NETWORK SYSTEM, NETWORK MANAGEMENT SERVER, AND CONFIGURATION SCHEDULING METHOD

• US 20100153532A1
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miyata, Tatsuhiko, Ozawa, Yoji, Yumoto, Kazuma, Kawai, Eri
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

A reservation processing is executed according to the configuration request to VPN and network device to inform a user'"'"'s terminal of scheduled period. In a network system including plural network devices for transmitting a packet and a management server, plural logical networks (VPNs) are formed on the plural network devices. The management server receives a configuration request including configuration data for VPN and configuration desired time from a user'"'"'s terminal to generate the configuration data for the network device from the configuration data for the VPN. The management server refers to a configuration reservation table to confirm whether free time is available in the same period about all target network devices. If free time is available, the management server makes configuration reservation and configures the target network device in the reserved time. The management server notifies the user'"'"'s terminal of the reserved time.

Claims

1. A management server in a network system which has a plurality of transmission apparatuses for transmitting a packet and forms a logical network including the transmission apparatus, the management server comprising:

a relation information storage unit configured to previously store an identifier of a logical network and an identifier of one or a plurality of the transmission apparatuses forming the logical network with the identifiers corresponding to each other;

a configuration reservation information storage unit configured to store reservation information for each predetermined time zone and each plurality of the transmission apparatuses, the reservation information indicating whether configuring the transmission apparatus is already reserved in a time zone or the configuring is not reserved in the time zone (or in a vacant state); and

a processing unit,

wherein the processing unit receives a configuration request for a logical network including the identifier of the logical network from a user management terminal,

executes reservation processing including;

(a) obtaining the identifier of the corresponding one or a plurality of the transmission apparatuses with reference to the relation information storage unit based on the identifier of the logical network included in the configuration request; and

(b) identifying a time zone in which corresponding reservation information indicates vacancy with respect to the obtained identifier of the transmission apparatus with reference to the configuration reservation information storage unit and setting the reservation information corresponding to the time zone and the identifier of the transmission apparatus to a reserved state; and

transmits a scheduled period notice including the identified time zone to the user management terminal.

2. The management server according to claim 1,

wherein the configuration request for the logical network further includes configuration data information, and

wherein the management server transmits setting designation according to the configuration data information included in the received configuration request to the transmission apparatus in the reserved time zone according to the reservation information stored in the configuration reservation information storage unit.

3. The management server according to claim 1,

wherein the configuration request of the logical network further includes configuration desired time and

wherein the processing unit identifies the time zone indicating the vacancy of reservation information corresponding to the identifier of the obtained transmission apparatus in the configuration desired time.

4. The management server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processing time storage unit which stores processing time correspondingly with an identifier of configuration data,

wherein the processing unit obtains corresponding processing time with reference to the processing time storage unit according to an identifier for identifying the configuration data included in the received configuration request, and

identifies the time zone in which the reservation information indicates vacancy for the obtained processing time with reference to the configuration reservation information storage unit.

5. The management server according to claim 4,

wherein the processing unit obtains the processing time required to set the transmission apparatus according to the configuration data, and

stores the obtained processing time in the processing time storage unit correspondingly with the identifier of the configuration data.

6. The management server according to claim 5,

wherein the processing unit obtains the time during which the processing unit transmits the setting designation according to the configuration data information included in the received configuration request to the transmission apparatus and then receives the notice of a configuration result from the transmission apparatus as the processing time.

7. The management server according to claim 1,

wherein the processing unit receives the configuration request for the transmission apparatus including the identifier of the transmission apparatus and the configuration data information from an operator management terminal,

refers to the configuration reservation information storage unit to identify a second time zone indicating the vacancy of reservation information corresponding to the identifier of the transmission apparatus to set the reservation information corresponding to the second time zone and the identifier of the transmission apparatus to a reserved information,

updates the identifier of the logical network and the identifiers of the plurality of the transmission apparatuses forming the logical network in the relation information storage unit in accordance with the corresponding relationship between the identifier of the logical network and the identifier of the transmission apparatus which is changed by setting for the transmission apparatus, and

executes again the reservation processing using the updated relation information storage unit with respect to the configuration request of the logical network reserved after the second time zone or later in the configuration reservation information storage unit.

8. The management server according to claim 7, further comprising:

a configuration request information storage unit configured to store each information included in the configuration request of the logical network received from the user management terminal,

wherein the processing unit deletes reservation information after the identified second time zone or later, and

sequentially reads each pieces of information included in the configuration request of the logical network from the configuration request information storage unit to execute again the reservation processing.

9. The management server according to claim 7,

wherein the management server transmits the notice of changing the scheduled period including the time zone obtained by executing again the reservation processing to the user management terminal.

10. A network system which has a plurality of transmission apparatuses for transmitting a packet and a management server and forms a logical network including the transmission apparatus,

wherein the management server includes:

a relation information storage unit configured to previously store an identifier of a logical network and an identifier of one or a plurality of the transmission apparatuses forming the logical network with the identifiers corresponding to each other;

a configuration reservation information storage unit configured to store reservation information for each predetermined time zone and each plurality of the transmission apparatuses, the reservation information indicating whether configuring the transmission apparatus is already reserved in a time zone or the configuring is not reserved in the time zone (or in a vacant state); and

a processing unit,

wherein the processing unit receives a configuration request for a logical network including the identifier of the logical network from a user management terminal,

executes a reservation processing including;

(a) obtaining the identifier of the corresponding one or a plurality of the transmission apparatuses with reference to the relation information storage unit based on the identifier of the logical network included in the configuration request; and

(b) identifying a time zone in which corresponding reservation information indicates vacancy with respect to the obtained identifier of the transmission apparatus with reference to the configuration reservation information storage unit and setting the reservation information corresponding to the time zone and the identifier of the transmission apparatus to a reserved state; and

transmits a scheduled period notice including the identified time zone to the user management terminal.

11. The network system according to claim 10,

wherein the processing unit receives the configuration request for the transmission apparatus including the identifier of the transmission apparatus and the configuration data information from an operator management terminal,

refers to the configuration reservation information storage unit to identify a second time zone indicating the vacancy of reservation information corresponding to the identifier of the transmission apparatus to set the reservation information corresponding to the second time zone and the identifier of the transmission apparatus to a reserved information,

updates the identifier of the logical network and the identifiers of the plurality of the transmission apparatuses forming the logical network in the relation information storage unit in accordance with the corresponding relationship between the identifier of the logical network and the identifier of the transmission apparatus which is changed by setting for the transmission apparatus, and

executes again the reservation processing using the updated relation information storage unit with respect to the configuration request of the logical network reserved after the second time zone or later in the configuration reservation information storage unit.

12. A configuration scheduling method for scheduling the setting of a logical network in a network system which has a plurality of transmission apparatuses for transmitting a packet and a management server and forms a logical network including the transmission apparatus, the method comprising:

a processing unit receiving configuration request for a logical network including an identifier of a logical network from a terminal;

the processing unit executing a reservation processing including;

(a) obtaining the identifier of the corresponding one or a plurality of the transmission apparatuses with reference to the relation information storage unit previously storing an identifier of a logical network and an identifier of one or a plurality of the transmission apparatuses forming the logical network with the identifiers corresponding to each other based on the identifier of the logical network included in the configuration request; and

(b) identifying a time zone in which corresponding reservation information indicates vacancy with respect to the obtained identifier of the transmission apparatus and setting the reservation information corresponding to the time zone and the identifier of the transmission apparatus to a reserved state with reference to a configuration reservation information storage unit for storing reservation information for each predetermined time zone and each plurality of the transmission apparatuses, the reservation information indicating whether configuring the transmission apparatus is already reserved in a time zone or the configuring is not reserved in the time zone (or in a vacant state); and

the processing unit transmitting a scheduled period notice including the identified time zone to the terminal.

13. The configuration scheduling method according to claim 12, comprising:

the processing unit receiving the configuration request for the transmission apparatus including the identifier of the transmission apparatus and the configuration data information from an operator management terminal;

the processing unit referring to the configuration reservation information storage unit to identify a second time zone indicating the vacancy of reservation information corresponding to the identifier of the transmission apparatus to set the reservation information corresponding to the second time zone and the identifier of the transmission apparatus to a reserved information;

the processing unit updating the identifier of the logical network and the identifiers of the plurality of the transmission apparatuses forming the logical network in the relation information storage unit, in accordance with the corresponding relationship between the identifier of the logical network and the identifier of the transmission apparatus which is changed by setting for the transmission apparatus; and

the processing unit executing again the reservation processing using the updated relation information storage unit with respect to the configuration request of the logical network reserved after the second time zone or later in the configuration reservation information storage unit.