Network repeater apparatus, network repeater method and network repeater program

• US 20050058132A1
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Okano, Tetsuya, Takeyama, Akira, Naritomi, Toshihiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,450,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4666 Operational details on the addition or the stripping of a tag in a frame, e.g. at a provider edge node
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses

Abstract

A network repeater apparatus connected to a plurality of networks is provided which includes a VLAN tag addition section (15) or a VLAN tag rewrite section (17) that performs prescribed VLAN tag processing with respect to a communication packet based on prescribed information of the communication packet when the communication packet is input from any one among a plurality of networks, an address translation section (16) that translates a source address of the communication packet based on the prescribed information, and an input and output section (11) that outputs to a prescribed virtual network a communication packet which has been subjected to at least either one of processing by the VLAN tag addition section (15) or the VLAN tag rewrite section (17) or address translation by the address translation part (16), whereby access can be made to a common device while ensuring security between the networks.

Claims

1. A network repeater apparatus comprising:

a network repeater connected to a plurality of networks;

a VLAN tag processing part that performs prescribed VLAN tag processing with respect to a communication packet based on prescribed information of said communication packet when said communication packet is input from any one among said plurality of networks;

a first address translation part that translates a source address of said communication packet based on said prescribed information; and

a first output part that outputs to a prescribed virtual network a communication packet which has been subjected to at least either one of processing by said VLAN tag processing part or address translation by said first address translation part.

2. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said VLAN tag processing part is provided with a VLAN tag addition part that adds a prescribed VLAN tag to said input communication packet.

3. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said VLAN tag processing part is provided with a first VLAN tag rewrite part that rewrites said VLAN tag, which has already been added to said input communication packet, into a prescribed VLAN tag when a source network of said input communication packet is a virtual network using VLAN tags.

4. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said prescribed information is at least either one of information on a source network of said communication packet or information on a destination of said communication packet.

5. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein when the destination of said communication packet is a device which is commonly accessed by said plurality of networks, said VLAN tag addition part adds a VLAN tag corresponding to said device to said communication packet.

6. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein when the destination of said communication packet is a device which is commonly accessed by said plurality of networks, said first address translation part translates the source address of said communication packet into an address which makes a network corresponding to said device set to be a source network.

7. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first address translation part is installed in a prescribed external device;

and

said external device includes;

an input part to which said communication packet output by said first output part is input;

a second VLAN tag rewrite part that rewrites a VLAN tag already added to said input communication packet into a prescribed VLAN tag based on said prescribed information of said communication packet input by said input part; and

a second output part that outputs to said prescribed virtual network a communication packet which has been subjected to at least either one of the processing by said VLAN tag processing part and the address translation by said first address translation part;

wherein said first address translation part translates the source address of said communication packet input by said input part.

8. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a storage part that stores the addresses before and after the translation by said first address translation part in association with each other; and

a second address translation part that translates a destination of a reply packet to said communication packet based on data stored in said storage part.

9. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said second address translation part translates a destination of a reply packet to said communication packet into the address before the translation stored in said storage part.

10. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said storage part and said second address translation part are installed in a predetermined external device.

11. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said plurality of networks include a virtual network.

12. The network repeater apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

an authentication part that authenticates, upon input of a communication packet from any one among said plurality of networks, a user of the source of said communication packet in each network.

13. A network repeater method comprising:

a VLAN tag addition step of adding a prescribed VLAN tag to a communication packet based on prescribed information of said communication packet when said communication packet is input from any one among a plurality of networks;

a VLAN tag rewrite step of rewriting, when a VLAN tag has already been added to said communication packet, said VLAN tag based on said prescribed information;

a first address translation step of translating a source address of said communication packet based on said prescribed information; and

an output step of outputting to a prescribed virtual network a communication packet which has been subjected to processing in at least either one of said VLAN tag addition step, said VLAN tag rewrite step and said address translation step.

14. The network repeater method as set forth in claim 13, wherein when the destination of said communication packet is a device which is commonly accessed by said plurality of networks, said VLAN tag added in said VLAN tag addition step or said VLAN tag translated in said VLAN tag rewrite step becomes a VLAN tag corresponding to said device.

15. The network repeater method as set forth in claim 13, wherein when the destination of said communication packet is a device which is commonly accessed by said plurality of networks, the source address of said communication packet is translated, in said first address translation step, into an address which makes a network corresponding to said device set to be a source network.

16. The network repeater method as set forth in claim 13, further comprising:

a storage step of storing the addresses before and after the translation in said first address translation step in a prescribed storage area in association with each other; and

a second address translation step of translating, upon input of a reply packet to said communication packet, a destination of said reply packet to said communication packet based on data stored in said storage area.

17. A network repeater program adapted to be stored in a computer readable medium for making a computer execute network repeating processing, said program serving to make said computer perform:

a VLAN tag addition step of adding a prescribed VLAN tag to a communication packet based on prescribed information of said communication packet when said communication packet is input from any one among a plurality of networks;

a VLAN tag rewrite step of rewriting, when a VLAN tag has already been added to said communication packet, said VLAN tag based on said prescribed information;

a first address translation step of translating a source address of said communication packet based on said prescribed information; and

an output step of outputting to a prescribed virtual network a communication packet which has been subjected to processing in at least either one of said VLAN tag addition step, said VLAN tag rewrite step and said address translation step.

18. The network repeater program as set forth in claim 17, wherein when the destination of said communication packet is a device which is commonly accessed by said plurality of networks, said VLAN tag added in said VLAN tag addition step or said VLAN tag translated in said VLAN tag rewrite step becomes a VLAN tag corresponding to said device.

19. The network repeater program as set forth in claim 17, wherein when the destination of said communication packet is a device which is commonly accessed by said plurality of networks, the source address of said communication packet is translated, in said first address translation step, into an address which makes a network corresponding to said device set to be a source network.

20. The network repeater program as set forth in claim 17, wherein said network repeater program serving to make said computer perform:

a storage step of storing the addresses before and after the translation in said first address translation step in a prescribed storage area in association with each other; and

a second address translation step of translating, upon input of a reply packet to said communication packet, a destination of said reply packet to said communication packet based on data stored in said storage area.