ESTIMATING SYSTEM, TERMINAL, ESTIMATING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20070171836A1
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Iwata, Atsushi, Yoshimi, Hideo, Takagi, Kazuo, Enomoto, Nobuyuki, Sai, Chinryuu
• Application Number:
  US11/625,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20070171836A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/256 NAT traversal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of estimating header conversion applied in a network by collecting information required in the estimation, without introducing a special-purpose server directed to estimate header conversion applied in the network. The present invention provides a system for estimating information about apparatuses on a network using an error message or control message sent in response to a transmitted packet as stipulated by a communication protocol to estimate information about apparatuses on the network.

Claims

1. An estimating system for estimating information about apparatuses on a network, comprising:

a responding device for responding to an incoming information-collecting packet to send a control message in return; and

an estimating device for estimating information about the apparatuses on said network based on the control message from said responding device.

2. An estimating system according to claim 1, wherein said responding device is a device for responding to an information-collecting packet destined for a port number that is not in a standby status to send a control message indicating unreachable in return.

3. An estimating system according to claim 1, wherein said responding device is a device for sending a control message in return, in which said information-collecting packet is stored in a data section of a header of the message.

4. An estimating system according to claim 1, wherein said responding device is a device for responding to an information-collecting packet having information indicating a number of apparatuses that allow said information-collecting packet to pass being zero to send a control message in return indicating that said information-collecting packet is discarded.

5. An estimating system according to claim 1, wherein said estimating device is a device for estimating based on information indicating quality.

6. An estimating system according to claim 1, wherein said estimating device is a device for estimating based on information indicating that said information-collecting packet is fragmented.

7. An estimating system according to claim 1, wherein said estimating device is a device for estimating based on a checksum value.

8. An estimating system according to claim 7, wherein said estimating device is a device for estimating information about an apparatus that has modified an IP source address in a data section of said control message, based on an IP checksum value, and estimating information about an apparatus that has modified a source port number in the data section of said control message, based on a UDP checksum value or a TCP checksum value.

9. An estimating system according to claim 8, wherein said estimating device is a device for estimating information about an apparatus that has modified an IP source address in the data section of said control message, based on a UDP checksum value or a TCP checksum value.

10. An estimating system according to claim 7, wherein said estimating device is a device for estimating taking account of a result of a route tracing test for a network.

11. An estimating system according to claim 10, wherein said route tracing test is a survey test achieved by transmitting a plurality of information-collecting packets having mutually different numeric values in information indicating the number of apparatuses that allow passage.

12. An estimating system according to claim 10, wherein said route tracing test is a test for surveying the number of previously estimated apparatuses which are passed to reach a terminal.

13. An estimating system according to claim 10, wherein said route tracing test is a test for surveying the number of apparatuses that have been passed to reach an apparatus at a position of changeover between a private IP address and a global IP address.

14. An estimating system according to claim 1, wherein said estimating device is a device for notifying a result of estimation to a terminal on said network.

15. An estimating system according to claim 14, wherein said estimating device is configured to store, on receipt of a result of estimation from another terminal on said network, said result of estimation.

16. An estimating system according to claim 14, wherein said estimating device is a device for estimating regularity in assignment processing for port numbers of computers on said network based on a plurality of results of estimation.

17. An estimating system according to claim 14, wherein said estimating device is configured to notify said results of estimation to a communication partner via a mail or phone.

18. An estimating system according to claim 1, wherein said estimating device is a device for setting information indicating the number of apparatuses that allow said information-collecting packet to pass to a value such that the information will not reach a destination acquired based on said result of estimation, transmitting an SYN packet to said destination, and notifying a sequence number of said SYN packet to said destination.

19. An estimating system according to claim 18, wherein said estimating device is a device for transmitting, on receipt of the sequence number of said transmitted SYN packet, a response confirmation packet taking account of said sequence number.

20. An estimating system for estimating information about apparatuses on a network, wherein:

an error message or a control message stipulated by a communication protocol is used to estimate the information about the apparatuses on said network.

21. A terminal comprising:

a device for transmitting an information-collecting packet; and

an estimating device for estimating information about apparatuses on a network based on a control message transmitted in response to said information-collecting packet.

22. An estimating method of estimating information about apparatuses on a network, comprising:

a responding step of responding to an incoming information-collecting packet to send a control message in return;

a deciding step of deciding whether a received message is a control message sent in return in response to said information-collecting packet; and

an estimating step of, if the received message is decided to be the control message sent in return in response to said information-collecting packet as a result of said decision, estimating information about apparatuses on said network based on said control message.

23. An estimating method according to claim 22, wherein said responding step is a step of responding to an information-collecting packet destined for a port number that is not in a standby status to send a control message indicating unreachable in return.

24. An estimating method according to claim 22, wherein said responding step is a step of sending a control message in return, in which said information-collecting packet is stored in a data section of a header of the message.

25. An estimating method according to claim 22, wherein said responding step is a step of responding to an information-collecting packet having information indicating a number of apparatuses that allow said information-collecting packet to pass being zero to send a control message in return indicating that said information-collecting packet is discarded.

26. An estimating method according to claim 22, wherein said estimating step is a step of estimating based on information indicating quality.

27. An estimating method according to claim 22, wherein said estimating step is a step of estimating based on information indicating that said information-collecting packet is fragmented.

28. An estimating method according to claim 22, wherein said estimating step is a step of estimating based on a checksum value.

29. An estimating method according to claim 28, wherein said estimating step comprises the steps of:

estimating information about an apparatus that has modified an IP source address in a data section of said control message, based on an IP checksum value; and

estimating information about an apparatus that has modified a source port number or an IP address in the data section of said control message, based on a UDP checksum value or a TCP checksum value.

30. An estimating method according to claim 28, wherein said estimating step comprises:

a route tracing execution step of executing a route tracing test for the network; and

a detailed information estimating step of estimating information about the apparatuses taking account of a result of said execution.

31. An estimating method according to claim 30, wherein said route tracing execution step is a step of transmitting a plurality of information-collecting packets having mutually different numeric values in information indicating the number of apparatuses that allow passage.

32. An estimating method according to claim 30, wherein said route tracing execution step is a step of surveying the number of previously estimated apparatuses which are passed to reach an apparatus.

33. An estimating method according to claim 30, wherein said route tracing execution step is a step of surveying the number of apparatuses that have been passed to reach an apparatus at a position of changeover between a private IP address and a global IP address.

34. An estimating method according to claim 22, wherein said estimating step comprises a step of notifying a result of estimation to a terminal on said network.

35. An estimating method according to claim 34, wherein said estimating step comprises a step of, on receipt of a result of estimation from another terminal on said network, storing said result of estimation.

36. An estimating method according to claim 34, wherein said estimating step is a step of estimating regularity in assignment processing for port numbers of computers on said network based on a plurality of results of estimation.

37. An estimating method according to claim 34, wherein said estimating step comprises an estimating step of notifying said results of estimation to a terminal that serves as a communication partner via a mail or phone.

38. An estimating method according to claim 22, wherein said estimating step comprises a step of setting information indicating the number of apparatuses that allow said information-collecting packet to pass to a value such that the information will not reach a destination acquired based on said result of estimation, transmitting an SYN packet to said destination, and notifying a sequence number of said SYN packet to said destination.

39. An estimating method according to claim 38, wherein said estimating step comprises the steps of:

receiving the sequence number of said transmitted SYN packet; and

transmitting a response confirmation packet taking account of said received sequence number.

40. A program for an estimating system for estimating information about apparatuses on a network, causing said system to function as:

a responding device for responding to an incoming information-collecting packet to send a control message in return; and

an estimating device for estimating information about apparatuses on said network based on the control message from said responding device.

41. A program for a terminal, causing said terminal to function as:

a deciding device for deciding whether a received message is a control message sent in return in response to an information-collecting packet; and

an estimating device for, if the received message is decided to be the control message sent in return in response to said information-collecting packet as a result of said decision, estimating information about apparatuses on a network based on said control message.

42. A program for a system for estimating information about apparatuses on a network, causing said system to function as

a device for estimating information about the apparatuses on said network using an error message or a control message stipulated by a communication protocol.