VIRTUAL NETWORK CONNECTION APPARATUS, SYSTEM, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING CONNECTION OF A VIRTUAL NETWORK AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20080301303A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: MATSUOKA, Takao
• Application Number:
  US11/931,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301303A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354

Abstract

There is provided a virtual network connection apparatus having a unit that receives an instruction for forming a virtual network; an unit that assigns a unique virtual network identifier in response to the instruction; a unit that receives designation of an information processor; a unit that issues permission information for a designated information processor and registers the issued permission information in correlation to the assigned identifier; a processor that determines, upon receipt of the permission information from an information processor, a virtual network identifier correlated to the permission information and executes a process to correlate an address of the information processor to the determined identifier; and a transmission controller that determines a virtual network identifiers correlated to a source and a destination addresses of a transmitted information, and executes a control to transmit the transmitted information to the destination address by reference to the determined identifiers.

Claims

1. A virtual network connection apparatus comprising:

a formation instruction reception unit that receives a formation instruction for forming a virtual network;

an identifier assignment unit that assigns a unique virtual network identifier in response to the formation instruction received by the formation instruction reception unit;

a designation reception unit that receives a designation of an information processor which forms a part of the virtual network;

a first registration unit that issues connection permission information for an information processor which is designated to the designation reception unit and registers the issued connection permission information in a first storage unit in correlation to the virtual network identifier assigned by the identifier assignment unit;

a correlation processor that determines, upon receipt of a connection request including the connection permission information from an information processor, a virtual network identifier correlated to the connection permission information by reference to the first storage unit and executes a process to correlate an address of the information processor to the determined virtual network identifier; and

a transmission controller that determines, upon receipt of transmitted information including a source address and a destination address from an information processor, a virtual network identifier correlated to the source address and a virtual network identifier correlated to the destination address, and executes a control to transmit the transmitted information to the destination address by reference to the determined virtual network identifier correlated to the source address and the determined virtual network identifier correlated to the destination address.

2. The virtual network connection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second storage unit that stores one or more approval party addresses in correlation to the virtual network identifier, wherein

the correlation processor determines, upon receipt of the connection request including the connection permission information from an information processor, an approval party address correlated to the virtual network identifier corresponding to the connection permission information by reference to the second storage unit, inquires the determined approval party address as to whether or not a connection from the information processor is to be approved, and, based on a response to the inquiry, determines whether or not an address of the information processor is to be correlated to the virtual network identifier.

3. The virtual network connection apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a third storage unit that stores, for each virtual network identifier, an approval rule for determining whether or not an address of the information processor is to be correlated to the virtual network identifier, based on a response from each approval party address correlating to the virtual network identifier, wherein

the correlation processor determines whether or not the address of the information processor is to be correlated to the virtual network identifier based on a response from each approval party address correlated to the virtual network identifier corresponding to the connection permission information included in the connection request and the approval rule correlated to the virtual network identifier.

4. The virtual network connection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notification transmission unit that transmits, to the information processor, notification information correlated to connection permission information issued by the first registration unit.

5. A computer-readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for controlling connection of a virtual network, the process comprising:

receiving a formation instruction for forming a virtual network;

assigning a unique virtual network identifier in response to the received formation instruction;

receiving a designation of an information processor which forms a part of the virtual network;

issuing connection permission information for the designated information processor and registering the issued connection permission information in a first storage unit in correlation to the assigned virtual network identifier;

determining, upon receipt of a connection request including the connection permission information from an information processor, a virtual network identifier correlated to the connection permission information by reference to the first storage unit and executing a process to correlate an address of the information processor to the determined virtual network identifier; and

determining, upon receipt of transmitted information including a source address and a destination address from an information processor, a virtual network identifier correlated to the source address and a virtual network identifier correlated to the destination address, and executing a control to transmit the transmitted information to the destination address based on the determined virtual network identifier correlated to the source address and the determined virtual network identifier correlated to the destination address.

6. The computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the process further comprises:

storing one or more approval party addresses to a second storage unit in correlation to the virtual network identifier, wherein

the determining a virtual network identifier correlated to the connection permission information includes determining, upon receipt of the connection request including the connection permission information from an information processor, an approval party address correlated to the virtual network identifier corresponding to the connection permission information by reference to the second storage unit, inquiring the determined approval party address as to whether or not a connection from the information processor is to be approved, and, based on a response to the inquiry, determining whether or not an address of the information processor is to be correlated to the virtual network identifier.

7. The computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein the process further comprises:

storing, for each virtual network identifier, an approval rule for determining whether or not an address of the information processor is to be correlated to the virtual network identifier, based on a response from each approval party address correlating to the virtual network identifier, wherein

the determining a virtual network identifier correlated to the connection permission information includes determining whether or not the address of the information processor is to be correlated to the virtual network identifier based on a response from each approval party address correlated to the virtual network identifier corresponding to the connection permission information included in the connection request and the approval rule correlated to the virtual network identifier.

8. The computer-readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the process further comprises:

transmitting, to the information processor, notification information correlated to connection permission information issued in the issuing process.

9. A virtual network system comprising:

a virtual network connection apparatus; and

one or more information processors, wherein the virtual network connection apparatus comprises;

a formation instruction reception unit that receives a formation instruction for forming a virtual network;

an identifier assignment unit that assigns a unique virtual network identifier in response to the formation instruction received by the formation instruction reception unit;

a designation reception unit that receives a designation of an information processor which forms a part of the virtual network;

a first registration unit that issues connection permission information for an information processor which is designated to the designation reception unit and registers the issued connection permission information in a first storage unit in correlation to the virtual network identifier assigned by the identifier assignment unit;

a correlation processor that determines, upon receipt of a connection request including the connection permission information from an information processor, a virtual network identifier correlated to the connection permission information by reference to the first storage unit and executes a process to correlate an address of the information processor to the determined virtual network identifier; and

a transmission controller that determines, upon receipt of transmitted information including a source address and a destination address from an information processor, a virtual network identifier correlated to the source address and a virtual network identifier correlated to the destination address, and executes a control to transmit the transmitted information to the destination address by reference to the determined virtual network identifier correlated to the source address and the determined virtual network identifier correlated to the destination address; and

the information processor comprises;

a unit that transmits to the virtual network connection apparatus a connection request including the connection permission information; and

a unit that transmits transmitted information including a source address and a destination address.

10. A method for controlling connection of a virtual network, comprising:

receiving a formation instruction for forming a virtual network;

assigning a unique virtual network identifier in response to the received formation instruction;

receiving a designation of an information processor which forms a part of the virtual network;

issuing connection permission information for the designated information processor and registering the issued connection permission information in a first storage unit in correlation to the assigned virtual network identifier;

determining, upon receipt of a connection request including the connection permission information from an information processor, a virtual network identifier correlated to the connection permission information by reference to the first storage unit and executing a process to correlate an address of the information processor to the determined virtual network identifier; and

determining, upon receipt of transmitted information including a source address and a destination address from an information processor, a virtual network identifier correlated to the source address and a virtual network identifier correlated to the destination address, and executing a control to transmit the transmitted information to the destination address based on the determined virtual network identifier correlated to the source address and the determined virtual network identifier correlated to the destination address.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

storing one or more approval party addresses to a second storage unit in correlation to the virtual network identifier, wherein

the determining a virtual network identifier correlated to the connection permission information includes determining, upon receipt of the connection request including the connection permission information from an information processor, an approval party address correlated to the virtual network identifier corresponding to the connection permission information by reference to the second storage unit, inquiring the determined approval party address as to whether or not a connection from the information processor is to be approved, and, based on a response to the inquiry, determining whether or not an address of the information processor is to be correlated to the virtual network identifier.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

storing, for each virtual network identifier, an approval rule for determining whether or not an address of the information processor is to be correlated to the virtual network identifier, based on a response from each approval party address correlating to the virtual network identifier, wherein

the determining a virtual network identifier correlated to the connection permission information includes determining whether or not the address of the information processor is to be correlated to the virtual network identifier based on a response from each approval party address correlated to the virtual network identifier corresponding to the connection permission information included in the connection request and the approval rule correlated to the virtual network identifier.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting, to the information processor, notification information correlated to connection permission information issued in the issuing process.