Transfer device and transfer system

• US 10,237,177 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alaxala Networks Corporation (Fortinet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alaxala Networks Corporation (Fortinet Inc.)
• Inventors: Akashi, Dai
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Fahmida S
• Application Number:
  US15/219,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20170041223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/58 Caching of addresses or names

Abstract

A transfer device includes: first and second ports connected to L3 and L2 networks, respectively; a storage unit that stores data processing information which brings a MAC address of a communication device in the L2 network into correspondence with information regarding processing of data, and address information which brings an IP address of the communication device in the L2 network into correspondence with the MAC address thereof; and a transfer unit that, upon receiving data addressed to the communication device in the L2 network through the first port, searches the address information with an IP address in the data to acquire a MAC address corresponding to the IP address, searches the data processing information with the acquired MAC address, and depending on a search result, controls whether to transfer the data through the first port based on information regarding processing of data corresponding to the acquired MAC address.

Claims

1. A transfer device comprising:

a first port connected to a layer 3 network;

a second port connected to a layer 2 network;

a storage unit that stores data processing information with which a media access control (MAC) address of a communication device in the layer 2 network and information regarding processing of data are brought into correspondence with each other, and address information with which an internet protocol (IP) address and the MAC address of the communication device in the layer 2 network are brought into correspondence with each other; and

a transfer unit that, when the transfer unit receives data addressed to the communication device in the layer 2 network through the first port, searches the address information based on an IP address included in the data to acquire a MAC address corresponding to the IP address included in the data, searches the data processing information based on the acquired MAC address, and depending on a result of the search, controls whether to transfer the data through the first port based on information regarding processing of data corresponding to the acquired MAC address,

when the transfer unit receives data addressed to a communication device in the layer 3 network through the second port, the transfer unit searches the data processing information in the storage unit based on a MAC address included in the data, and depending on a result of the search, controls whether to transfer the data through the first port based on information regarding processing of data corresponding to the MAC address included in the data.

2. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein

the information regarding processing of data is layer 3 network destination information regarding a destination of data in the layer 3 network,

the data processing information is first destination information with which the MAC address of the communication device in the layer 2 network and the layer 3 network destination information are brought into correspondence with each other, and

the transfer unit controls, depending on the result of the search, whether to transfer the data through the first port to a destination in layer 3 network destination information corresponding to the acquired MAC address.

3. The transfer device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a control processing unit that generates, based on the first destination information and the address information in the storage unit, second destination information with which the IP address in the address information and the layer 3 network destination information in the first destination information are brought into correspondence with each other, and causes the storage unit to store the generated second destination information, wherein

when the transfer unit receives data addressed to the communication device in the layer 2 network through the first port, the transfer unit searches the second destination information based on an IP address included in the data, and depending on a result of the search, transfers the data through the first port to a destination in layer 3 network destination information corresponding to the IP address included in the data.

4. The transfer device according to claim 3, wherein

when the transfer unit receives first data addressed to the communication device in the layer 2 network through the first port, the transfer unit searches the second destination information in the storage unit based on a destination IP address included in the first data, and transfers the first data through the first port to a destination in layer 3 network destination information corresponding to the destination IP address included in the first data, and

when the transfer unit receives second data addressed to a communication device in the layer 3 network through the second port, the transfer unit searches the first destination information in the storage unit based on a source MAC address included in the second data, and transfers the second data through the first port to a destination in layer 3 network destination information corresponding to the source MAC address included in the second data.

5. The transfer device according to claim 3, wherein

when the transfer unit receives data through the first port and the received data is data addressed to the communication device in the layer 2 network, which has been transferred to the destination through the first port, the transfer unit transfers the received data through either of the first port or the second port.

6. The transfer device according to claim 3, wherein

when the transfer unit receives data addressed to the communication device in the layer 2 network through the first port, the transfer unit transfers the received data through the first port based on an IP address included in header information in the received data and the second destination information in the storage unit, to a destination in the layer 3 network indicated by the layer 3 network destination information corresponding to the IP address included in the header information.

7. The transfer device according to claim 3, wherein

when the control processing unit updates the first destination information or the address information in the storage unit in response to a predetermined trigger, the control processing unit updates the second destination information.

8. The transfer device according to claim 7, wherein

when the control processing unit updates the address information, the control processing unit searches the first destination information based on a MAC address in the updated address information to acquire layer 3 network destination information corresponding to the MAC address in the updated address information, and updates the second destination information based on the acquired layer 3 network destination information and an IP address in the updated address information.

9. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding processing of data is layer 3 network destination information regarding a destination of data in the layer 3 network, the data processing information is destination information with which the MAC address of the communication device in the layer 2 network and the layer 3 network destination information are brought into correspondence with each other,

depending on a search result of the destination information in a case of receiving the data addressed to the communication device in the layer 2 network, the transfer unit controls whether to transfer the data addressed to the communication device in the layer 2 network through the first port to a destination in layer 3 network destination information corresponding to the acquired MAC address, and depending on a search result of the destination information in a case of receiving the data addressed to the communication device in the layer 3 network, the transfer unit controls whether to transfer the data addressed to the communication device in the layer 3 network through the first port to a destination in layer 3 network destination information corresponding to the MAC address included in the data.

10. The transfer device according to claim 2, wherein

the transfer unit encapsulates the data using the layer 3 network destination information when transferring the data through the first port.

11. A transfer device comprising:

a first port connected to a layer 2 network;

a second port connected to a layer 3 network;

a first transfer unit connected to the first port;

a second transfer unit connected to the second port; and

a storage unit that stores destination information with which a media access control (MAC) address of a communication device in the layer 2 network and layer 3 network destination information regarding a destination of data in the layer 3 network are brought into correspondence with each other, and address information with which an internet protocol (IP) address and the MAC address of the communication device in the layer 2 network are brought into correspondence with each other, wherein

when the second transfer unit receives data addressed to the communication device in the layer 2 network through the second port, the second transfer unit transfers the data to the first transfer unit,

the first transfer unit searches the address information based on an IP address included in the data transferred from the second transfer unit to acquire a MAC address corresponding to the IP address included in the data, searches the destination information based on the acquired MAC address, and depending on a result of the search, executes either of transfer of the data through the first port to the communication device, or transfer of the data to the second transfer unit based on layer 3 network destination information corresponding to the acquired MAC address,

when the second transfer unit receives the data based on the layer 3 network destination information from the first transfer unit, the second transfer unit transfers the data to a destination in the layer 3 network destination information through the second port,

when the first transfer unit receives data addressed to a communication device in the layer 3 network through the first port, the first transfer unit searches the address information based on an IP address included in the data to acquire a MAC address corresponding to the IP address included in the data, searches the destination information based on the acquired MAC address, and depending on a result of the search, executes either of transfer of the data as first data to the second transfer unit, or transfer of the data as second data to the second transfer unit based on layer 3 network destination information corresponding to the acquired MAC address, and

when the second transfer unit receives the first data from the first transfer unit, the second transfer unit transfers the first data to the communication device in the layer 3 network through the second port, and when the second transfer unit receives the second data from the first transfer unit, the second transfer unit transfers the second data to the destination through the second port.

12. A transfer system comprising:

a first communication device connected to a layer 2 network;

a second communication device and a server connected to a layer 3 network; and

a transfer device connected to between the layer 2 network and the layer 3 network, wherein

the transfer device stores media access control (MAC) address-server correspondence information with which a MAC address of the first communication device and server-related information regarding the server are brought into correspondence with each other, and address information with which an internet protocol (IP) address and the MAC address of the first communication device are brought into correspondence with each other,

when the transfer device receives first data addressed to the first communication device from the second communication device, the transfer device searches the address information based on an IP address included in the first data to acquire a MAC address corresponding to the IP address included in the first data, searches the MAC address-server correspondence information based on the acquired MAC address, and depending on a result of the search, controls whether to transfer the first data to the server based on server-related information corresponding to the acquired MAC address, and

when the transfer device receives second data addressed to the second communication device from the first communication device, the transfer device searches the MAC address-server correspondence information based on a MAC address included in the second data, and depending on a result of the search, controls whether to transfer the second data to the server based on server-related information corresponding to the MAC address included in the second data.