Communication system, connection management server apparatus, and recording medium on which program is recorded

• US 20040028036A1
• Filed: 04/23/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Masayuki, Azuma, Kazuhiko, Maruyama, Toshikazu, Mose, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,609,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/353
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections

Abstract

A communication system includes a plurality of data link activating side apparatuses, a plurality of data link activated side apparatuses, and a connection management server apparatus. The data link activating side apparatuses use the Internet. The data link activated side apparatuses are connected to the data link activating side apparatuses through a circuit switched network to relay data to be transmitted/received between the data link activating side apparatuses and the Internet. The connection management server apparatus is arranged for the plurality of data link activated side apparatuses to systematically manage information of logical link resources to be used to connect the Internet. When a data link activating side apparatus newly calls a data link activated side apparatus, the connection management server apparatus provides information that represents a free logical link resource and a data link activated side apparatus having the logical link resource to the data link activated side apparatus that is newly called.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a plurality of data link activating side apparatuses which use Internet;

a plurality of data link activated side apparatuses which are connected to said data link activating side apparatuses through a circuit switched network to relay data to be transmitted/received between said data link activating side apparatuses and the Internet; and

a connection management server apparatus which is arranged for said plurality of data link activated side apparatuses to systematically manage information of logical link resources to be used to connect the Internet, and when one of said data link activating side apparatuses newly calls one of said data link activated side apparatuses, provides information that represents a free logical link resource and a data link activated side apparatus having the logical link resource to said data link activated side apparatus that is newly called.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein when said data link activating side apparatus which returns from a dormant state to an active state newly calls said data link activated side apparatus, said connection management server apparatus provides to said data link activated side apparatus that is newly called information that represents a logical link resource that was ensured in correspondence with said data link activating side apparatus before said data link activating side apparatus is set in the dormant state and represents a data link activated side apparatus having the logical link resource.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein upon receiving information of a data link activated side apparatus that indicates a self apparatus and information of a logical link resource of the self apparatus from said connection management server apparatus, said data link activated side apparatus is connected to the Internet using the logical link resource.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein upon receiving information of a data link activated side apparatus that indicates an apparatus other than a self apparatus and information of a logical link resource of the data link activated side apparatus from said connection management server apparatus, said data link activated side apparatus is connected to the Internet through the data link activated side apparatus.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said connection management server apparatus comprises

storage means which stores said plurality of data link activated side apparatuses which are input into groups,

logical link resource search means for, when said data link activated side apparatus newly called has no free logical link resource, searching for information representing a free logical link resource of a data link activated side apparatus in the same group as that of said data link activated side apparatus, and

logical link resource capture means for providing the information found by said logical link resource search means to said data link activated side apparatus newly called.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said connection management server apparatus comprises logical link resource release means for, when data communication between said data link activating side apparatus and the Internet is ended, releasing the logical link resource used by said data link activated side apparatus in correspondence with said data link activating side apparatus in response to a request from said data link activated side apparatus.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said data link activated side apparatus comprises logical link resource connection means for, when newly called by said data link activating side apparatus, for transmitting to said connection management server apparatus a logical link capture request containing information representing a physical link resource to be used to connect said data link activating side apparatus through the circuit switched network, and

said connection management server apparatus comprises logical link resource capture means for returning to said data link activated side apparatus a logical link capture reply containing information representing a physical link resource, a free logical link resource, information representing a data link activated side apparatus having the free logical link resource, a CID serving as information to be used for a re-call from said data link activating side apparatus to said data link activated side apparatus, a value of a non-communication monitor timer to release the physical link resource when a non-communication state continues between said data link activating side apparatus and said data link activated side apparatus for a predetermined time, and a value of a data link holding timer to release a corresponding logical link resource when a dormant state continues for a predetermined time.

8. A system according to claim 5, wherein

when said data link activating side apparatus re-calls said data link activated side apparatus, said logical link resource connection means transmits to said connection management server apparatus a logical link search request containing information representing a physical link resource and a CID, and

said logical link resource capture means returns to said data link activated side apparatus a logical link capture reply containing information representing a physical link resource, a free logical link resource, information representing a data link activated side apparatus having the free logical link resource, a CID, a value of a non-communication monitor timer, and a value of a data link holding timer.

9. A connection management server apparatus comprising:

a data storage device having storage means for storing information of logical link resources of a plurality of data link activated side apparatuses, which are to be used to connect the Internet; and

a processing unit having logical link resource management means for, when a data link activating side apparatus newly calls the data link activated side apparatus, providing to the data link activated side apparatus that is newly called information that represents a free logical link resource and represents a and represents a data link activated side apparatus having the logical link resource.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein when the data link activating side apparatus which returns from a dormant state to an active state newly calls the data link activated side apparatus, said logical link resource management means provides to the data link activated side apparatus that is newly called information that represents a logical link resource that was ensured in correspondence with the data link activating side apparatus before the data link activating side apparatus is set in the dormant state and represents a data link activated side apparatus having the logical link resource.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said logical link resource management means comprises

logical link resource search means for, when a data link activated side apparatus newly called in the plurality of data link activated side apparatuses put into groups has no free logical link resource, searching for information representing a free logical link resource of a data link activated side apparatus in the same group as that of the data link activated side apparatus, and

logical link resource capture means for providing the information found by said logical link resource search means to the data link activated side apparatus newly called.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said logical link resource management means comprises logical link resource release means for, when data communication between the data link activating side apparatus and the Internet is ended, releasing the logical link resource used by the data link activated side apparatus in correspondence with the data link activating side apparatus in response to a request from the data link activated side apparatus.

13. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein upon receiving from the data link activated side apparatus a logical link capture request containing information representing a physical link resource to be used to connect the data link activating side apparatus through the circuit switched network, said logical link resource management means returns a logical link capture reply containing information representing a physical link resource, a free logical link resource, information representing a data link activated side apparatus having the free logical link resource, a CID serving as information to be used for a re-call from the data link activating side apparatus to the data link activated side apparatus, a value of a non-communication monitor timer to release the physical link resource when a non-communication state continues between the data link activating side apparatus and the data link activated side apparatus for a predetermined time, and a value of a data link holding timer to release a corresponding logical link resource when a dormant state continues for a predetermined time.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

upon receiving from the data link activated side apparatus a logical link search request containing information representing a physical link resource and a CID, said logical link resource management means returns a logical link capture reply containing information representing a physical link resource, a free logical link resource, information representing a data link activated side apparatus having the free logical link resource, a CID, a value of a non-communication monitor timer, and a value of a data link holding timer.

15. A recording medium which stores a program which causes a computer to execute processing of managing a dormant function of a communication system comprising

a plurality of data link activating side apparatuses serving as terminal apparatuses of users who use Internet, and

a plurality of data link activated side apparatuses which are connected to the data link activating side apparatuses through a circuit switched network to relay data to be transmitted/received between the data link activating side apparatuses and the Internet, wherein the program comprises a program which causes the computer to execute:

a function of, when one of the data link activating side apparatuses newly calls one of the data link activated side apparatuses, providing information that represents a free logical link resource and a data link activated side apparatus having the logical link resource to the data link activated side apparatus that is newly called; and

a function of, when the data link activating side apparatus which returns from a dormant state to an active state newly calls the data link activated side apparatus, providing to the data link activated side apparatus that is newly called information that represents a logical link resource that was ensured in correspondence with the data link activating side apparatus before the data link activating side apparatus is set in the dormant state and represents a data link activated side apparatus having the logical link resource.

16. A medium according to claim 15, wherein the program comprises a program which causes the computer to execute

a function of putting the plurality of data link activated side apparatuses into groups, and when a data link activated side apparatus newly called has no free logical link resource, searching for information representing a free logical link resource of a data link activated side apparatus in the same group as that of the data link activated side apparatus, and

a function of providing the information found by the logical link resource search means to the data link activated side apparatus newly called.

17. A medium according to claim 15, wherein the program comprises a program which causes the computer to execute a function of, when data communication between the data link activating side apparatus and the Internet is ended, releasing the logical link resource used by the data link activated side apparatus in correspondence with the data link activating side apparatus in response to a request from the data link activated side apparatus.

18. A medium according to claim 15, wherein the program comprises a program which causes the computer to execute a function of, upon receiving from the data link activated side apparatus a logical link capture request containing information representing a physical link resource to be used to connect the data link activating side apparatus through the circuit switched network, returning a logical link capture reply containing information representing a physical link resource, a free logical link resource, information representing a data link activated side apparatus having the free logical link resource, a CID serving as information to be used for a re-call from the data link activating side apparatus to the data link activated side apparatus, a value of a non-communication monitor timer to release the physical link resource when a non-communication state continues between the data link activating side apparatus and the data link activated side apparatus for a predetermined time, and a value of a data link holding timer to release a corresponding logical link resource when a dormant state continues for a predetermined time.

19. A medium according to claim 15, wherein the program comprises a program which causes the computer to execute a function of, upon receiving from the data link activated side apparatus a logical link search request containing information representing a physical link resource and a CID, returning a logical link capture reply containing information representing a physical link resource, a free logical link resource, information representing a data link activated side apparatus having the free logical link resource, a CID, a value of a non-communication monitor timer, and a value of a data link holding timer.