the distributed application process 40 registers itself with the network device 10 together with cluster identification information and heartbeat interval information.
In the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 50, the network identification information of the registration logical communication interface 16 is stored as the registration logical communication interface address.
In the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 50, network identification information (address) of the communication interface 34 of the transmission source host computer 30 is stored as a transmission source host computer address.
In the tag 80e of the communication data 50, cluster identification information is stored as a cluster identifier, and information defining a heartbeat time interval is stored as a heartbeat interval.
In the type 80f of the communication data 50, information indicating that the communication data 50 is a registration request of the distributed application process 40 is stored as a registration request identifier.
The operation of the network device 10 when the communication data 50 is received is shown in FIG.

FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the structure of communication data 51 when the distributed application process 40 performs heartbeat communication with the monitoring logical communication interface 15.
The network identification information given to the monitoring logical communication interface 15 is stored in the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 51 as the monitoring logical communication interface address.
In the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 51, network identification information (address) of the communication interface 34 of the transmission source host computer 30 is stored as a transmission source host computer address.
The tag 80e of the communication data 51 stores information for identifying a cluster as a cluster identifier.
In the data frame 80g of the communication data 51, information indicating that the communication data 51 is heartbeat communication is stored as a heartbeat identifier.
The operation of the network device 10 when the communication data 51 is received is shown in FIG.

FIG. 5C is a diagram showing the structure of communication data 52 when exchanging configuration information such as a list of cluster identification information directly managed by each network device 10 between a plurality of network devices 10. It is.
In the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 52, addresses associated with a plurality of network devices 10 are stored as multicast addresses.
The transmission source address 80b of the communication data 52 stores the network identification information given to the monitoring logical communication interface 15 of the network device 10 that is the information issuing source as the transmission source network device address.
In the type 80f of the communication data 52, information indicating that the communication data 52 is a cluster configuration information exchange request is stored as a configuration information exchange request identifier.
The data frame 80g of the communication data 52 stores a list of cluster identification information to be notified to other network devices 10 as cluster configuration information.
The operation of the network device 10 and the like when receiving the communication data 52 is shown in FIG.

FIG. 5D is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the communication data 53 when the network apparatus 10 notifies the distributed application process 40 of the failure content. The failure content notification can also be transmitted via another network device 10.
In the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 53, network identification information (address) of the communication interface 34 of the transmission source host computer 30 is stored as a host computer address.
In the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 53, network identification information given to the monitoring logical communication interface 15 of the information issuing source network device 10 is stored as the monitoring logical communication interface address.
In the type 80f of the communication data 53, information indicating that the communication data 53 is a notification of a failure is stored as a failure notification identifier.
In the data frame 80g of the communication data 53, information indicating the type of failure is stored as a failure type, and information indicating a specific location where the failure has occurred is stored as a failure location.
The operation of the network device 10 when receiving the communication data 53 is shown in FIG.

(Operation of the first embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing heartbeat communication in the first embodiment.
For simplification of description, FIG. 6 shows two network devices 10-1 and 10-3 constituting the distributed application integrated network system 1 (FIG. 1) and host computers 30-1 and 30 connected to the network devices 10-1 and 10-3, respectively. 4 shows a communication sequence with -4.
A management process 21 and a monitoring process 22 are running on the network devices 10-1 and 10-3, respectively. Distributed application processes 40 are running on the host computers 30-1 and 30-4, respectively.

When the processing is started, in the sequence Q10, the distributed application process 40 operating on the host computer 30-1 sends the management process 21 to the management process 21 via the registration logical communication interface 16 of the network device 10-1 as shown in FIG. The communication data 50 shown in FIG. The communication data 50 (cluster ID notification) includes a cluster identifier (cluster identification information) and heartbeat interval information, and requests the network device 10-1 to register the distributed application process 40 itself.
In sequence Q11, the management process 21 configures the monitoring logical communication interface 15 for the distributed application process 40, and responds with the network identification information of the monitoring logical communication interface 15 (not shown).
Similarly, in the sequence Q12, the distributed application process 40 operating on the host computer 30-4 is sent to the management process 21 via the registration logical communication interface 16 of the network device 10-3, as shown in FIG. Communication data 50 is transmitted (notification of cluster ID). The communication data 50 includes cluster identification information and heartbeat interval information, and requests the network device 10-3 to register the distributed application process 40 itself.
In the sequence Q13, the management process 21 on the network device 10-3 configures the monitoring logical communication interface 15 for the distributed application process 40, and responds with the network identification information of the monitoring logical communication interface 15 (not shown). (Illustrated).

In the sequence Q14, the management process 21 on the network device 10-1 makes a list of cluster identification information managed by the management table 23 based on the communication data 52 shown in FIG. It is sent to the above management process 21 (cluster ID notification).
In sequence Q15, the management process 21 on the network device 10-3 makes a list of cluster identification information managed by the management table 23 based on the communication data 52 shown in FIG. It is sent to the above management process 21 (cluster ID notification).
Through the processing of sequences Q14 and Q15, each management process 21 can grasp whether or not the distributed application process 40 belonging to the same cluster is under the management of another network device 10. When the distributed application process 40 belonging to the same cluster is under the management of another network device 10, the management process 21 sets the communication interface 14 connected to the network device 10 in the management table 23. Manage in association with the cluster.
The processing of sequences Q14 and Q15 may be performed periodically or may be performed when the configuration is changed. The processing of sequences Q14 and Q15 may be realized using a known technique such as LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol).

In the sequence Q16, the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-1 periodically performs the processing with respect to the monitoring logical communication interface 15 configured on the network device 10-1 at a predetermined heartbeat interval. Heartbeat communication is performed by the communication data 51 shown in 5 (b) (heartbeat reception). The monitoring process 22 on the network device 10-1 monitors the heartbeat communication.
Similarly, in the sequence Q17, the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-4 periodically transmits the monitoring logical communication interface 15 configured on the network device 10-3 at a predetermined heartbeat interval. The heartbeat communication is performed (heartbeat reception) using the communication data 51 shown in FIG. The monitoring process 22 on the network device 10-3 monitors the heartbeat communication.

In sequence Q18, the monitoring process 22 on the network device 10-1 detects a heartbeat communication disconnection. The monitoring process 22 refers to whether or not a network failure such as a link down is detected in the communication interface 14 connected to the host computer 30-1. In the distributed application process 40, it is determined that a failure has occurred.

In sequence Q19, the monitoring process 22 on the network device 10-1 refers to the management table 23 and refers to the cluster of the distributed application process 40 that is determined to have failed. The monitoring process 22 notifies the failure content to the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-1 belonging to the cluster by the communication data 53 shown in FIG.

In sequence Q20, the monitoring process 22 on the network device 10-1 refers to the management table 23, and the network device 10-3 to which the host computer 30-4 belonging to the cluster determined to have failed has been connected. The monitoring process 22 is notified of the failure content by the communication data 53 shown in FIG.

In the sequence Q21, the monitoring process 22 on the network device 10-3 refers to the management table 23, and communicates with other distributed application processes 40 belonging to the cluster by the communication data 53 shown in FIG. Notify the details of the failure.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the distributed application process registration process of the management process of the network device in the first embodiment.
The distributed application process 40 transmits a distributed application process registration request including the cluster identification information to which it belongs and the heartbeat interval information to the registration logical communication interface 16 of the network device 10 using the communication data 50 shown in FIG. To do. As a result, the distributed application process registration process starts.
In step S 10, the management process 21 of the network device 10 receives the registration request communication data 50 via the registration logical communication interface 16.

In step S11, the management process 21 refers to the application ID column 23e of the management table 23 and acquires a list of registered distributed application processes 40.

In step S12, the management process 21 compares the source address 80b of the communication data 50 of the registration request with the list of distributed application processes 40 acquired from the management table 23, and the distributed application process that has transmitted the registration request. 40 confirms whether it has already been registered in the management table 23 (new process confirmation). If the condition is satisfied (Yes), the management process 21 performs the process of step S13. If the condition is not satisfied, the management process 21 ends the process of FIG.
In step S13, the management process 21 configures the monitoring logical communication interface 15 related to the distributed application process 40 that has transmitted the registration request. Here, the management process 21 may constitute an independent monitoring logical communication interface 15 for each distributed application process 40, or may assign a common monitoring logical communication interface 15 to a plurality of distributed application processes 40. Good.

In step S14, the management process 21 notifies (responds) the configured identification information of the monitoring logical communication interface 15 to the distributed application process 40 that has transmitted the registration request.

In step S15, the management process 21 refers to the cluster ID column 23a of the management table 23 and obtains a list of registered cluster identification information.

In step S16, the management process 21 determines whether or not the cluster identification information included in the communication data 50 of the registration request is new cluster identification information. The management process 21 performs the process of step S18 if the condition is not satisfied (No), and performs the process of step S17 if the condition is satisfied (Yes).
That is, the management process 21 collates the cluster identification information included in the communication data 50 of the registration request with the list of registered cluster identification information acquired from the management table 23, and sends the registration request transmission source. It is confirmed whether or not the cluster identification information of the cluster to which the distributed application process 40 belongs is already registered in the management table 23.
In step S17, the management process 21 issues a configuration change notification including the cluster identification information to the other network device 10 using the communication data 52 shown in FIG. 5C (the other network device 10). To the cluster ID). The management process 21 may use an existing mechanism such as LLDP in the configuration change notification between the network devices 10.

In step S18, the management process 21 determines the cluster identification information, heartbeat interval information, transmission source address information, identification information of the communication interface 14 that has received the request, and the configured monitoring logic included in the registration request. The identification information of the communication interface 15 is registered in the management table 23 (the application ID is registered in the management table), and the processing in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the cluster information exchange process of the management process of another network device in the first embodiment.
In step S <b> 17 shown in FIG. 7, the management process 21 of the network device 10 transmits the cluster identification information to another network device 10 when a configuration change occurs. Further, the management process 21 periodically transmits the cluster identification information to the other network device 10. Thereby, the cluster information exchange process of the management process 21 of the other network device 10 is started.
In step S <b> 20, the management process 21 receives one or more pieces of cluster identification information from other network devices 10.

In step S21, the management process 21 refers to the management table 23 and searches for an entry that matches the received cluster identification information.

In step S22, the management process 21 finds an entry that matches the cluster identification information, and checks whether the communication interface 14 is registered in the entry. Specifically, the management process 21 matches the cluster identification information received by the cluster ID column 23a, the link endpoint ID column 23c matches the identification information of the communication interface 14 that received the cluster identification information, and It is determined whether there is an empty column in other columns. If the determination condition is satisfied (Yes), the management process 21 ends the process of FIG. 8, and if the determination condition is not satisfied (No), the management process 21 performs the process of step S23.

In step S23, the management process 21 registers the combination of the received cluster identification information and the identification information of the communication interface 14 that has received the cluster identification information in the management table 23, and ends the process of FIG. .

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the heartbeat monitoring and failure notification process (1) of the monitoring process of another network device in the first embodiment.
The distributed application process 40 performs heartbeat communication with the monitoring logical communication interface 15 configured in the network device 10 at a time interval within the previously notified heartbeat interval. The heartbeat communication is performed using communication data 50 shown in FIG.

In step S30, the monitoring process 22 receives the heartbeat from the distributed application process 40 via the monitoring logical communication interface 15.

In step S31, the monitoring process 22 determines whether or not the heartbeat communication is received within the interval registered in the heartbeat interval column 23b of the management table 23. The monitoring process 22 returns to the process of step S30 if the determination condition is satisfied (Yes), and performs the process of step S32 if the determination condition is not satisfied (No).

In step S32, the monitoring process 22 determines whether there is a link failure. The monitoring process 22 performs the process of step S34 if the condition is satisfied (Yes), and performs the process of step S33 if the determination condition is not satisfied (No). The monitoring process 22 determines a link failure when a failure is detected in the communication interface 14. Network failure detection in the communication interface 14 can be performed using a known technique such as link down detection.

In step S33, the monitoring process 22 determines that the distributed application process 40 that failed in the heartbeat communication is a network failure, and changes the status column 23f of the management table 23 related to the distributed application process 40 to “network failure”. (The status column of the distributed application process is changed to application failure). When the process of step S33 ends, the monitoring process 22 performs the process of step S35.

In step S34, the monitoring process 22 determines that the state of the distributed application process 40 that failed in the heartbeat communication is an application failure, and sets the status column 23f of the management table 23 related to the distributed application process 40 to “application failure”. (The status column of the distributed application process is changed to network failure).

In step S35, the monitoring process 22 refers to the management table 23, acquires the cluster identification information of the distributed application process 40 that could not receive the heartbeat communication within the assumed interval, and enters an entry that matches the cluster identification information. Get a list.
In steps S36 to S41, the monitoring process 22 repeats the process for all acquired entries.

In step S37, the monitoring process 22 refers to the application ID column 23e of the entry and acquires the application ID.

In step S38, the monitoring process 22 determines whether or not the application ID column 23e of the entry is not empty. If the condition is satisfied (Yes), the monitoring process 22 performs the process of step S40. If the determination condition is not satisfied (No), the monitoring process 22 performs the process of step S39. When the entry is empty, the monitoring process 22 determines that it relates to the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30 that is indirectly connected via the other network device 10.

In step S39, the monitoring process 22 notifies the failure content to the other network device 10 via the communication interface 14 indicated by the link end point ID column 23c of the entry.

In step S40, the monitoring process 22 notifies the failure content to the distributed application process 40 indicated by the application ID column 23e of the entry.

In step S41, the monitoring process 22 determines whether or not processing has been repeated for all entries. The monitoring process 22 returns to the process of step S36 if the condition is not satisfied, and ends the process of FIG. 9 if the condition is satisfied.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing heartbeat monitoring and failure notification processing (2) of the monitoring process of another network device in the first embodiment.
This process shows an example of a procedure in which the network device 10 and the distributed application process 40 perform heartbeat monitoring and failure notification in cooperation with each other.
This process shows the process of the other network device 10 when the network device 10 transmits a failure notification to the network device 10 in step S39 (FIG. 9).

In step S50, the monitoring process 22 receives the identification information of the distributed application process 40 in which the failure has occurred, the cluster identification information to which the distributed application process 40 belongs, the failure content, etc. from the monitoring process 22 of the other network device 10. Receive fault notifications that contain information.

In step S51, the monitoring process 22 acquires from the management table 23 an entry list that matches the cluster identification information indicated in the received failure notification.
In steps S52 to S58, the monitoring process 22 repeats the process for all acquired entries.

In step S53, the monitoring process 22 refers to the application ID column 23e of the entry and acquires the application ID.

In step S54, the monitoring process 22 determines whether or not the application ID column 23e of the entry is not empty. The monitoring process 22 performs the process of step S55 if the condition is satisfied (Yes), and performs the process of step S56 if the determination condition is not satisfied (No). When the entry is empty, the monitoring process 22 determines that it relates to the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30 that is indirectly connected via the other network device 10.

In step S55, the monitoring process 22 notifies the content of the failure to the distributed application process 40 indicated in the application ID column 23e of the entry, and performs the process of step S58.

In step S56, the monitoring process 22 determines whether or not the communication interface 14 indicated by the link endpoint ID column 23c of the entry is the same as the communication interface 14 that has received the failure notification (the failure notification has been received). Communication interface?) The monitoring process 22 performs the process of step S58 if the condition is satisfied (Yes), and performs the process of step S57 if the determination condition is not satisfied (No).

In step S57, the monitoring process 22 notifies the other network device 10 of the failure content via the communication interface 14 indicated by the link endpoint ID column 23c of the entry.

In step S58, the monitoring process 22 determines whether or not processing has been repeated for all entries. The monitoring process 22 returns to the process of step S52 if the determination condition is not satisfied, and ends the process of FIG. 10 if the condition is satisfied.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an application process list query process of a management process of another network device in the first embodiment.
This process is a process in which the network apparatus 10 and the distributed application process 40 make an inquiry about the list of distributed application processes 40 in cooperation with each other. When each distributed application process 40 maps the location of the resource to another distributed application process 40 using an operation such as hash, the distributed application process 40 of the distributed application process 40 operating normally from the network device 10 by this processing. Get a list.
Further, the inquiry about the list of the distributed application processes 40 in the processing may be performed by software different from the distributed application processes 40. For example, when a certain management process 21 obtains a list of distributed application processes 40 managed by the management process 21 on the other network device 10, the distribution is performed normally from the network device 10 by the processing. A list of application processes 40 may be acquired.

The distributed application process 40 transmits an inquiry request for a list of distributed application processes 40 to the registration logical communication interface 16 of the network device 10. For example, the distributed application process 40 inquires about a normally operating distributed application process 40 belonging to the same cluster as the request issuing source distributed application process 40.

In step S60, the management process 21 receives a query request for a list of normally operating distributed application processes 40 from the distributed application process 40 via the registration logical communication interface 16.

In step S61, the management process 21 refers to the cluster ID column 23a of the management table 23, and acquires an entry list that matches the cluster identification information included in the inquiry request.
In steps S62 to S68, the management process 21 repeats the process for all acquired entries.

In step S63, the management process 21 refers to the application ID column 23e of the entry and acquires the application ID.

In step S64, the management process 21 determines whether or not the application ID field 23e of the entry is not empty. The management process 21 performs the process of step S65 if the condition is satisfied (Yes), and performs the process of step S67 if the determination condition is not satisfied (No). When the entry is empty, the management process 21 determines that the entry relates to the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30 that is indirectly connected via the other network device 10.

In step S65, the management process 21 refers to the status column 23f of the entry to determine whether it is “active”, that is, whether the distributed application process 40 related to the entry is operating normally. To do. The management process 21 performs the process of step S67 if the condition is satisfied (Yes), and performs the process of step S68 if the determination condition is not satisfied (No).

In step S66, the management process 21 inquires a list of distributed application processes 40 that are normally operating in another network device 10 via the communication interface 14 indicated in the link endpoint ID column 23c of the entry. .

In step S67, the management process 21 adds the application ID to the response list. That is, the management process 21 creates a new entry in the response list and stores the application ID.

In step S68, the management process 21 determines whether or not the processing of all entries has been repeated. The management process 21 returns to the process of step S62 if the determination condition is not satisfied (No), and performs the process of step S69 if the condition is satisfied (Yes).
In step S69, the management process 21 transmits the response list to the distributed application process 40 that has transmitted the list inquiry, and ends the process of FIG.
Each network device 10 recursively repeats the process of FIG. 11, whereby information that matches a predetermined condition can be collected from all network devices 10 connected to this network.

(Effects of the first embodiment)
The first embodiment described above has the following effect (A).
(A) In the distributed application integrated network system 1, the logical communication interface 15 for monitoring individual distributed application processes 40 is provided in the network device 10. Each distributed application process 40 performs a heartbeat with the monitoring logical communication interface 15 of the network device 10. The network device 10 monitors heartbeat communication of individual distributed application processes 40 belonging to the same cluster in cooperation with other network devices 10. As a result, when the heartbeat communication is interrupted, the network device 10 distinguishes between a network failure and an application failure and notifies the distributed application process 40 of the failure. Further, the network device 10 receives a list inquiry of the distributed application processes 40 that are operating normally, and responds with a list of the distributed application processes 40. As a result, the heartbeat and the list management of the distributed application process 40 that are conventionally performed independently among the distributed application processes 40 are no longer necessary. As a result, resource availability and location management, which are common issues in the distributed application system, are eliminated. Can be realized with high reliability and efficiency.

(Configuration of Second Embodiment)
The distributed application integrated network system 1A according to the second embodiment will be described below. The distributed application integrated network system 1A of the second embodiment is different from the network devices 10-1 to 10-3 of the distributed application integrated network system 1 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment. The configuration is the same as that of the distributed application integrated network system 1 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment, except that ˜10A-3 is provided.
The distributed application integrated network system 1A of the second embodiment differs from the distributed application integrated network system 1 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment in that the network device 10A supports messaging processing. With this feature, the distributed application integrated network system 1A according to the second embodiment eliminates the need for a computer for messaging processing, which has been necessary in the past, the problem of communication load on the computer for messaging processing, and the computer. It becomes possible to cope with the problem of the complexity of the system due to redundancy.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a network device according to the second embodiment.
The network device 10A of the second embodiment is different from the network device 10 of the first embodiment in a storage unit 20A, a message reception logical communication interface (IF) 15A, and a message transmission logical communication interface (IF) 15B. And has. In the drawings, the interface may be described as “IF”.
The message receiving logical communication interface 15 </ b> A is a logical interface for the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30 to receive a message from another distributed application process 40.
The message transmission logical communication interface 15B is a logical interface for the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30 to transmit a message to another distributed application process 40.
The storage unit 20A of the second embodiment includes a messaging management process 21A, a message delivery process 22A, a message reception logical communication interface management table 25, a message transmission logical interface management table 26, and a message transmission / reception logical interface association. A management table 27, a forwarding table 24, and queues 28-1 to 28-3 are stored.

The messaging management process 21A constitutes the message reception logical communication interface 15A and the message transmission logical communication interface 15B based on a request from the distributed application process 40. Further, the messaging management process 21A associates the message reception logical communication interface 15A and the message transmission logical communication interface 15B, and distributes the distributed application process 40, the message reception logical communication interface 15A, the message transmission logical communication interface 15B, and the message. Corresponding relationships such as the queue 28 to be stored and the distributed application process 40 that subscribes to messages via the message receiving logical communication interface 15A are managed.

The message delivery process 22A converts the message data transmitted by the distributed application process 40 into a message based on the delivery conditions included in the message data and the association conditions between the message reception logical communication interface 15A and the message transmission logical communication interface 15B. This is delivered to the queue 28 or the distributed application process 40 associated with the reception logical communication interface 15A. The message delivery process 22A uses the communication delivery mechanism conventionally provided in the network device 10A to encapsulate and transmit message data and reconstruct the received encapsulated message data. Therefore, the message receiving logical communication interface 15A described above may be configured in another network device 10A different from the network device 10A that has received the message data.

The message reception logical communication interface management table 25 includes the identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A, the identification information of the queue 28, and the identification information of the distributed application process 40 that requested the configuration of the message reception logical communication interface 15A. The correspondence relationship is stored, and will be described later with reference to FIG.
When the distributed application process 40 requests delivery of message data, the message reception logical communication interface management table 25 also stores subscriber identification information indicating identification information of a destination to which the message data is to be delivered. The subscriber identification information may be network identification information of the distributed application process 40 of the configuration request transmission source, or may be a multicast address where a plurality of distributed application processes 40 can receive messages.

The message transmission logical interface management table 26 requested identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B, information indicating the type of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B, and the configuration of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B. The correspondence relationship with the identification information of the distributed application process 40 is stored and will be described later with reference to FIG.
In the present embodiment, the type means that the message data sent to the message transmission logical communication interface 15B is delivered to a specific message reception logical communication interface 15A that meets the conditions, or all message reception is performed. Whether to deliver to the logical communication interface 15A.

The message transmission / reception logical interface association management table 27 includes identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B, identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A, and message data received by the message transmission logical communication interface 15B. Is stored in the message receiving logical communication interface 15A, and will be described later with reference to FIG.
The queue 28 is a physical or logical area provided in the storage unit 20A for storing message data, and one or more queues 28 may exist.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a logical communication interface management table for message reception in the second embodiment.
The message reception logical communication interface management table 25 includes a plurality of entries including a reception endpoint ID column 25a, a queue ID column 25b, a registrant ID column 25c, and a subscriber ID column 25d. Each column is a table column. Each entry is a table row.

The reception end point ID column 25a stores information for identifying the message reception logical communication interface 15A.
The queue ID column 25b stores information for identifying the queue 28 that operates in cooperation with the message receiving logical communication interface 15A.
The registrant ID column 25c is information for identifying the distributed application process 40 that has made a configuration request for the message receiving logical communication interface 15A related to the entry. For example, the communication of the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 operates. The network identification information given to the interface 34 is stored.

The subscriber ID column 25d stores information for identifying a destination to which the message data received by the message receiving logical communication interface 15A is delivered. The information for identifying the delivery destination of the message data is, for example, network identification information given to the communication interface 34 of the host computer 30 on which a specific distributed application process 40 operates, or multicast corresponding to a plurality of distributed application processes 40 Address. For an entry in which no information is stored in the subscriber ID column 25d, the message delivery process 22A does not deliver the message to the delivery destination indicated in the subscriber ID column 25d, but the distributed application process 40 sends a message to the message delivery process 22A. Indicates that reception is requested.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a message transmission logical interface management table in the second embodiment.
The message transmission logical interface management table 26 includes a plurality of entries each having a transmission end point ID field 26a, a type field 26b, and a registrant ID field 26c. Each column is a table column. Each entry is a table row.

The transmission end point ID column 26a is network identification information for identifying the message transmission logical communication interface 15B.
The type column 26b stores delivery characteristics of message data sent to the message transmission logical communication interface 15B of the entry. For example, when the type column 26b is “direct” or “topic” (not shown), the message data is delivered to a specific message reception logical communication interface 15A. When the type column 26b is “fanout”, The message is delivered to the message receiving logical communication interface 15A.
The registrant ID column 26c is information for identifying the distributed application process 40 that has made the configuration request for the message transmission logical communication interface 15B of the entry. For example, the communication interface of the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 operates. The network identification information given to 34 is stored.
Furthermore, the registrant ID column 26c stores the identification information of the communication interface 14 that has received the configuration information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B if no information is stored in the type column 26b of the entry. .

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a message transmission / reception logical interface association management table according to the second embodiment.
The message transmission / reception logical interface association management table 27 includes a plurality of entries including a transmission endpoint ID column 27a, a reception endpoint ID column 27b, an association condition type column 27c, and an association condition column 27d. Each column is a table column. Each entry is a table row.

The transmission endpoint ID column 27a is information for identifying the message transmission logical communication interface 15B, and stores, for example, a unique interface name and network identification information in the network device 10A.
The reception endpoint ID column 27b is information for identifying the message reception logical communication interface 15A, and stores, for example, a unique interface name and network identification information in the network device 10A.
The combination of the association condition type field 27c and the association condition field 27d is to deliver the message data received by the message delivery process 22A via the message transmission logical communication interface 15B of the entry to the message reception logical communication interface 15A of the entry. A type of association condition used when determining whether or not to perform the determination, and a combination of association conditions in the type are stored.
Examples of the association condition include a keyword, network identification mask information, and a multicast group. The mask information of the network identification information is a bit string that masks a part or all of the bit string of the identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A. For example, a plurality of message reception logical communication interfaces having a common bit string as identification information The message data is copied and delivered to 15A.

FIGS. 16 to 18 are diagrams showing examples of the structure of communication data in the second embodiment.
Each communication data 54 to 64 is configured by mapping a data structure to an Ethernet (registered trademark) communication frame. The communication data structure is not limited to those shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, and the data structure may be mapped to an IP communication frame, for example.
The communication data 54 to 64 include any one of the transmission destination address 80a, the transmission source address 80b, the transmission destination address 80c, the transmission source address 80d, the tag 80e, the type 80f, and the data frame 80g. Have.
The transmission destination address 80a is a field for storing network identification information for identifying a communication partner on the network.
The transmission source address 80b is a field for storing network identification information for identifying the communication source on the network.
The transmission destination address 80c and the transmission source address 80d are fields for storing second network identification information encapsulated by the transmission destination address 80a and the transmission source address 80b.
The tag 80e is a field for storing identification information for classifying communication, and is a field for storing a VLAN tag, for example.
The type 80f is a field for storing protocol type information, and is a field for a protocol number such as TCP or UDP, for example.
The data frame 80g is a field for storing arbitrary data exchanged with the communication partner.

FIG. 16A is a diagram showing the structure of communication data 54 when the distributed application process 40 requests the network device 10A to configure the message receiving logical communication interface 15A.
The transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 54 stores the network identification information of the registration logical communication interface 16A as the registration logical communication interface address.
In the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 54, the network identification information of the transmission source host computer 30 is stored as the transmission source host computer address. The network identification information of the host computer 30 is, for example, network identification information given to the communication interface 34 of the host computer 30.
The transmission destination address 80c of the communication data 54 stores the network identification information of the message receiving logical communication interface 15A as the message receiving logical communication interface address.
In the transmission source address 80d of the communication data 54, subscriber network identification information is stored as a subscriber address. In the present embodiment, a subscriber is a message delivery destination.
In the type 80f of the communication data 54, information indicating that the communication data 54 is a reception end point configuration request by the distributed application process 40 is stored as a reception end point configuration request identifier.
The operation of the network device 10A when the communication data 54 is received is shown in FIG.

FIG. 16B is a diagram showing the structure of communication data 55 when the distributed application process 40 requests the network device 10A to configure the message transmission logical communication interface 15B.
The transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 55 stores the network identification information of the registration logical communication interface 16A as the registration logical communication interface address.
In the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 55, the network identification information of the transmission source host computer 30 is stored as the transmission source host computer address.
In the transmission destination address 80c of the communication data 55, the network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B is stored as the message transmission logical communication interface address.
The source address 80d of the communication data 55 stores the message transmission logical communication interface 15B type as the message transmission logical communication interface type.
In the type 80f of the communication data 55, information indicating that the communication data 55 is a transmission endpoint configuration request by the distributed application process 40 is stored as a transmission endpoint configuration request identifier.
The operation of the network device 10A when receiving the communication data 55 is shown in FIG.

FIG. 16C is a diagram showing the structure of the communication data 56 when the distributed application process 40 requests the network device 10A to associate the message transmission logical communication interface 15B with the message reception logical communication interface 15A. is there.
In the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 56, network identification information given to the message transmission logical communication interface 15B to be associated is stored as a message transmission logical communication interface address.
The transmission source address 80b of the communication data 56 stores network identification information given to the communication interface 34 of the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 operates as a transmission source host computer address.
In the transmission destination address 80c of the communication data 56, the network identification information of the message receiving logical communication interface 15A is stored as the message receiving logical communication interface address.
In the transmission source address 80d of the communication data 56, association condition information is stored as an association condition.
The tag 80e of the communication data 56 stores the type of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B as the association condition type.
In the type 80f of the communication data 56, information indicating that the communication data 56 is an association configuration request between the message reception logical communication interface 15A and the message transmission logical communication interface 15B is stored as a transmission / reception end point association request identifier. The

FIG. 16D shows a case where configuration information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A and the message transmission logical communication interface 15B directly managed by each network device 10A is exchanged between the plurality of network devices 10A. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication data 57 of.
In the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 57, multicast addresses associated with a plurality of network devices 10A are stored as multicast addresses.
In the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 57, for example, the network identification information given to the registration logical communication interface 16A of the network device 10A as the information issuing source is stored as the transmission source network device address.
In the type 80f of the communication data 57, information indicating that the communication data 57 is a logical communication interface configuration exchange request is stored as a configuration information exchange request identifier.
The data frame 80g of the communication data 57 stores a list of logical communication interfaces to be notified to the other network device 10A as logical communication interface configuration information.

FIG. 17E shows the structure of the communication data 58 when the distributed application process 40 requests the configuration information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B and the message reception logical communication interface 15A from the network device 10A. is there.
The network identification information given to the registration logical communication interface 16A is stored as the registration logical communication interface address in the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 58.
The network identification information given to the communication interface 34 of the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 operates is stored as the source host computer address in the source address 80b of the communication data 58.
In the data frame 80g of the communication data 58, information indicating that the communication data 58 is a logical communication interface configuration information request is stored as a configuration information request identifier.
The operation of the network device 10A when receiving the communication data 58 is shown in FIG.

FIG. 17F is a diagram showing the structure of the communication data 59 when the network device 10A responds to the logical communication interface configuration information request from the distributed application process 40.
In the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 59, network identification information given to the communication interface 34 of the host computer 30 that issued the configuration request is stored as the request source host computer address.
The network identification information given to the registration logical communication interface 16A is stored in the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 59 as the registration logical communication interface address.
In the type 80f of the communication data 59, information indicating that the communication data 59 relates to a configuration information request of the logical communication interface is stored as a configuration information request identifier.
The data frame 80g of the communication data 59 stores configuration information such as a list of logical communication interfaces included in the response as logical communication interface configuration information.
The operation of the network device 10A when receiving the communication data 59 is shown in FIG.

FIG. 17G is a diagram showing the structure of the communication data 60 when the distributed application process 40 transmits a message to the network device 10A.
In the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 60, the network identification information given to the message transmission logical communication interface 15B is stored as the message transmission logical communication interface address.
In the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 60, network identification information given to the communication interface 34 of the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 operates is stored as a transmission source host computer address.
In the transmission destination address 80c of the communication data 60, transfer condition type information (delivery condition type information) is stored as a transfer condition type.
In the transmission source address 80d of the communication data 60, transfer condition information (delivery condition information) is stored as a transfer condition.
In the type 80f of the communication data 60, information indicating that the communication data 60 is a message transmission request is stored as a message transmission request identifier.
In the data frame 80g of the communication data 60, message contents are stored as message data.
The operation of the network device 10A when the communication data 60 is received is shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 (h) shows the message received by the message delivery process 22A on the network device 10A via the message transmission logical communication interface 15B, after adding the delivery condition and the association condition, to the message transmission logical communication interface 15B. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication data 61 at the time of delivery.
The network identification information given to the message receiving logical communication interface 15A is stored in the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 61 as the message receiving logical communication interface address.
In the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 61, network identification information given to the communication interface 34 of the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 of the message transmission source operates is stored as a transmission source host computer address.
In the type 80f of the communication data 61, information indicating that the communication data 61 is a message transfer request (message delivery request) is stored as a message transfer request identifier.
In the data frame 80g of the communication data 61, message contents to be delivered are stored as message data.
The operation of the network device 10A when receiving the communication data 61 is shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 (i) is a diagram showing the structure of communication data 62 when the distributed application process 40 requests the network device 10A to receive a message.
The network identification information given to the message reception logical communication interface 15A is stored in the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 62 as the message reception logical communication interface address.
The network identification information given to the communication interface 34 of the host computer 30 on which the distributed application process 40 operates is stored as the transmission source host computer address in the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 62.
In the type 80f of the communication data 62, information indicating that the communication data 62 is a message reception request is stored as a message reception request identifier.
The operation of the network device 10A when receiving the communication data 62 is shown in FIG.

FIG. 18J is a diagram showing the structure of the communication data 63 when the network device 10A delivers a message in response to a message reception request from the distributed application process 40.
The network identification information given to the communication interface 34 of the host computer 30 of the message reception request source is stored in the transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 63 as the request source host computer address.
The network identification information given to the message receiving logical communication interface 15A is stored in the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 63 as the message receiving logical communication interface address.
In the type 80f of the communication data 63, information indicating that the communication data 63 is a message reception request is stored as a message reception request identifier.
In the data frame 80g of the communication data 63, message contents to be delivered are stored as message data.
The operation of the network device 10A when receiving the communication data 63 is shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 (k) is a diagram illustrating a structure of communication data 64 when the network device 10A delivers a message to a subscriber registered in advance.
The transmission destination address 80a of the communication data 64 stores subscriber network identification information as a subscriber address.
The network identification information given to the message receiving logical communication interface 15A is stored in the transmission source address 80b of the communication data 64 as the message receiving logical communication interface address.
The type 80f of the communication data 64 stores information indicating that the communication data 64 is message delivery as a message delivery request identifier.
In the data frame 80g of the communication data 64, message contents to be delivered are stored as message data.
The operation of the network device 10A when receiving the communication data 64 is shown in FIG.

(Operation of Second Embodiment)
FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of messaging in the second embodiment.
It is a figure which shows the whole sequence in which the network apparatus 10A and the distributed application process 40 perform messaging in cooperation with each other.
For simplification of explanation, FIG. 19 shows the relationship between the two network devices 10A-1 and 10A-3 constituting the system, and the host computer 30-1 and the host computer 30-4 connected to each of them. A communication sequence is shown.
On the network devices 10A-1 and 10A-3, a messaging management process 21A and a message delivery process 22A operate, respectively. On the host computers 30-1 and 30-4, the distributed application process 40 operates.
In the initial state, the network device 10A-1 includes a message transmission logical communication interface 15B. The network device 10A-3 includes a message receiving logical communication interface 15A.

In the sequence Q30, the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-1 sends the message receiving logical communication interface 15A to the messaging management process 21A via the registration logical communication interface 16A on the network device 10A-1. Make configuration requests. The configuration request is made by transmitting the communication data 54 shown in FIG.
In sequence Q31, the messaging management process 21A on the network device 10A-1 constitutes a message receiving logical communication interface 15A.

In the sequence Q32, the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-4 sends the message transmission logical communication interface 15B to the messaging management process 21A via the registration logical communication interface 16 on the network device 10A-3. Make configuration requests. The configuration request is made by transmitting the communication data 55 shown in FIG.
In the sequence Q33, the messaging management process 21A on the network device 10A-3 constitutes a message transmission logical communication interface 15B.

In the sequence Q34, the network device 10A-1 and the network device 10A-3 exchange configuration information, and mutually recognize the identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A and the message transmission logical communication interface 15B. . The configuration information exchange may be performed by multicasting the communication data 57 illustrated in FIG. 16D, or may be performed using a known mechanism such as LLDP.

In sequence Q35, the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-1 sends a list of message transmission logical communication interfaces 15B to the messaging management process 21A via the registration logical communication interface 16 of the network device 10A-1. Send an acquisition request. The acquisition request is made by requesting configuration information with the communication data 58 shown in FIG. If the distributed application process 40 can acquire the list of message transmission logical communication interfaces 15B by another method, for example, when the application administrator manually manages the list of message transmission logical communication interfaces 15B, a sequence is performed. Q35 and subsequent sequence Q36 may not be performed.
In sequence Q36, the messaging management process 21A on the network device 10A-1 transmits a list response of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B to the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-1. The list response is performed by responding the configuration information with the communication data 59 shown in FIG.

In sequence Q37, the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-1 performs registration logic of the network device 10A-1 in order to associate the message transmission logical communication interface 15B with the message reception logical communication interface 15A. A message transmission / reception logical interface association request is made to the messaging management process 21A via the communication interface 16. The message transmission / reception logical interface association request is made with the communication data 56 shown in FIG.

In the sequence Q38, the messaging management process 21A delivers the association request to the messaging management process 21A of the network device 10A-3 having the message transmission logical communication interface 15B of the association request target. The association request is made with the communication data 56 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, since the association request is delivered to the network device 10A in advance, the message data can be delivered appropriately.

In sequence Q39, the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-4 transmits message data to the message transmission logical communication interface 15B of the network device 10A-3. The message data transmission is performed by transmitting the communication data 60 shown in FIG.
In sequence Q40, the message delivery process 22A on the network device 10A-3 receives the message data via the message transmission logical communication interface 15B.
In sequence Q41, the message delivery process 22A on the network device 10A-3 transfers the message data to the message receiving logical communication interface 15A. The network device 10A-3 collates the association condition registered in advance with the message data, and sets the message reception logical communication interface 15A of the network device 10A-1 as the transfer destination. The message data transfer is performed by transmitting the communication data 61 shown in FIG.

In sequence Q42, the message delivery process 22A on the network device 10A-1 receives the message data via the message reception logical communication interface 15A.

In sequence Q43, the message delivery process 22A on the network device 10A-1 delivers the message data to the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30-1 that is the corresponding subscriber. This message data delivery is performed by transmitting the communication data 64 shown in FIG.
When the message delivery process 22A on the network device 10A-1 receives message data via the message receiving logical communication interface 15A, it may store it in the corresponding queue 28. At this time, the distributed application process 40 makes a message reception request by transmitting the communication data 62 shown in FIG. 18 (i) to the network device 10A-1. Further, the corresponding queue 28 responds to the message reception request with the communication data 63 shown in FIG.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the message reception logical communication interface registration process of the messaging management process of the network device in the second embodiment.
The distributed application process 40 transmits a configuration request for the message reception logical communication interface 15A based on the communication data 54 shown in FIG. 16A to the registration logical communication interface 16A of the network device 10A. Thereby, the process of FIG. 20 is started.

In step S80, the messaging management process 21A on the network device 10A receives a configuration request for the message reception logical communication interface 15A from the distributed application process 40 via the registration logical communication interface 16A.
In step S81, the messaging management process 21A releases the encapsulation of the configuration request, and acquires the network identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A included in the configuration request.

In step S82, the messaging management process 21A determines whether or not specific identification information is included in the network identification information of the message receiving logical communication interface 15A included in the configuration request. If the condition is satisfied (Yes), the messaging management process 21A performs the process of step S83, and if the condition is not satisfied (No), the messaging management process 21A performs the process of step S87.

In step S83, the messaging management process 21A refers to the reception endpoint ID column 25a of the message reception logical communication interface management table 25, and sets the network identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A included in the configuration request. Search for a match.

In step S84, the messaging management process 21A determines whether or not the network identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A included in the configuration request has been registered in the message reception logical communication interface management table 25. To do. The messaging management process 21A performs the process of step S85 if the condition is not satisfied (No), and performs the process of step S86 if the condition is satisfied (Yes).

In step S85, the messaging management process 21A registers the network identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A included in the configuration request in the message reception logical communication interface management table 25, and the message reception logical communication. The interface 15A is newly configured, and the processing in FIG.

In step S86, the messaging management process 21A returns an error response to the distributed application process 40, and ends the process of FIG.

In step S87, the messaging management process 21A automatically generates network identification information of the message receiving logical communication interface 15A.
In step S88, the messaging management process 21A registers the generated network identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A in the message reception logical communication interface management table 25, and newly sets the message reception logical communication interface 15A. Configure.

In step S89, the messaging management process 21A returns the generated network identification information of the message receiving logical communication interface 15A to the distributed application process 40, and ends the processing of FIG.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing message transmission logical communication interface registration processing of the messaging management process of the network device according to the second embodiment.
The distributed application process 40 transmits a configuration request for the message transmission logical communication interface 15B based on the communication data 55 shown in FIG. 16B to the registration logical communication interface 16A of the network device 10A. Thereby, the process of FIG. 21 is started.

In step S90, the messaging management process 21A on the network device 10A receives a configuration request for the message transmission logical communication interface 15B from the distributed application process 40 via the registration logical communication interface 16A.
In step S91, the messaging management process 21A cancels the encapsulation of the configuration request, and acquires the network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B included in the configuration request.

In step S92, the messaging management process 21A determines whether or not specific identification information is included in the network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B acquired in step S91. If the condition is satisfied (Yes), the messaging management process 21A performs the process of step S93, and if the condition is not satisfied (No), the messaging management process 21A performs the process of step S97.

In step S93, the messaging management process 21A refers to the transmission endpoint ID column 26a of the message transmission logical interface management table 26 and matches the network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B included in the configuration request. Search for something to do.

In step S94, the messaging management process 21A determines whether or not the network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B included in the configuration request has been registered in the message transmission logical interface management table 26. . The messaging management process 21A performs the process of step S95 if the condition is not satisfied (No), and performs the process of step S96 if the condition is satisfied (Yes).

In step S95, the messaging management process 21A registers the network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B included in the configuration request in the message transmission logical interface management table 26, and the message transmission logical communication interface. 15B is newly configured, and the processing of FIG. 21 is terminated.

In step S96, the messaging management process 21A responds an error to the distributed application process 40, and ends the process of FIG.

In step S97, the messaging management process 21A automatically generates network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B.
In step S98, the messaging management process 21A registers the generated network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B in the message transmission logical interface management table 26, and newly sets the message transmission logical communication interface 15B. Constitute.

In step S99, the messaging management process 21A responds to the distributed application process 40 with the generated network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B, and ends the processing of FIG.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the message transmission / reception logical interface association processing of the messaging management process of the network device in the second embodiment.
The distributed application process 40 transmits an acquisition request for a list of message transmission logical communication interfaces 15B based on the communication data 58 illustrated in FIG. 17E to the registration logical communication interface 16A of the network device 10A. Thereby, the process of FIG. 22 is started.
In step S100, the messaging management process 21A receives a list acquisition request for the message transmission logical communication interface 15B from the distributed application process 40 via the registration logical communication interface 16A.

In step S101, the messaging management process 21A refers to the message transmission logical interface management table 26 and acquires a list of the message transmission logical communication interfaces 15B.

In step S102, the messaging management process 21A responds to the distributed application process 40 with a list of the message transmission logical communication interfaces 15B.

In step S103, the messaging management process 21A uses the message transmission / reception including the association condition with the identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A from the distributed application process 40 via the message transmission logical communication interface 15B. A request to associate a logical interface is received.

In step S104, the messaging management process 21A cancels the encapsulation of the association request, and acquires the identification information and the association condition of the message reception logical communication interface 15A included in the association request.

In step S105, the messaging management process 21A refers to the transmission endpoint ID column 27a and the reception endpoint ID column 27b of the message transmission / reception logical interface association management table 27, and determines whether or not the association request has already been registered. to decide. The messaging management process 21A performs the process of step S106 if the condition is not satisfied (No), and performs the process of step S107 if the condition is satisfied (Yes).

In step S106, the messaging management process 21A stores the association request information in the message transmission / reception logical interface association management table 27.
That is, the messaging management process 21A stores the network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B included in the association request in the transmission endpoint ID column 27a. The messaging management process 21A stores the network identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A included in the association request in the reception endpoint ID column 27b. The messaging management process 21A stores the association condition type included in the association request in the association condition type column 27c. The messaging management process 21A stores the association condition included in the association request in the association condition column 27d.
When the process of step S106 ends, the messaging management process 21A ends the process of FIG.

In step S107, the messaging management process 21A responds an error to the distributed application process 40, and ends the process of FIG.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing message transmission processing of the message delivery process of the network device in the second embodiment.
The distributed application process 40 transmits a message transmission request including message data based on the communication data 60 shown in FIG. 17G and delivery condition information to the message transmission logical communication interface 15B of the network device 10A. Thereby, the process of FIG. 23 is started.
In step S110, the message delivery process 22A of the network device 10A receives a message transmission request including message data and delivery condition information from the distributed application process 40 via the message transmission logical communication interface 15B.

In step S111, the message delivery process 22A releases the encapsulation of the message transmission request, and acquires the message and the delivery condition information included in the message transmission request.

In step S112, the message delivery process 22A refers to the transmission endpoint ID column 27a of the message transmission / reception logical interface association management table 27 and obtains an entry list related to the message transmission logical communication interface 15B that has received the transmission request. To do.

In steps S113 to S116, the message delivery process 22A repeats the process for all acquired entries.

In step S114, the message delivery process 22A refers to the association condition type field 27c, the association condition field 27d, and the reception endpoint ID field 27b of the entry, and determines whether or not the delivery condition information is met. The message delivery process 22A performs the process of step S116 if the condition is not satisfied (No), and performs the process of step S115 if the condition is satisfied (Yes).
When the association condition type column 27c of the entry is a keyword, the message delivery process 22A determines whether the keyword described in the association condition column 27d matches any of the messages included in the message transmission request. To do.
When the association condition type column 27c of the entry is mask information, the message delivery process 22A uses the mask information described in the association condition column 27d as the network identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A included in the message transmission request. As a result, all the bit fields become “0”, and therefore it is determined whether or not specific message identification information is included in the message transmission request.
When the association condition type column 27c of the entry is a multicast group, the message delivery process 22A determines whether the multicast group in the association condition column 27d matches the multicast address included in the message transmission request.

In step S115, the message delivery process 22A adds the network identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A in the reception endpoint ID column 27b of the entry to the response list.
In step S116, the message delivery process 22A determines whether the process has been repeated for all entries. If the condition is not satisfied, the message delivery process 22A returns to the process of step S113.

In step S117, the message delivery process 22A copies the message data to the message reception logical communication interface 15A included in the response list as needed, and then delivers the message data.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing message reception processing (1) of the message delivery process of the network device in the second embodiment.
In step S120, the message delivery process 22A receives the message via the message reception logical communication interface 15A.
In step S121, the message delivery process 22A refers to the reception endpoint ID column 25a of the message reception logical communication interface management table 25, and acquires an entry related to the message reception logical communication interface 15A that has received the message.

In step S122, the message delivery process 22A refers to the subscriber ID column 25d of the entry and determines whether or not subscriber information is registered. The message delivery process 22A performs the process of step S124 if the condition is satisfied (Yes), and performs the process of step S123 if the condition is not satisfied (No).

In step S123, the message delivery process 22A refers to the queue ID field 25b of the entry, stores the message in the queue 28, waits for a message reception request from the distributed application process 40, and performs the processing of FIG. Exit.

In step S124, the message delivery process 22A delivers the message to the subscriber and ends the processing in FIG.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the message reception process (2) of the message delivery process of the network device in the second embodiment.
When the processing is started, in step S130, the message delivery process 22A receives a message reception request from the distributed application process 40 via the message reception logical communication interface 15A.

In step S131, the message delivery process 22A refers to the message reception logical communication interface management table 25, and determines whether or not a message is stored in the queue 28 associated with the message reception logical communication interface 15A. Judging. The message delivery process 22A performs the process of step S132 if the determination condition is satisfied (Yes), and performs the process of step S134 if the determination condition is not satisfied (No).

In step S132, the message delivery process 22A retrieves the message from the queue 28 and returns the message to the distributed application process 40.
In step S133, the message delivery process 22A deletes the message from the queue 28, and ends the process of FIG.
In step S134, the message delivery process 22A sends an error response to the distributed application process 40, and ends the process of FIG.

(Effect of 2nd Embodiment)
The second embodiment described above has the following effects (B) and (C).

(B) The distributed application integrated network system 1A provides a logical communication interface for message transmission / reception to the network device 10A and sets an association condition. The message is sent in encapsulated form. The network device 10A determines the reception logical communication interface of the message transmission destination based on the delivery condition and the association condition obtained by releasing the encapsulation of the message, and delivers the message or delivers the message to the subscriber. As a result, the messaging processing that is conventionally performed independently by the application program becomes unnecessary, and the message can be directly delivered to the distributed application process 40.

(C) The distributed application integrated network system 1A uses the logical communication interface of the network device 10A instead of an exchange or a queue. Thereby, the synchronization of the distributed application process 40, which is a problem common to the distributed application system, can be realized with high reliability and efficiency.

(Configuration of Third Embodiment)
An overview of the distributed application integrated network system 1C according to the third embodiment will be described.

In the distributed application integrated network system 1C of the third embodiment, instead of the distributed application process 40 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment performs heartbeat communication, a conversion process 71 described later performs heartbeat communication. Furthermore, in the distributed application integrated network system 1C of the third embodiment, instead of the distributed application process 40 (FIG. 3) of the second embodiment transmitting and receiving messaging, a conversion process 71 described later transmits and receives messaging.

FIG. 26 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a distributed application integrated network system according to the third embodiment.
The distributed application integrated network system 1C of the third embodiment includes a management server 70 in addition to the same configuration as the distributed application integrated network system 1 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as the configuration of the distributed application integrated network system 1 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment.

The management server 70 is a server computer that manages and controls the network device 10, the host computer 30, and the like. The management server 70 includes a management table 23, a forwarding table 24, a message reception logical communication interface management table 25, and a message transmission logical interface management table 26 similar to those in the first embodiment. And a message transmission / reception logical interface association management table 27, and further includes a conversion process 71 and a conversion table 72.

In the third embodiment, conversion is performed in which the heartbeat communication and message communication performed by the distributed application process 40 on the host computer 30 by the conventional method are converted into the methods described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. A process 71 and a conversion table 72 including conversion rules are included.

When the distributed application process 40 cooperates with another distributed application process 40 that operates on another host computer 30 or the same host computer 30 using a conventional mechanism, the conversion process 71 This is a process of converting requests and responses of the distributed application process 40 in the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

The conversion process 71 converts the heartbeat communication destination to the monitoring logical communication interface 15 of the network device 10 in a procedure in which the distributed application process 40 performs heartbeat communication with another distributed application process 40 in a conventional manner. .
Further, in the procedure in which the distributed application process 40 registers the exchange or queue 28 in the message server and transmits / receives a message by a conventional method, the network identification information of the message server is used as the network of the registration logical communication interface 16 of the network device 10. In the identification information, the exchange identification information is the network identification information of the message transmission logical communication interface 15B, the identification information of the queue 28 is the network identification information of the message reception logical communication interface 15A, and the message routing key is the message reception logic. The communication interface 15A and the message transmission logical communication interface 15B are converted into association conditions and delivery conditions.

The conversion table 72 is a table for the conversion process 71 to convert a request or response from the distributed application process 40 or the like into the request or response in the first embodiment or the second embodiment.
Here, the request of the distributed application process 40 or the like is a request issued by the distributed application process 40 to another distributed application process 40 or a message server.
A response such as the distributed application process 40 is a response that the distributed application process 40 receives from another distributed application process 40 or a message server.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a conversion table in the third embodiment.
The conversion table 72 includes a pre-conversion identifier field 72a and a post-conversion identifier field 72b. Each column is a table column. Each entry is a table row.
The pre-conversion identifier field 72a stores identification information such as other distributed application processes 40 used by the distributed application process 40, message servers, exchanges, queues 28, and routing keys.
The post-conversion identifier column 72b stores the identification information to which the conversion process 71 converts the various types of identification information in the pre-conversion identifier column 72a.

Thereby, the distributed application integrated network system 1C according to the third embodiment is configured so that, for example, in the distributed application integrated network system 1 according to the first embodiment, each distributed application process 40 is connected to the network device 10. The registration process to be performed and the process of exchanging cluster identification information among the plurality of network devices 10 are not required.

Similarly, in the distributed application integrated network system 1C of the third embodiment, for example, in the second embodiment, each distributed application process 40 transmits a message receiving logical communication interface 15A to the network device 10A. The process of configuring the message transmission logical communication interface 15B, the process of setting the correlation condition between them, and the like are not required. That is, heartbeat communication and messaging can be performed transparently without changing the distributed application process 40.

The distributed application integrated network system 1C according to the third embodiment can perform the heartbeat communication method according to the first embodiment without changing the distributed application process 40 on each host computer 30 according to the characteristics. It becomes possible to implement the messaging method of the second embodiment. Furthermore, the distributed application integrated network system 1C according to the third embodiment enables an operation administrator and management and control software to centrally manage and control the distributed application integrated network system 1.

(Effect of the third embodiment)
The third embodiment described above has the following effects (D) and (E).

(D) In the distributed application integrated network system 1C, the distributed application process 40 performs heartbeat communication and message communication performed by a conventional method, the conversion process 71 performs the heartbeat communication of the first embodiment, and the second It converts into the message communication of embodiment. Thereby, the distributed application process 40 can transparently perform the heartbeat communication of the first embodiment and the message communication of the second embodiment.

(E) The distributed application integrated network system 1 </ b> C manages and controls the network device 10 and the conversion process 71 from the outside by the management server 70. As a result, the distributed application system can be managed and controlled in an integrated manner, and resource availability can be ensured, resource locations can be managed, and distributed application processes 40 can be efficiently synchronized.

(Configuration of Fourth Embodiment)
FIG. 28 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a host computer in the fourth embodiment.
The storage unit 36D of the host computer 30D of the third embodiment includes a conversion process 41 and a conversion table 42 in addition to the same configuration as the storage unit 36 of the host computer 30 (FIG. 3) of the first embodiment. Yes.
The conversion process 41 has the same function as the conversion process 71 (FIG. 26) of the third embodiment, except that the conversion target is limited to that related to the host computer 30D.
The conversion table 42 is configured in the same manner as the conversion table 72 (FIG. 27) of the third embodiment.
The conversion process 41 is a process for converting the request and response related to the distributed application process 40 of the host computer 30D into the request and response of the distributed application process 40 in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. The conversion process 41 is distributed in each host computer 30D and operates autonomously and distributedly.

(Effect of the fourth embodiment)
The fourth embodiment described above has the following effect (F).
(F) The conversion process 41 and the conversion table 42 operate in an autonomous and distributed manner on each host computer 30D. Accordingly, the distributed application process 40 can transparently perform the heartbeat communication of the first embodiment and the message communication of the second embodiment without providing the management server 70 (FIG. 26). Become.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Examples of usage forms and modifications include the following (a) to (c).

(A) Communication data 50 to 53 (FIG. 5) of the first embodiment and communication data 54 to 64 (FIGS. 16 to 18) of the second embodiment are general Ethernet (registered trademark) communication frames. The data structure in the embodiment is mapped to the header part and the data part. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be mapped to a header part or a data part of a TCP / IP communication packet, or may be mapped to a proprietary communication frame.

(B) The conversion process 71 and the conversion table 72 of the third embodiment may be on the network device 10, and further on an apparatus such as an appliance on the path between the host computer 30 and the network device 10. There may be.

(C) The network device 10 according to the first embodiment or the network device 10A according to the second embodiment may perform a low layer process such as a layer 2 switch or a layer 3 switch.

1, 1A, 1C Distributed application integrated

network system

10, 10A Network device 11 Control unit 14 Communication interface 15 Monitoring logical communication interface 16 Registration logical communication interface 15A Message reception logical communication interface 15B Message transmission logical communication interface 20 Storage Unit 21 Management Process 21A Messaging Management Process 22 Monitoring Process 22A Message Distribution Process 23 Management Table 24 Forwarding Table 25 Message Reception Logical Communication Interface Management Table 26 Message Transmission Logical Interface Management Table 27 Message Transmission / Reception Logical Interface Association Management Table 28 Queue 30 , 30C Host computer (computer)
34 Communication Interface Unit 36 Storage Unit 40 Distributed Application Process 41 Conversion Process 42 Conversion Table 70 Management Server

Claims

A distributed application integrated network system comprising a computer and a network device, wherein a distributed application process operates on the computer,
The network device is:
A communication interface for communicating with the computer on which the distributed application process operates;
A logical communication interface that logically communicates with the distributed application process via the communication interface;
A management process communicating with the distributed application process via the logical communication interface;
A distributed application integrated network system characterized by comprising:
When the management process detects a communication failure of the distributed application process, the management process transmits information on the communication failure to another distributed application process.
The distributed application integrated network system according to claim 1, wherein:
The management process of the network device transmits / receives information on a cluster identifier for identifying a cluster to which the distributed application process belongs and information on a heartbeat interval of the distributed application process via a logical communication interface for registration,
Exchange the cluster identifier information with other network devices,
The cluster identifier information, the other distributed application process information, and the other network device information are associated and managed,
If the heartbeat communication from the distributed application process is not performed within the heartbeat interval via the monitoring logical communication interface, the other distributed application process associated with the cluster identifier and the other To notify the network device of the failure of the distributed application process,
The distributed application integrated network system according to claim 2, wherein:
The management process of the network device is:
If the heartbeat communication has not occurred within the heartbeat interval,
Determining whether a failure has occurred in either the logical communication interface or the communication interface;
The distributed application integrated network system according to claim 3, wherein:
The management process of the network device is:
By grasping the operating status of the distributed application process by the heartbeat communication by the distributed application process,
Responding to the list of operation status of the distributed application process in response to the acquisition request of the distributed application process list,
The distributed application integrated network system according to claim 3, wherein:
Receiving a heartbeat communication from the distributed application process;
A conversion process for converting the heartbeat communication into a communication addressed to a monitoring logical communication interface or a registration logical communication interface;
The distributed application integrated network system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the network system is a distributed application integrated network system.
When the management process receives the messaging of the distributed application process, the management process delivers the messaging to another distributed application process.
The distributed application integrated network system according to claim 1, wherein:
The logical communication interface includes a message reception logical communication interface for the distributed application process to receive a message, a message transmission logical communication interface for the distributed application process to transmit a message, and the message reception logical communication interface or the message. One of the registration logical communication interfaces that configure the transmission logical communication interface and set the association condition,
The management process of the network device exchanges configuration information of the message reception logical communication interface and the message transmission logical communication interface with other network devices,
Responding to the configuration information of the logical communication interface in response to a request from the distributed application process;
The distributed application integrated network system according to claim 7, wherein:
The management process of the network device is:
The distributed application process receives message data and a delivery condition transmitted to the message transmission logical communication interface, determines another message reception logical communication interface to which the message data is delivered, When there are a plurality of message receiving logical communication interfaces, the message data is duplicated, and the message data is reconfigured and delivered to the other message receiving logical communication interfaces.
The distributed application integrated network system according to claim 8, wherein:
The network device has a message queue associated with the logical communication interface for message reception;
The management process of the network device is:
Receiving the message data delivered to the message receiving logical communication interface;
Storing the message data in the message queue associated with the logical communication interface for message reception;
Responding to the message data stored in the message queue in response to a request from the distributed application process;
The distributed application integrated network system according to claim 8, wherein:
The management process of the network device is:
Receiving the message data delivered to the message receiving logical communication interface;
Delivering the message data to a subscriber associated with the message receiving logical communication interface;
The distributed application integrated network system according to claim 8, wherein:
Receiving message communication performed by the distributed application process;
A conversion process for converting the message communication into communication addressed to the registration logical communication interface, the message reception logical communication interface, or the message transmission logical communication interface;
The distributed application integrated network system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the network system is a distributed application integrated network system.
A management server that manages and controls the network device and the conversion process;
The distributed application integrated network system according to claim 12, wherein the network system is integrated with a distributed application.