User identifying technique on networks having different address systems

• US 20040003292A1
• Filed: 07/01/2003
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Allied Telesis Holdings KK
• Original Assignee: Allied Telesis Holdings KK
• Inventors: Kato, Hideo
• Application Number:
  US10/609,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20040003292A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• 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 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2571 for identification, e.g. for authentication or billing charging arrangements H04L12/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]

Abstract

A user identification device for identifying the user of a user terminal that communicated on the Internet, includes a first communication information acquisition section for acquiring first communication information indicating a correspondence between physical ports and MAC addresses from intelligent hubs, a second communication information acquisition section for acquiring second communication information indicating a correspondence between the MAC addresses and private IP addresses from routers, a third communication information acquisition section for acquiring third communication information indicating a correspondence between the private IP addresses and global IP addresses from routers, and a port detector for detecting a physical port connected to a user terminal that communicated using a designated global IP address.

Claims

1. A user identification system for identifying the user of a user terminal which is placed on a first network having a first address system and communicated on a second network having a second address system, comprising:

an interconnecting device which is placed on the first network and has a plurality of physical ports connected to respective ones of a plurality of user terminals, wherein the interconnecting device stores a correspondence between the physical ports and terminal identification information of the user terminals connected to the physical ports;

a first storage device storing a correspondence between the terminal identification information of the user terminals and first addresses in the first address system assigned to the terminal identification information;

a second storage device storing a correspondence between the first addresses and second addresses in the second address system assigned to the first addresses; and

a user identification device which acquires communication information from the interconnecting device, the first storage device, and the second storage device and identifies a user of a user terminal that communicated on the second network based on the acquired communication information,

wherein the user identification device includes;

a first communication information acquisition section for acquiring first communication information from the interconnecting device, wherein the first communication information indicates a correspondence between the physical ports and the terminal identification information;

a second communication information acquisition section for acquiring second communication information from the first storage device, wherein the second communication information indicates a correspondence between the terminal identification information and the first addresses;

a third communication information acquisition section for acquiring third communication information from the second storage device, wherein the third communication information indicates a correspondence between the first addresses and the second addresses; and

a port detector for detecting a first address associated with a designated second address based on the third communication information, terminal identification information associated with the first address based on the second communication information, and a physical port associated with the terminal identification information based on the first communication information.

2. The user identification system according to claim 1, wherein the interconnecting device is an intelligent hub including a forwarding database which stores a correspondence between the physical ports and MAC addresses that are the terminal identification information, wherein the interconnecting device sends the first communication information to the user identification device when the forwarding database is updated.

3. The user identification system according to claim 1, wherein the first storage device is a DHCP server which assigns a private IP address as a first address to a MAC address as terminal identification information, wherein the first storage device sends the second communication information to the user identification device when a private IP address is assigned to a MAC address.

4. The user identification system according to claim 1, wherein the first storage device is an ARP server including an ARP table which stores a MAC address as terminal identification information and a private IP address assigned to the MAC address as a first address, wherein the first storage device sends the second communication information to the user identification device when it has received an ARP request from a user terminal.

5. The user identification system according to claim 1, wherein the second storage device includes an address converter which assigns a global IP address as a second address to a private IP address as a first address to connect the first network with the second network, wherein the second storage device sends the third communication information to the user identification device when a global IP address is assigned to a private IP address.

6. A user identification device in a user identification system including:

an interconnecting device which is placed on a first network having a first address system and has a plurality of physical ports connected to respective ones of a plurality of user terminals, wherein the interconnecting device stores a correspondence between the physical ports and terminal identification information of the user terminals connected to the physical ports;

a first storage device storing a correspondence between the terminal identification information of the user terminals and first addresses in the first address system assigned to the terminal identification information; and

a second storage device storing a correspondence between the first addresses and second addresses in the second address system assigned to the first addresses,

wherein the user identification device acquires communication information from the interconnecting device, the first storage device and the second storage device and identifies a user of a user terminal that communicated on a second network having a second address system, based on the acquired communication information, wherein the user identification device comprises;

a first communication information acquisition section for acquiring first communication information from the interconnecting device, wherein the first communication information indicates a correspondence between the physical ports and the terminal identification information;

a second communication information acquisition section for acquiring second communication information from the first storage device, wherein the second communication information indicates a correspondence between the terminal identification information and the first addresses;

a third communication information acquisition section for acquiring third communication information from the second storage device, wherein the third communication information indicates a correspondence between the first addresses and the second addresses; and

a port detector for detecting a first address associated with a designated second address based on the third communication information, terminal identification information associated with the first address based on the second communication information, and a physical port associated with the terminal identification information based on the first communication information.

7. The user identification device according to claim 6, wherein

the third communication information acquisition section acquires the third communication information from the second storage device, wherein the third communication information further associates a destination address of a packet having the second address as its source address with the first address and the second address, and

the port detector detects the first address based on the designated second address and the destination address.

8. The user identification device according to claim 6, further comprising a communication information storage section for storing acquisition time information of each of the first communication information, the second communication information and the third communication information,

wherein the port detector detects the first address associated with the designated second address by referring to the time information stored in the communication information storage section, detects the terminal identification information associated with the first address, and detects the physical port associated with the terminal identification information.

9. The user identification device according to claim 6, wherein the first communication information acquisition section acquires the first communication information from the interconnecting device, wherein the first communication information further associates the physical port and the terminal identification information with device identification information of the interconnecting device, and

the port detector detects the device identification information and the physical port that are associated with the terminal identification information.

10. A user identification method device in a user identification system including:

an interconnecting device which is placed on a first network having a first address system and has a plurality of physical ports connected to respective ones of a plurality of user terminals, wherein the interconnecting device stores a correspondence between the physical ports and terminal identification information of the user terminals connected to the physical ports;

a first storage device storing a correspondence between the terminal identification information of the user terminals and first addresses in the first address system assigned to the terminal identification information; and

a second storage device storing a correspondence between the first addresses and second addresses in the second address system assigned to the first addresses,

the user identification method for acquiring communication information from the interconnecting device, the first storage device and the second storage device and identifies a user of a user terminal that communicated on a second network having a second address system, based on the acquired communication information, comprising the steps of;

acquiring first communication information from the interconnecting device, wherein the first communication information indicates a correspondence between the physical ports and the terminal identification information;

acquiring second communication information from the first storage device, wherein the second communication information indicates a correspondence between the terminal identification information and the first addresses;

acquiring third communication information from the second storage device, wherein the third communication information indicate a correspondence between the first addresses and the second addresses;

detecting a first address associated with a designated second address based on the third communication information;

detecting terminal identification information associated with the first address based on the second communication information; and

detecting a physical port associated with the terminal identification information based on the first communication information.

11. A program for instructing a computer to implement a user identification device in a user identification system including:

an interconnecting device which is placed on a first network having a first address system and has a plurality of physical ports connected to respective ones of a plurality of user terminals, wherein the interconnecting device stores a correspondence between the physical ports and terminal identification information of the user terminals connected to the physical ports;

a first storage device storing a correspondence between the terminal identification information of the user terminals and first addresses in the first address system assigned to the terminal identification information; and

a second storage device storing a correspondence between the first addresses and second addresses in the second address system assigned to the first addresses,

the program for the user identification device which acquires communication information from the interconnecting device, the first storage device and the second storage device and identifies a user of a user terminal that communicated on a second network having a second address system, based on the acquired communication information, comprising the steps of;

acquiring first communication information from the interconnecting device, wherein the first communication information indicates a correspondence between the physical ports and the terminal identification information;

acquiring second communication information from the first storage device, wherein the second communication information indicates a correspondence between the terminal identification information and the first addresses;

acquiring third communication information from the second storage device, wherein the third communication information indicates a correspondence between the first addresses and the second addresses;

detecting a first address associated with a designated second address based on the third communication information;

detecting terminal identification information associated with the first address based on the second communication information; and

,

detecting a physical port associated with the terminal identification information based on the first communication information.

12. A user identification system for identifying a user of a user terminal which is placed on a first network having a first address system and communicated on a second network having a second address system, comprising:

an interconnecting device which is placed on the first network and has a plurality of physical ports connected to respective ones of a plurality of user terminals;

an address converter conducting address conversion between first addresses in the first address system and second addresses in the second address system to relay communications between the first network and the second network; and

a user identification device acquiring port information from the address conversion device, detecting a physical port associated with a designated second address based on the port information, and identifying the user of a user terminal connected to the physical port,

wherein the address converter comprises;

a first communication information acquisition section for acquiring first communication information from the interconnecting device, wherein the first communication information indicates a correspondence between the physical ports and the terminal identification information;

a second communication information storage section for storing second communication information which indicates a correspondence between the terminal identification information and first addresses assigned to the terminal identification information;

a third communication information storage section for storing third communication information which indicates a correspondence between the first addresses and second addresses assigned to respective ones of the first addresses; and

a port information generation section for generating the port information based on the first communication information, the second communication information and the third communication information, wherein the port information indicates a correspondence between second addresses and physical ports connected to user terminals that communicated on the second network using the second addresses.

13. An address converter conducting address conversion between first addresses in a first address system and second addresses in a second address system to relay communications between a first network having the first address system and a second network having the second address system, comprising:

a first communication information acquisition section for acquiring first communication information from an interconnecting device which is placed on the first network and has a plurality of physical ports connected to respective ones of a plurality of user terminals, wherein the first communication information indicates a correspondence between the physical ports and terminal identification information of the user terminals connected to the physical ports;

a second communication information storage section for storing second communication information which indicates a correspondence between the terminal identification information and the first addresses assigned to the terminal identification information;

a third communication information storage section for storing third communication information which indicates a correspondence between the first addresses and the second addresses assigned to the first addresses; and

a port information generation section for generating port information based on the first communication information, the second communication information and the third communication information, wherein the port information indicates a correspondence between the second addresses and physical ports connected to user terminals that communicated on the second network using the second addresses.

14. A method for identifying one of a plurality of user terminals connected to respective ones of physical ports of a first network, where local addresses are assigned to respective ones of the user terminals, wherein the first network is connected to a second network composed of a plurality of first networks each having unique addresses assigned thereto, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a first correspondence between physical ports and the user terminals, a second correspondence between the user terminals and the local addresses, and a third correspondence between the local addresses and the unique addresses;

designating a unique address which has been used for communication on the second network; and

identifying a user terminal corresponding to the designated unique address based on the first, second and third correspondences.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first, second and third correspondences are received from the first network through the second network.

16. A method for identifying one of a plurality of user terminals connected to respective ones of physical ports of a first network, where local addresses are assigned to respective ones of the user terminals, wherein the first network is connected to a second network composed of a plurality of first networks each having unique addresses assigned thereto, the method comprising the steps of:

at the first network,

storing a first correspondence between physical ports and the user terminals, a second correspondence between the user terminals and the local addresses, and a third correspondence between the local addresses and the unique addresses;

generating a port correspondence between the physical ports and the unique addresses from the first, second and third correspondences;

sending the port correspondence to a user identification device through the second network;

at the user identification device,

designating a unique address which has been used for communication on the second network; and

identifying a user terminal corresponding to the designated unique address based on the port correspondence.