WO2015046539A1 - Relay apparatus, control apparatus, communication system, monitor packet processing method, and topology management method - Google Patents

Abstract

The objective of the invention is to reduce the traffic and network loads accompanying the transmission of monitor packets. A relay apparatus comprises: a condition determination unit that determines, on the basis of a predetermined condition, whether to transfer, to a designated transfer destination, a monitor packet that is to be transmitted and received between relay apparatuses so as to monitor the connection state of a path in a network; and a packet processing unit that, when having received the monitor packet, processes the monitor packet on the basis of a determination result of the condition determination unit.

Description

Relay device, control device, communication system, monitoring packet processing method and topology management method

[Description of related applications]
The present invention is based on a Japanese patent application: Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-204915 (filed on September 30, 2013), and the entire description of the application is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a relay device, a control device, a communication system, a monitoring packet processing method, and a topology management method, and more particularly to a relay device, a control device, a communication system, and a monitoring packet that exchange a monitoring packet for monitoring a network state. The present invention relates to a processing method and a topology management method.

As shown in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2, in recent years, a technique called OpenFlow has been proposed. OpenFlow is a network architecture in which a controller controls a switch. In OpenFlow, the packet transfer function and the path control function are separated by a flow control protocol, and the controller performs control using a unified API (Application Program Interface) for different types of switches. In OpenFlow, packet control is performed with the granularity as a flow unit in order to increase the data path speed and keep the control cost low. The switch (OpenFlow Switch) in the OpenFlow has a secure channel for communication with the controller, and operates according to a flow table that is appropriately added or rewritten by the controller. OpenFlow Switch and the controller communicate on the secure channel using the OpenFlow protocol.

In Patent Document 1, a system control device (network control device 10) in which the packet transfer function and the path control function are separated performs topology (topology: network connection form) detection by LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) or the like. It describes that a relay device (node devices 20-1 to 20-n) constituting a network is detected and network configuration information (topology information) is generated. According to this document, the control device (network control device 10) sends and receives monitoring packets such as LLDP to the relay devices (node devices 20-1 to 20-n), and receives the reception report to establish the network. Recognizes the identification information (node device ID, MAC address, etc.) of all the relay devices (node devices 20-1 to 20-n) and the connection form of each node device, and the next node device of each node device It is described that it becomes possible to specify.

JP 2013-115733 A

The following analysis is given by the present invention. As described in Patent Document 1, in a centralized control type network, the control device needs to grasp the state of the network, particularly the topology configuration between relay devices. As a method for monitoring the state of such a network, LLDP that regularly detects interface information by sending and receiving monitoring packets between adjacent relay apparatuses is typical.

However, a method typified by the LLDP is a method in which all relay devices to be managed at regular intervals are sent and received by monitoring packets to all physical ports connected to adjacent relay devices. Obtain configuration information comprehensively. For this reason, when the number of combinations of relay devices to be managed and connected physical ports increases, the flow rate of monitoring packets per cycle also increases, and the load on the managed network is concentrated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a relay device, a control device, a communication system, a monitoring packet processing method, and a topology management method that can contribute to the reduction of traffic and network load accompanying the transmission of the monitoring packet.

According to the first aspect, whether or not to transfer the monitoring packet exchanged between the relay devices to monitor the connection state of the route in the network to a designated transfer destination based on a predetermined condition A relay device is provided that includes a condition determination unit that determines whether the monitoring packet is received, and a packet processing unit that processes the monitoring packet based on the determination result of the condition determination unit.

According to the second aspect, a monitoring packet for monitoring a connection state of a route in the network is transmitted to one relay device of the network including a plurality of relay devices, and the monitoring packet is received from the one relay device. A topology management unit that updates the topology of the network by receiving the monitoring packet from the relay device, and a determination to select a relay device that preferentially transmits the monitoring packet from the relay devices on the network A control device is provided.

According to the third aspect, a monitoring packet for monitoring a connection state of a route in the network is transmitted to one relay device of the network including a plurality of relay devices, and the monitoring packet is received from the one relay device. A topology management unit that updates the topology of the network by receiving the monitoring packet from the relay device, and a determination to select a relay device that preferentially transmits the monitoring packet from the relay devices on the network A control device is provided.

According to the fourth aspect, a communication system including the relay device or the control device described above is provided.

According to the fifth aspect, a step of receiving a monitoring packet exchanged between relay devices to monitor a connection state of a route in the network, and a designated condition based on a predetermined condition for the monitoring packet There is provided a monitoring packet processing method including a step of determining whether or not to transmit to a transfer destination, and a step of processing the monitoring packet based on a result of the determination. This method is linked to a specific machine called a relay device that processes monitoring packets.

According to the sixth aspect, whether or not to transmit a monitoring packet exchanged between relay devices to monitor a connection state of a route in the network to one relay device of a network including a plurality of relay devices. A step of notifying of a condition for determining, a step of transmitting the monitoring packet to one relay device of the network, and receiving the monitoring packet from the relay device receiving the monitoring packet from the one relay device By doing so, there is provided a topology management method including the step of updating the topology of the network. This method is linked to a specific machine, which is a control device that updates the topology of the network using monitoring packets.

According to the seventh aspect, a step of selecting a relay device with priority given to a monitoring packet for monitoring a connection state of a route in the network from among a plurality of relay devices on the network; There is provided a topology management method comprising: transmitting the monitoring packet; and updating the network topology by receiving the monitoring packet from the relay device that has received the monitoring packet from the selected relay device. The This method is linked to a specific machine, which is a control device that updates the topology of the network using monitoring packets.

According to the eighth aspect, a program for realizing the functions of the relay device and the control device described above is provided. This program can be recorded on a computer-readable (non-transient) storage medium. That is, the present invention can be embodied as a computer program product.

According to the present invention, it is possible to contribute to the reduction of traffic and network load accompanying transmission of monitoring packets.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the relay apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication system of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of the relay apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the control apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication system of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the switch information hold | maintained at the switch management part of the control apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the entry set to the flow table of the relay apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the relay apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication system of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control apparatus of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the deformation | transformation embodiment of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication system of the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control apparatus of the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of the control apparatus of the 5th Embodiment of this invention.

Several embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, reference numerals attached to the drawings are added for convenience to each element as an example for facilitating understanding, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the illustrated embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
First, a first embodiment in which handling of a monitoring packet such as an LLDP packet is determined on the relay device (switch) side will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a relay device according to a first embodiment of this invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a relay device 10 including a condition determination unit 11 and a packet processing unit 12 is illustrated.

In response to a request from the packet processing unit 12, the condition determination unit 11 is configured to monitor packets (for example, LLDP packets) exchanged between relay devices in order to monitor the network state based on predetermined conditions. Determine whether to send to the specified transfer destination. As the condition, the time interval and frequency of transmitting the LLDP (such as suppressing the transfer once every two times) can be set based on the importance of monitoring the link with the designated transfer destination. That's fine. Regarding the importance of monitoring the link, for example, whether or not communication using the link is occurring, the frequency of occurrence of communication using the link, average traffic, and the like can be employed.

When the packet processing unit 12 receives a monitoring packet such as an LLDP packet, the packet processing unit 12 sends the received packet to the condition determination unit 11 and inquires whether or not to transmit to the designated transfer destination. Although not shown in FIG. 1, when receiving a packet other than the monitoring packet, the packet processing unit 12 refers to an instruction from the control device, its own address learning table, etc. Perform forwarding, etc.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system in which the relay device 10 as described above is arranged. The control device 20 outputs an LLDP packet or LLDP packet transmission instruction to the relay device 10 and updates information related to the topology of the network that receives the LLDP packet transferred from the relay device 10.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the relay device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. When the relay device 10 according to the present embodiment receives a monitoring packet such as an LLDP packet from the control device 20 or another relay device, the relay device 10 performs the following operation.

When the relay device 10 receives the LLDP packet (step S001), the condition determination unit 11 determines whether or not to transfer the LLDP packet from the designated port (step S002).

As a result of the determination, when it is determined that the LLDP packet is to be transferred, the relay device 10 transmits the LLDP packet to the designated transfer destination (step S003). On the other hand, when it is determined that transfer is to be suppressed, the relay device 10 discards the LLDP packet (step S004).

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, when the importance of the link between the left relay device 10 and the central relay device 10 is high (for example, communication is performed between the terminals 30A-30B), the central relay device 10 The condition determination unit 11 transmits the received LLDP packet to the relay device 10 on the left side with high priority. On the other hand, when the importance of the link between the right relay device 10 and the central relay device 10 is low (for example, there is no communication between the terminals 30B-30C), the condition determination unit 11 of the central relay device 10 receives the An operation of discarding the LLDP packets that have been performed at a certain rate (for example, once every several times) is performed. By doing so, it becomes possible to suppress the flow rate of monitoring packets per cycle.

The condition referred to when the condition determination unit 11 determines whether or not to transfer the monitoring packet may be set by the network administrator, but may be set by the control device 20, for example. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control device having a condition setting function. In the example of FIG. 5, the control device 20 has a condition setting unit 21 that sets a condition for determining whether or not the condition determination unit 11 of the relay device 10 transfers the monitoring packet. The configuration includes an LLDP transmission / reception unit 22 that outputs an LLDP packet or an instruction to transmit an LLDP packet and receives the LLDP packet transferred from the relay apparatus 10.

By using the control device 20 as shown in FIG. 5 above, the flow statistical information (for example, the flow statistical counter of the flow table of the open flow switch of Non-Patent Document 2) acquired by the control device 20 from the relay device 10, Based on the presence or absence of actual communication (packet transfer instruction to relay apparatus 10 (flow entry setting)) or the like, a condition for determining whether or not to transfer the monitoring packet can be set.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment in which the handling of the monitoring packet in the relay device is controlled on the control device side will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, a configuration in which control device 20A and relay devices 10A1 to 10A3 that process packets are connected with reference to a packet processing entry (hereinafter referred to as "entry") set by control device 20A is connected. It is shown.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a control device 20A that controls the relay devices 10A1 to 10A3. Referring to FIG. 7, a configuration including a condition notification unit 21A, an LLDP transmission / reception unit 22, a switch management unit 23, and a topology management unit 24 is shown.

The LLDP transmission / reception unit 22 transmits an LLDP packet to the relay device 10 or outputs a transmission instruction for the LLDP packet, and receives the LLDP packet transferred from the relay device 10. The LLDP transmission / reception unit 22 sends the received LLDP packet to the topology management unit 24.

The topology management unit 24 requests the LLDP transmission / reception unit 22 to transmit LLDP, and updates the network topology based on the LLDP packet received by the LLDP transmission / reception unit 22.

The switch management unit 23 determines, as unique information of each relay device (switch), what kind of communication is being processed for each relay device (switch) (which communication route is on). to manage.

The condition notifying unit 21A creates an entry defining the LLDP packet processing method in each relay device based on the switch information managed by the switch management unit 23, and sets the entry in each relay device 10A1 to 10A3.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of switch information held in the switch management unit 23. In the example of FIG. 8, for the relay devices 10A1 and 10A2, set communication paths that pass through these relay devices are registered. For example, the content of “terminal 30A-relay device 10A1-relay device 10A2-terminal 30B”, which is a communication path between the terminals 30A and 30B, is registered in the relay device 10A1. Similarly, the content of “terminal 30B-relay device 10A2-relay device 10A1-terminal 30A”, which is a communication path between the terminals 30A and 30B, is registered in the relay device 10A2. From such route information, it can be seen that communication occurs between the relay device 10A1 and the relay device 10A2 in FIG. 6, and communication does not occur on the link between the relay device 10A2 and the relay device 10A3. Here, in order to simplify the description, route information is used, but flow entry information for processing communication between terminals set in each relay apparatus may be used.

FIG. 9 is an example of an entry set in the relay apparatus 10A2 using the switch information held in the switch management unit 23. In the example of FIG. 9, based on the information that communication has occurred in the link between the relay device 10A2 and the relay device 10A1, and communication has not occurred in the link between the relay device 10A2 and the relay device 10A3. Thus, an entry for instructing to forward (Forward) the LLDP packet from the relay apparatus 10A1 to the control apparatus 20A and an entry for instructing to discard (Drop) other LLDP packets are created. Note that it is desirable to review the entries set in each relay apparatus 10A shown in FIG. 9 as necessary. For example, when communication has newly occurred or communication has been terminated, the entry is reset based on the contents. In addition, even when communication does not occur in a certain link, the link may be used as a redundant route of the route in which communication is performed, so an entry for transferring an LLDP packet at a predetermined frequency May be set.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a relay device 10A according to the second embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “10A” when the relay devices 10A1 to 10A3 are not particularly distinguished). Referring to FIG. 10, a configuration including a condition determination unit 11A, a packet processing unit 12A, and a flow table 13A is shown.

In the flow table 13A, an entry created by the condition notification unit 21A of the control device 20A described above is held. An entry for processing a packet other than the LLDP packet is also registered in the flow table 13A.

When the packet processing unit 12A receives the LLDP packet, the packet processing unit 12A inquires of the condition determination unit 11A about the processing content to be applied to the LLDP packet, and processes the packet according to the result. Even when a packet other than the LLDP packet is received, the packet processing unit 12A inquires of the condition determination unit 11A about the processing content to be applied to the packet, and processes the packet based on the response result.

When the condition determination unit 11A receives an inquiry about the processing contents to be applied to the LLDP packet or the like from the packet processing unit 12A, the condition determination unit 11A selects an entry having a matching condition that matches the packet received from the packet processing unit 12A from the flow table 13A. The search is made and the content of the action field is returned to the packet processing unit 12A. Further, the condition determining unit 11A may request the control device 20A to set an entry when no corresponding entry is found as a result of searching the flow table 13A.

The relay device 10A and the control device 20A as described above can also be realized by adding a function corresponding to the condition notification unit 21A to the OpenFlow controller of OpenFlow described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2.

Subsequently, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, the condition notification unit 21A of the control device 20A refers to the information held in the switch management unit 23, and sets an entry for processing the LLDP packet in the relay device 10A.

The subsequent operation flow is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, when the relay apparatus 10A receives the LLDP packet (step S001 in FIG. 3), the condition determination unit 11A refers to the flow table 13A to determine whether to transfer the LLDP packet from the designated port. A determination is made (step S002 in FIG. 3).

As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the transfer is to be performed, the relay device 10A transmits the LLDP packet to the designated transfer destination according to the corresponding entry in the flow table 13A (step S003 in FIG. 3). On the other hand, when it is determined to suppress the transfer, the relay device 10A discards the LLDP packet according to the corresponding entry in the flow table 13A (step S004 in FIG. 3).

As described above, the present invention can also be realized as a form suitable for a centralized control type configuration in which a control device such as OpenFlow in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 controls a relay device.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a description will be given of a third embodiment in which transmission of a monitoring packet is suppressed on the control device side instead of determining the handling of the monitoring packet on the relay device side. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 11, referring to control device 20B and a packet processing entry (hereinafter referred to as “entry”) set by control device 20B, relay devices 10B1 to 10B3 (hereinafter referred to as relay devices 10B1 to 10B1) that process packets are processed. In the case where 10B3 is not particularly distinguished, “relay device 10B”) is connected. In addition, since it is not necessary to have a condition determination part as the relay apparatus 10B of this embodiment, the open flow switch of a nonpatent literature 1 and 2 can also be used.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of the control device of the present embodiment. Since the basic configuration is the same as that of the control device of the second embodiment, the differences will be mainly described below. When the configuration of FIG. 12 is compared with the configuration of the control device 20A of the second embodiment of FIG. 7, the condition notification unit is omitted in the control device 20B of the present embodiment. Instead, a determination unit 25B is provided between the topology management unit 24B and the LLDP transmission / reception unit 22B to filter the LLDP packet or the transmission instruction of the LLDP packet from the topology management unit 24B.

The determination unit 25B refers to the information held in the switch management unit 23B to determine the LLDP packet to be filtered. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, communication occurs between the relay device 10B1 in FIG. 11 and the central relay device 10B2, and communication occurs in the link between the central relay device 10B2 and the right relay device 10B3. When it is known that the transmission is not performed, transmission of the LLDP packet between the relay device 10B2 and the relay device 10B3 is suppressed.

As described above, the present invention can be implemented by a single control device.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Subsequently, some variations of the mode in which the relay device transfers the LLDP packet will be described as a fourth embodiment. In FIG. 13, as described above, the control device 20 transmits an LLDP packet or LLDP packet transmission instruction to the (first) relay device 10 and receives this (first) relay device. 10 transmits an LLDP packet to the (second) relay apparatus 10. The (second) relay device 10 performs an operation of transferring the LLDP packet sent from a port (other switch) other than the control device 20 to the control device 20.

Instead of the method shown in FIG. 13, as shown in FIG. 14, a method of transferring LLDP packets through a predetermined route passing through a plurality of relay devices can be adopted. In this case, it is necessary for the control device 20 to create a packet transfer path with reference to the information of the switch management unit, etc., but this function is provided in the control device 20 of the centralized control type communication system. ,No problem. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the amount of LLDP packets sent out by the control device 20 compared to the method of FIG.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment that more specifically represents the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system according to the fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 15, a control device 200 that centrally manages path control between relay device groups 101 to 107 arranged in the management target network (management target NW) 100, and relay devices 101 to 107 connected to each other. A configuration in which terminals 301 to 302 that are not managed by the control apparatus 200 are connected is shown.

The relay devices 101 to 107 are the same devices as the relay device 10A shown in FIG. 10, and can be configured by, for example, the open flow switches of Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2.

The control apparatus 200 calculates a communication path between the terminal 301 connected to the relay apparatus 101 and the terminal 302 connected to the relay apparatus 103, and transmits the communication path between the terminal 301 and the terminal 302 to the relay apparatus on the communication path. This is an apparatus for setting an entry for transferring a packet.

FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram showing a detailed configuration of the control device 200. Referring to FIG. 16, relay device communication unit 201, topology information acquisition unit 202, topology information management unit 203, topology information monitoring range control unit 204, topology information monitoring priority management unit 205, and path control command generation A configuration including a unit 206, a route information calculation processing unit 207, and a route information management unit 208 is shown.

The relay device communication unit 201 establishes a control session and transmits / receives control commands via a secure channel connected to each of the relay devices 101 to 107 on the management target NW 100. Specifically, the relay device communication unit 201 transmits the control commands generated by the topology information acquisition unit 202 and the path control command generation unit 206 to the relay device groups 101 to 107, respectively. In addition, the relay device communication unit 201 transfers responses from the relay device groups 101 to 107 to the control command to the topology information acquisition unit 202 and the path control command generation unit 206, respectively.

As an initial operation, the topology information acquisition unit 202 transmits monitoring packets to the relay device groups 101 to 107 via the relay device communication unit 201, collects topology information indicating the connection relationship of the relay devices 101 to 107, The topology information management unit 203 is notified. At the time of collecting topology information for the second and subsequent times, the topology information acquisition unit 202 sets the transmission target of the monitoring packet within a specific range according to the topology information monitoring range provided from the topology information monitoring range control unit 204. Limited to relay devices. Also in this embodiment, LLDP packets are used as monitoring packets for collecting topology information.

The topology information management unit 203 stores and manages the topology information collected by the topology information acquisition unit 202, and provides the topology information monitoring priority management unit 205 and the route information calculation processing unit 207 as appropriate.

The topology information monitoring range control unit 204 refers to the topology monitoring range information associated with the priority notified from the topology information monitoring priority management unit 205, and relays preferentially monitoring the topology information acquisition unit 202 Provides device connection range.

The topology information monitoring priority management unit 205 refers to the topology information notified from the topology information management unit 203 and the route information notified from the route information management unit 208, assigns the priority of the topology monitoring range, and topology information The monitoring range control unit 204 is notified. The management of the topology monitoring range priority in the topology information monitoring priority management unit 205 is performed, for example, using a table in which priority is assigned to each set of physical ports between relay devices.

The route control command generation unit 206 generates a control command (for example, FlowMod message of Non-Patent Document 2) from the route information notified from the route information calculation processing unit 207, and relays it to each relay device on the route. Via the device communication unit 201, an entry for appropriately transferring a unicast packet, a broadcast packet, or the like is set in the flow table of each relay device.

The route information calculation processing unit 207 refers to the topology information managed by the topology information management unit 203, and performs route calculation between relay devices connected between the terminals. The route information calculation processing unit 207 also performs route calculation of a distribution tree that can be distributed from a relay device directly connected to a terminal for broadcast packet transfer to all other relay devices. The route information calculation processing unit 207 notifies the calculated route information to each of the route control command generation unit 206 and the route information management unit 208.

The route information management unit 208 manages the route information used in the current inter-terminal communication from the route information notified from the route information calculation processing unit 207, and provides it to the topology information monitoring priority management unit 205.

Subsequently, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 17, first, the topology information acquisition unit 202 of the control device 200 and the relay device groups 101 to 107 arranged on the management target NW 100 via the relay device communication unit 201 and the LLDP packet as an initial operation. And collects topology information of the relay device group (step S1001). The topology information management unit 203 manages the topology information collected by the topology information acquisition unit 202 as the topology information of the management target NW 100.

Next, the route information calculation processing unit 207 refers to the topology information managed by the topology information management unit 203 and performs route calculation of the unicast packet and broadcast packet distribution tree. The route information calculation processing unit 207 requests the route control command generation unit 206 to set an entry for the relay device on each route. Further, the route information calculation processing unit 207 notifies the route information management unit 208 of the calculated route information (step S1002). In the following description, in the route information calculation processing unit 207, the communication route 401 is set as the route information normally used for communication between the terminal 301 and the terminal 302 in FIG. Assume that the communication path 402 is calculated as the path.

Thereafter, when communication occurs between the terminal 301 and the terminal 302 (Yes in step S1003), the topology information monitoring priority management unit 205 uses the topology information and path information management unit 208 managed by the topology information management unit 203. The priority of the topology monitoring range is determined with reference to the managed route information (step S1004). Here, since the communication path 401 is set as the path information normally used for communication between the terminal 301 and the terminal 302 in FIG. 15, the topology information monitoring priority management unit 205 sets the relay device 101 on the communication path 401. , 102 and 103 are set to “high” as the monitoring priority of the set of ports connecting the ports.

Then, the topology information monitoring priority management unit 205 notifies the topology information monitoring range control unit 204 to perform topology monitoring according to the set priority.

When the topology information monitoring range control unit 204 determines that it is time to perform topology monitoring within the range obtained based on the set priority, the topology information acquisition unit 202 instructs the topology information monitoring range control unit 204 to (Yes in step S1005), the LLDP packet is transmitted to the relay device group located in the range determined by the priority (step S1006).

Specifically, when the communication path 401 is set as a path normally used for communication between the terminal 301 and the terminal 302 as illustrated in FIG. 15, the topology information acquisition unit 202 includes the relay apparatus 101 and the relay apparatus 102. The LLDP packet for monitoring the connection state of the physical port directly connected and the physical port to which the relay apparatus 102 and the relay apparatus 103 are directly connected is transmitted with high frequency. On the other hand, the LLDP packet for monitoring the connection status between the physical ports of the relay apparatuses constituting the communication path 402 as an alternative path is controlled to be transmitted at a lower frequency than between the physical ports of the communication path 401.

In addition, when a failure occurs in the communication path 401 and the communication path 402 that is an alternative path of the communication path 401 becomes valid, the topology information acquisition unit 202 connects the relay apparatus 101 and the relay apparatus 104 directly. Switching is performed so that the LLDP packet for monitoring the connection status of the physical port and the physical port to which the relay device 104 and the relay device 103 are directly connected is transmitted at high frequency.

Thereafter, when a change occurs in a communication section and a communication path that can be used for communication between terminals due to addition / deletion / movement of the terminal (terminal addition / deletion / movement not shown) (Yes in step S1007). Then, the control device 200 performs recalculation of the communication section of the terminal and resetting of the priority of the topology monitoring range corresponding thereto (steps S1003 and S1004). Further, when the topology information monitoring range control unit 204 of the control device 200 instructs the topology information acquisition unit 202 to change the range to be monitored preferentially, the topology information acquisition unit 202 controls the topology information monitoring range control. In accordance with the instruction from the unit 204, the LLDP packet is transmitted to the relay device group located in the range determined by the priority (step S1006).

On the other hand, if no change has occurred in the communication section between the terminals in step S1007 (No in step S1007), the topology information acquisition unit 202 checks the response to the LLDP packet transmitted in step S1006. As a result of the check, if the topology state has not changed in the monitoring target range (No in step S1008), the control device 200 returns to step S1005 and waits for the next topology monitoring timing.

On the other hand, if a change in the topology state of the monitoring target range has occurred (Yes in step S1008), the process returns to step S1004, and the topology information monitoring priority management unit 205 resets the priority of the topology monitoring range, and the topology Via the information monitoring range control unit 204, an instruction to change the range to be preferentially monitored is given.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the control device 200 preferentially monitors connection information between physical ports of relay devices that constitute a path used for communication. As a result, the flow rate of the topology monitoring packet is suppressed, and the communication load on the network between the control device and the relay device can be reduced even when the relay device group has a large-scale configuration.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and further modifications, substitutions, and adjustments are possible without departing from the basic technical idea of the present invention. Can be added. For example, the network configuration and the configuration of elements shown in the drawings are examples for helping understanding of the present invention, and are not limited to the configurations shown in these drawings.

In addition, each part (processing means) of the control device and the relay device according to each embodiment described above is realized by a computer program that causes a computer that configures these devices to execute the above-described processes using the hardware. You can also.

Finally, a preferred form of the invention is summarized.
[First embodiment]
(Refer to the relay device from the first viewpoint)
[Second form]
In the relay device of the first form,
The said condition determination part is a relay apparatus which determines whether the said monitoring packet is transferred to the said designated transfer destination based on the conditions transmitted from the control apparatus which controls a some relay apparatus.
[Third embodiment]
In the relay device of the first or second form,
The condition determination unit is configured to transmit the monitoring packet to a designated destination rather than transfer the monitoring packet to a forwarding destination where communication using a link with the monitoring packet destination does not occur. Whether the monitoring packet is forwarded to the designated forwarding destination using a condition that prioritizes forwarding of the monitoring packet to a forwarding destination in which communication using a link between them is occurring A relay device that determines whether or not.
[Fourth form]
In the relay device according to any one of the first to third aspects,
The condition determination unit is a relay device that suppresses transfer of the monitoring packet to a specified transfer destination when communication using a link with the transmission destination of the specified monitoring packet does not occur .
[Fifth embodiment]
(Refer to the control device according to the second viewpoint)
[Sixth embodiment]
In the control device of the fifth aspect,
The condition notifying unit monitors the forwarding destination in which communication using a link with the transmission destination of the monitoring packet is generated for at least one of the plurality of relay devices. Control for notifying the condition that the packet transfer is prioritized over the transfer of the monitoring packet to the transfer destination where the communication using the link between the transmission destinations of the monitoring packet does not occur apparatus.
[Seventh form]
(Refer to the control device from the third viewpoint)
[Eighth form]
(Refer to the monitoring packet processing method from the fifth viewpoint.)
[Ninth Embodiment]
In the monitoring packet processing method according to the eighth aspect,
Use the link with the designated monitoring packet destination rather than transfer the monitoring packet to a forwarding destination where communication using the link with the monitoring packet destination does not occur Determining whether to transfer the monitoring packet to the designated transfer destination using a condition that preferentially transfers the monitoring packet to a transfer destination in which communication is occurring; Monitoring packet processing method.
[Tenth embodiment]
(Refer to the topology management method from the sixth viewpoint)
[Eleventh form]
In the topology management method of the tenth aspect,
Transfer of the monitoring packet to a transfer destination in which communication using a link with the transmission destination of the monitoring packet is generated with respect to at least one of the plurality of relay devices. A topology management method for notifying of a condition that is prioritized over transfer of the monitoring packet to a transfer destination that does not generate communication using a link between transmission destinations of the monitor packet.
[Twelfth embodiment]
(Refer to the topology management method from the seventh viewpoint)
[13th form]
A communication system including any one of the fifth to seventh control devices and a relay device controlled by the control device (see the communication system according to the fourth aspect).
[14th form]
Processing for determining whether or not to transmit to the designated transfer destination based on a predetermined condition for the monitoring packet when receiving a monitoring packet exchanged between relay devices to monitor the network status When,
Based on the determination result of the condition determination unit, processing of the monitoring packet;
Is executed by a computer mounted on the relay device (see the program from the eighth viewpoint).
[15th form]
A process for notifying a network relay device of a condition for determining whether to transmit the monitoring packet;
Processing for instructing transmission of a monitoring packet to one relay device of the network, and determining whether to transmit the monitoring packet according to the condition in the one relay device;
As a result of the determination, based on a report from the relay device that has received the monitoring packet from the one relay device, a process of updating the topology of the network;
Is executed by a computer mounted on the control device (see the program from the eighth viewpoint).
[Sixteenth embodiment]
A process of selecting a relay apparatus to instruct transmission of the monitoring packet from relay apparatuses on the network based on a predetermined condition;
Instructing the selected relay device of the network to transmit a monitoring packet, and updating the network topology based on a report from the relay device that has received the monitoring packet from the selected relay device;
Is executed by a computer mounted on the control device (see the program from the eighth viewpoint).

It should be noted that the fifth to sixteenth embodiments can be developed into the second to fourth embodiments as in the first embodiment.

It should be noted that the disclosures of the above patent documents and non-patent documents are incorporated herein by reference. Within the scope of the entire disclosure (including claims) of the present invention, the embodiments and examples can be changed and adjusted based on the basic technical concept. Further, various combinations or selections of various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) within the scope of the claims of the present invention. Is possible. That is, the present invention of course includes various variations and modifications that could be made by those skilled in the art according to the entire disclosure including the claims and the technical idea. In particular, with respect to the numerical ranges described in this document, any numerical value or small range included in the range should be construed as being specifically described even if there is no specific description.

10, 10A1 to 10A3, 10B1 to 10B3, 101 to 107 Relay device 11, 11A Condition determination unit 12, 12A Packet processing unit 13A Flow table 20, 20A, 20B, 200 Control device 21 Condition setting unit 21A Condition notification unit 22, 22B LLDP transmission / reception unit 23, 23B switch management unit 24, 24B topology management unit 25B determination unit 30A to 30C, 301, 302 terminal 100 managed network (managed NW)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 201 Relay apparatus communication part 202 Topology information acquisition part 203 Topology information management part 204 Topology information monitoring range control part 205 Topology information monitoring priority management part 206 Path control command generation part 207 Path information calculation processing part 208 Path information management part 401,402 Communication path

Claims (12)

1. A condition determination unit that determines whether or not to transfer a monitoring packet transmitted between relay devices to monitor a path connection state in a network based on a predetermined condition, to a specified transfer destination;
   When receiving the monitoring packet, based on the determination result of the condition determination unit, a packet processing unit that processes the monitoring packet;
   A relay device comprising:
2. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the condition determination unit determines whether or not to transfer the monitoring packet to the designated transfer destination based on a condition transmitted from a control device that controls a plurality of relay devices.
3. The condition determination unit is configured to transmit the monitoring packet to a designated destination rather than transfer the monitoring packet to a forwarding destination where communication using a link with the monitoring packet destination does not occur. Whether the monitoring packet is forwarded to the designated forwarding destination using a condition that prioritizes forwarding of the monitoring packet to a forwarding destination in which communication using a link between them is occurring The relay apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein it is determined whether or not.
4. The condition determination unit suppresses transfer of the monitoring packet to a specified transfer destination when communication using a link with the transmission destination of the specified monitoring packet does not occur. 1 to 3 relay devices.
5. A monitoring packet for monitoring a connection state of a route in the network is transmitted to one relay device of a network including a plurality of relay devices, and the monitoring packet is received from the relay device that has received the monitoring packet from the one relay device. A topology management unit that updates the topology of the network by receiving;
   A condition notifying unit for notifying at least one relay device among the plurality of relay devices of a condition for determining whether or not to transfer the monitoring packet;
   A control device comprising:
6. The condition notifying unit monitors the forwarding destination in which communication using a link with the transmission destination of the monitoring packet is generated for at least one of the plurality of relay devices. A condition for notifying the condition that the transfer of the packet is performed in preference to the transfer of the monitoring packet to a transfer destination where communication using a link between the transmission destinations of the monitoring packet has not occurred. Item 5. The control device according to Item 5.
7. A monitoring packet for monitoring a connection state of a route in the network is transmitted to one relay device of a network including a plurality of relay devices, and the monitoring packet is received from the relay device that has received the monitoring packet from the one relay device. A topology management unit that updates the topology of the network by receiving;
   A determination unit that selects a relay device that preferentially transmits the monitoring packet from relay devices on the network;
   A control device comprising:
8. Receiving a monitoring packet exchanged between relay devices to monitor a connection state of a route in the network;
   Determining whether to transmit to a designated transfer destination based on a predetermined condition for the monitoring packet;
   Processing the monitoring packet based on the result of the determination;
   Of monitoring packets including
9. Use the link with the designated monitoring packet destination rather than transfer the monitoring packet to a forwarding destination where communication using the link with the monitoring packet destination does not occur Determining whether to transfer the monitoring packet to the designated transfer destination using a condition that preferentially transfers the monitoring packet to a transfer destination in which communication is occurring;
   The monitoring packet processing method according to claim 8.
10. Notifying a relay device of a network including a plurality of relay devices a condition for determining whether or not to transmit a monitoring packet exchanged between the relay devices in order to monitor the connection state of the route in the network And steps to
    Transmitting the monitoring packet to one relay device of the network;
    Updating the topology of the network by receiving the monitoring packet from the relay device that has received the monitoring packet from the one relay device;
    A topology management method including:
11. Transfer of the monitoring packet to a transfer destination in which communication using a link with the transmission destination of the monitoring packet is generated with respect to at least one of the plurality of relay devices. Notifying the condition that is performed in preference to the transfer of the monitoring packet to the transfer destination where the communication using the link between the transmission destinations of the monitor packet is not generated,
    The topology management method according to claim 10.
12. Selecting a relay device that prioritizes a monitoring packet for monitoring a connection state of a route in the network from a plurality of relay devices on the network;
    Transmitting the monitoring packet to the selected relay device;
    Updating the topology of the network by receiving the monitoring packet from the relay device that has received the monitoring packet from the selected relay device;
    A topology management method including:

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