PATH CONTROL DEVICE, PATH CONTROL METHOD, AND PATH CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20110032818A1
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Takao, Yoshida, Atsushi, Ishii, Tomoki
• Granted Patent: US 8,102,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition

Abstract

A path control device included in a terminal device (300), which includes a path information generating unit (302) which generates path information indicating paths from a terminal (300) to a terminal (400), a path malfunction predicting unit (303) which predicts a malfunction on each of the relays, using the number of flows as a malfunction occurrence likelihood value, at least one of the relays that is a candidate for monitoring is determined for each path, and a bypass path selecting unit (304) which selects, when the malfunction is predicted on the at least one relay, a path that should be used for transmitting the data from the terminal (300) to the terminal (400), from the paths except the path including the relay on which the malfunction is predicted.

Claims

1. A path control device which controls a path for transmitting data from a transmission terminal to a reception terminal through relays, said path control device comprising:

a path information generating unit configured to generate path information indicating paths for transmitting the data from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal;

a path malfunction predicting unit configured to predict a malfunction on each of the relays, using the number of flows as a malfunction occurrence likelihood value which represents likelihood of a malfunction on the relay, including a degradation in transmission quality and increased load, each of the flows being a sequence of one or more packets to be relayed from one transmission source to one destination by the relay which is a candidate for monitoring, at least one of that is determined for each path indicated by the path information; and

a bypass path selecting unit configured to select, based on the malfunction occurrence likelihood value, a path that should be used for transmitting the data from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal.

2. The path control device according to claim 1,

wherein said path malfunction predicting unit is configured to use, as the malfunction occurrence likelihood value, the number of flow relayed by each of the relays except the flow from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal.

3. The path control device according to claim 1,

wherein said path malfunction predicting unit is configured to use, as the malfunction occurrence likelihood value, the number of flows each of which is with a transmission band on a communication line for transmission narrower than a transmission band on a communication line for reception, among the flows relayed by each of the relays.

4. The path control device according to claim 1,

wherein said path malfunction predicting unit includes:

a monitoring frequency value storage unit configured to store a monitoring frequency value indicating a frequency for monitoring a malfunction occurrence likelihood value of each of the relays that is the candidate for monitoring;

a selection probability value generating unit configured to generate a selection probability value which is a predetermined probability value for each of the relays;

a monitoring object determining unit configured to determine a relay a malfunction occurrence likelihood of which is to be monitored, according to the monitoring frequency value and the selection probability value;

a malfunction occurrence likelihood value obtaining unit configured to obtain a malfunction occurrence likelihood value from the relay determined by said monitoring object determining unit;

a malfunction occurrence likelihood value storage unit configured to store the obtained malfunction occurrence likelihood value;

an activation level calculating unit configured to calculate, using the stored malfunction occurrence likelihood value, an activation level indicating validity of the monitoring frequency value stored in said monitoring frequency value storage unit; and

a monitoring frequency value updating unit configured to update the monitoring frequency value stored in said monitoring frequency value storage unit, based on the activation level.

5. The path control device according to claim 1,

wherein said bypass path selecting unit is configured to determine a transmission quality value indicating transmission quality of each of the relays that is the candidate for monitoring, and

to select a path that should be used for transmitting the data from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal, from paths further excluding a path including a relay with transmission quality below a predetermined standard, the transmission quality being indicated by the determined transmission quality value.

6. The path control device according to claim 5,

wherein said bypass path selecting unit is configured to collect a load value indicating a level of load in a relay, from each of the relays that is the candidate for monitoring, and

to select a path that should be used for transmitting the data from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal, from paths further excluding a path including a relay with a level of load smaller than a predetermined standard, the level of load being indicated by the determined load value.

7. The path control device according to claim 1,

wherein said path malfunction predicting unit is configured to obtain malfunction size information indicating a size of malfunction occurring around the relay on which the malfunction is predicted, and to prevent said bypass path selecting unit from selecting the path, when the size of malfunction indicated by the obtained malfunction size information is smaller than a predetermined standard.

8. The path control device according to claim 1,

wherein said path malfunction predicting unit is configured to obtain malfunction size information indicating a size of malfunction occurring around the relay on which the malfunction is predicted, and

said bypass path selecting unit is configured to select a path which has a largest hop count from the paths indicated by the path information except the path including the relay on which the malfunction is predicted, when the size of malfunction indicated by the obtained malfunction size information is above the predetermined standard.

9. The path control device according to claim 1,

wherein said path control device is provided on the transmission terminal or one of the relays.

12. The path control device according to claim 1,

wherein, when the malfunction is predicted in at least one relay which is the candidate for monitoring, said bypass path selecting unit is configured to exclude, from the paths indicated by the path information, a path including the relay on which the malfunction is predicted, and select a path that should be used for transmitting the data from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal.

10. A path control method for controlling a path for transmitting data from a transmission terminal to a reception terminal through relays, said path control method comprising:

generating path information indicating paths for transmitting the data from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal;

predicting a malfunction on each of the relays, using the number of flows as a malfunction occurrence likelihood value which represents likelihood of a malfunction on the relay, including a degradation in transmission quality and increased load, each of the flows being a sequence of one or more packets to be relayed from one transmission source to one destination by the relay which is a candidate for monitoring, at least one of that is determined for each path indicated by the path information; and

selecting, based on the malfunction occurrence likelihood value, a path that should be used for transmitting the data from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for use in a computer, the recording medium having a computer-executable program recorded thereon, said computer-executable program being for controlling a path for transmitting data from a transmission terminal to a reception terminal through relays, said computer-executable program causing a computer to execute:

generating path information indicating paths for transmitting the data from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal;

predicting a malfunction on each of the relays, using the number of flows as a malfunction occurrence likelihood value which represents likelihood of a malfunction on the relay, including a degradation in transmission quality and increased load, each of the flows being a sequence of one or more packets to be relayed from one transmission source to one destination by the relay which is a candidate for monitoring, at least one of that is determined for each path indicated by the path information; and

selecting, based on the malfunction occurrence likelihood value, a path that should be used for transmitting the data from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal.

13. A path malfunction predicting device which predicts a malfunction in a path for transmitting data from a transmission terminal to a reception terminal through relays, said path malfunction predicting device comprising:

a path information generating unit configured to generate path information indicating paths for transmitting the data from the transmission terminal to the reception terminal; and

a path malfunction predicting unit configured to predict a malfunction on each of the relays, using the number of flows as a malfunction occurrence likelihood value which represents likelihood of a malfunction on the relay, including a degradation in transmission quality and increased load, each of the flows being a sequence of one or more packets to be relayed from one transmission source to one destination by the relay which is a candidate for monitoring, at least one of that is determined for each path indicated by the path information.