NETWORK RELAY NODE DEVICE, NETWORK RELAY METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20130016627A1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Maeda, Kenji, Higashihara, Yuji
• Granted Patent: US 9,413,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/18 Loop-free operations

Abstract

A network relay node device for relaying communication between a first network and a second network having a protocol different from a protocol of the first network through a switch, the network relay node device includes an identical segment information generation control unit that generates identical segment information for identification of another relay node device belonging to a same segment as a local device in the second network and a loop suppression control unit that suppresses a loop of a communication including the switch by broadcasting a received broadcast frame only to a connection port of the first network if the identical segment information is detected in identification source node information acquired from a header of the broadcast frame when the broadcast frame is received from a connection port of the first network.

Claims

1. A network relay node device for relaying communication between a first network and a second network having a protocol different from a protocol of the first network through a switch, the network relay node device comprising:

an identical segment information generation control unit that generates identical segment information for identification of another relay node device belonging to a same segment as a local device in the second network; and

a loop suppression control unit that suppresses a loop of a communication including the switch by broadcasting a received broadcast frame only to a connection port of the first network if the identical segment information is detected in identification source node information acquired from a header of the broadcast frame when the broadcast frame is received from a connection port of the first network.

2. The network relay node device according to claim 1, wherein

the identical segment information generation control unit comprises:

a linkup notification unit that broadcasts linkup notification information informing that a connection port of the second network of a local device has linked up from a connection port of the first network;

an attainment confirmation unit that confirms an attainment using the connection port of the second network with a relay node device specified by the linkup notification information when the linkup notification information is received; and

an identical segment information generation update unit that generates or updating the identical segment information based on a confirmation result of the attainment confirmation unit.

3. The network relay node device according to claim 2, wherein:

the linkup notification unit adds address information on the second network of the local device to the linkup notification information;

the attainment confirmation unit and the identical segment information generation update unit

defines the address information on the second network added to the linkup notification information as a destination address, defines the address information on the second network of the local device as a source address, transmits a Ping request packet provided with the address information on the first network of the local device using the connection port of the second network, monitors a Ping reply packet corresponding to the Ping request packet on the connection port of the second network, retrieves the address information on the first network of a source relay node device when the Ping reply packet is received, and adds the address information to the identical segment information; and

acquires the address information on the first network of the source relay node device when the Ping request packet is received from the connection port of the second network after the linkup notification information is transmitted, adds the identical segment information stored in the local device, and transmits a Ping reply packet corresponding to the Ping request packet provided with the address information on the first network of the local device using the connection port of the second network.

4. The network relay node device according to claim 2, wherein

the identical segment information generation control unit further comprises:

a device periodically that broadcasts the linkup notification information when the connection port of the second network links up or until the connection port of the second network links down after the port links up.

5. The network relay node device according to claim 2, wherein

the identical segment information generation control unit broadcasts link disconnection notification information informing that the connection port of the second network of the local device has linked down from the connection port of the first network, and completely clears information in an identical segment table of the unit.

6. The network relay node device according to claim 2, further comprising

a link disconnection control unit that updates the identical segment information according to the link disconnection notification information when the link disconnection notification information is received.

7. A network relay system comprising:

a switch that connects a first network with a second network having a protocol different from a protocol of the first network;

a plurality of relay nodes provided in the first network, and that configures at least one loop in a communication path including the switch; and

a plurality of servers provided in the second network, and connected to the switch, wherein

each of the plurality of nodes includes;

a segment table generation device that generates, when a first node in the plurality of nodes transmits information about a connection state in the second network, information about another node in the plurality of nodes which forms a loop of information based on a connection state of the other node; and

a loop transmission suppression control unit that suppresses a transmission of information to another node existing in the segment table through the loop.

8. A network relay method for relaying communication between a first network and a second network having a protocol different from a protocol of the first network by using a relay node device, the network relay method comprising:

generating identical segment information for identification of another relay node device belonging to a same segment as a local device in the second network; and

broadcasting a received broadcast frame only to a connection port of the first network if the identical segment information is detected in identification source node information acquired from a header of the broadcast frame when the broadcast frame is received from a connection port of the first network.

9. The network relay method according to claim 8, wherein:

linkup notification information informing that a connection port of the second network of a local device has linked up is broadcast from a connection port of the first network; and

the identical segment information is updated by confirming an attainment using the connection port of the second network with a relay node device specified by the linkup notification information when the linkup notification information is received.

10. The network relay method according to claim 9, wherein:

address information on the second network of the local device is added to the linkup notification information;

the address information on the second network added to the linkup notification information is defined as a destination address, the address information on the second network of the local device is defined as a source address, a Ping request packet provided with the address information on the first network of the local device is transmitted using the connection port of the second network;

a Ping reply packet corresponding to the Ping request packet on the connection port of the second network is monitored;

the address information on the first network of a source relay node device is retrieved when the Ping reply packet is received, and added to the identical segment information;

the address information on the first network of the source relay node device is acquired when the Ping request packet is received from the connection port of the second network after the linkup notification information is transmitted, and added to the identical segment information stored in the local device; and

a Ping reply packet corresponding to the Ping request packet provided with the address information on the first network of the local device is transmitted using the connection port of the second network.

11. The network relay method according to claim 9, wherein

the linkup notification information is periodically broadcast when the connection port of the second network links up or until the connection port of the second network links down after the port links up.

12. The network relay method according to claim 9, wherein

link disconnection notification information informing that the connection port of the second network of the local device has linked down is broadcast from the connection port of the first network, and information in an identical segment table of the unit is completely cleared.

13. The network relay method according to claim 9, wherein

the identical segment information is updated according to the link disconnection notification information when the link disconnection notification information is received.

14. A non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium having stored therein a program for causing a computer to a process for relaying communication between a first network and a second network having a protocol different from a protocol of the first network, the process comprising:

generating identical segment information for identification of another relay node device belonging to a same segment as a local device in the second network; and

broadcasting a received broadcast frame only to a connection port of the first network if the identical segment information is detected in identification source node information acquired from a header of the broadcast frame when the broadcast frame is received from a connection port of the first network.

15. The non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium according to claim 14, wherein:

linkup notification information informing that a connection port of the second network of a local device has linked up is broadcast from a connection port of the first network; and

the identical segment information is updated by confirming an attainment using the connection port of the second network with a relay node device specified by the linkup notification information when the linkup notification information is received.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15, wherein:

address information on the second network of the local device is added to the linkup notification information;

the address information on the second network added to the linkup notification information is defined as a destination address, the address information on the second network of the local device is defined as a source address, a Ping request packet provided with the address information on the first network of the local device is transmitted using the connection port of the second network;

a Ping reply packet corresponding to the Ping request packet on the connection port of the second network is monitored;

the address information on the first network of a source relay node device is retrieved when the Ping reply packet is received, and added to the identical segment information;

the address information on the first network of the source relay node device is acquired when the Ping request packet is received from the connection port of the second network after the linkup notification information is transmitted, and added to the identical segment information stored in the local device; and

a Ping reply packet corresponding to the Ping request packet provided with the address information on the first network of the local device is transmitted using the connection port of the second network.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15, wherein

the linkup notification information is periodically broadcast when the connection port of the second network links up or until the connection port of the second network links down after the port links up.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium according to claim 17, wherein

link disconnection notification information informing that the connection port of the second network of the local device has linked down is broadcast from the connection port of the first network, and information in an identical segment table of the unit is completely cleared.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable recording medium according to claim 17, wherein

the identical segment information is updated according to the link disconnection notification information when the link disconnection notification information is received.