PATH CONTROL SYSTEM, CONTROL DEVICE, AND PATH CONTROL METHOD

• US 20150047010A1
• Filed: 02/01/2013
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kizu, Yoshiya, Kashima, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,038,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/122 by diverting traffic away from congested entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols

Abstract

To provide a path control system, a control device and a path control method that can achieve reduction of the load on a gateway device, there are included a communication device, a communication device, a security device that provides a security feature to data transmitted and received between the communication device and the communication device, and a path control device that selects one of a first path through the security device and a second path not through the security device as a communication path of the data based on a path information table where an attribute of the data and a communication path between the communication device and the communication device are associated.

Claims

1. A path control system comprising:

a first communication device;

a second communication device;

a security device that provides a security feature to data transmitted and received between the first communication device and the second communication device; and

a path control unit that selects one of a first path through the security device and a second path not through the security device as a communication path of the data based on a path information table where an attribute of the data and a communication path between the first communication device and the second communication device are associated.

2. The path control system according to claim 1, wherein

the first communication device, the second communication device and the security device update a flow information management table when receiving a control instruction signal for the communication path of the data selected in the path control unit.

3. The path control system according to claim 1, wherein

the path control unit collects load information from the first and second communication devices and the security device and selects a communication path of the data based on the load information.

4. The path control system according to claim 1, wherein

the path control unit performs control so that a path to transmit data from the first communication device to the second communication device and a path to transmit data from the second communication device to the first communication device are different from each other.

5. The path control system according to claim 1, wherein

the path control unit performs control so that a communication path between the first communication device and the second communication device before a connection between the first communication device and the second communication device is established and a communication path between the first communication device and the second communication device after a connection between the first communication device and the second communication device is established are different from each other.

6. The path control system according to claim 1, wherein

the security feature includes at least one of a firewall feature, an antivirus feature, an URL filtering feature and an IPS feature.

7. The path control system according to claim 1, wherein

the attribute of the data includes at least one of source identification information set to the data and protocol information.

8. The path control system according to claim 1, wherein

the path control unit selects a third path different from the first and second paths as a communication path of the data when determining that at least one of the first communication device, the second communication device and the security device is in a high load state.

9. A control device comprising:

a communication control unit that selects one of a first path through a security device that provides a security feature to data transmitted and received between a first communication device and a second communication device and a second path not through the security device as a communication path of the data based on a path information table where an attribute of the data transmitted and received between the first communication device and the second communication device and a communication path between the first communication device and the second communication device are associated.

10. A path control method comprising:

selecting one of a first path through a security device that provides a security feature to data transmitted and received between a first communication device and a second communication device and a second path not through the security device as a communication path of the data based on a path information table where an attribute of the data transmitted and received between the first communication device and the second communication device and a communication path between the first communication device and the second communication device are associated.