Apparatus for and method of setting communication path

• US 7,620,732 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichie, Akira, Ishihara, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell; Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): BIAGINI, CHRISTOPHER D
• Application Number:
  US10/990,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20050111384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,825 Days
• Field of Search: 709238-242, 709/227, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories

Abstract

An apparatus is for setting a communication path between a communication terminal device connected through a first network and a plurality of second networks. The apparatus includes a name resolution request generator, a destination determiner, and a path setting unit. The name resolution request generator generates and transmits a name resolution request addressed to a name resolution server of the second networks, based on a name resolution request for name resolution of a destination received from the communication terminal device. The destination determiner assigns a priority to a name resolution response received from the name resolution server, and determines a destination based on the priority. The path setting unit sets a path by generating a routing table from path information including address information of the destination, address information of a gateway of the second networks, and an interface name.

Claims

1. An apparatus for setting a communication path between a communication terminal device, connected through a first network, and a first destination of one of a plurality of second networks, the apparatus comprising:

a name resolution request generator that generates a first name resolution request addressed to each of a plurality of name resolution servers located in the second networks based on a second name resolution request for name resolution of the first destination received from the communication terminal device, and transmits the first name resolution request to each of the plurality of name resolution servers;

a destination determiner that assigns a priority to a first name resolution response received from each of the plurality of name resolution servers in response to the first name resolution request transmitted by the name resolution request generator, and determines a second destination based on the priority; and

a path setting unit that sets a path by generating a routing table from path information including address information of the second destination determined by the destination determiner, address information of a gateway located in the second network having the first destination, and an interface name of the apparatus,

wherein the destination determiner assigns the priority of the first name resolution response received from each of the plurality of name resolution servers based on a length of a portion, from top level domain, shared between a domain name of the first name resolution response received from each of the plurality of name resolution servers and a domain name of a connection from the path setting unit to each of the plurality of second networks, and determines the second destination based on the priority.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the destination determiner, if unable to assign the priority to the first name resolution response based on the length of the shared portion and to determine the second destination based on the priority, assigns a priority to the first name resolution response based on order of receipt of the first name resolution response, and determines the second destination based on the priority.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a connection controller that requests the name resolution request generator to acquire a domain name of one of the name resolution servers and the gateway based on the address information of one of the name resolution servers and the gateway,

wherein the name resolution request generator generates a third name resolution request for a domain name of one of the name resolution servers and the gateway requested by the connection controller, and transmits the third name resolution request to the name resolution server for each connection, and

wherein the destination determiner determines, as the domain name for the connection of the second networks, the domain name of one of the name resolution servers and the gateway included in a second name resolution response received from the name resolution server in response to the third name resolution request transmitted by the name resolution request generator.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the connection controller disconnects or connects a communication between the communication terminal device and the second networks, depending on a service provided by the communication, and

the name resolution request generator causes the connection controller to reconnect the communication disconnected by the connection controller, and based on the second name resolution request, generates and transmits a fourth name resolution request to the name resolution server.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the connection controller disconnects or connects a communication between the communication terminal device and the second networks depending on a service provided by the communication, and

the name resolution request generator, based on the second name resolution request, except for the communication disconnected by the connection controller, generates and transmits a fifth name resolution request to the name resolution server.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein if the address information included in the path information is limited in an application range on the network, the path setting unit generates a corresponding host route from the address information included in the path information and the address information of the gateway, and sets the host route in the routing table.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a cache for storing the cache information including a domain name of the second destination determined by the destination determiner, the path information, a period of validity of the path information, and information as to whether the period of validity has expired; and

a cache manager that manages the cache information and a history of application during a predetermined period,

wherein the cache manager, upon determination that the period of validity of the cache information stored in the cache has expired and the cache information includes no history of application during the predetermined period, requests the path setting unit to delete the path information corresponding to the cache information from the routing table, and deletes the cache information from the cache, and

the path setting unit deletes the path information from the routing table as requested by the cache manager.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein if the address information of a second destination using same connection as the destination determined by the destination determiner is included in the routing table, the path setting unit aggregates address information of all the second destinations using the same connection as aggregated address information, and replaces the address information of all the second destinations with the aggregated address information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein if the address information of the second destination determined by the destination determiner is limited in an application range on the network, the path setting unit does not aggregate the address information of the destination using the same connection.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a cache for storing the cache information including a domain name of the second destination determined by the destination determiner, the path information, a period of validity of the path information, and information as to whether the period of validity has expired; and

a cache manager that manages the cache information and a history of application during a predetermined period,

wherein the cache manager, upon determination that the period of validity of the cache information stored in the cache has expired and the cache information includes no history of application during the predetermined period, requests the path setting unit to delete the path information corresponding to the cache information from the routing table, and deletes the cache information from the cache, and

the path setting unit, when the path information of which the deletion is requested by the cache manager is included in the routing table, deletes the path information from the routing table, and the path setting unit, when the path information is not included in the routing table and the cache manager requests all the path information including the address information of the second destinations aggregated into the aggregated address information to be deleted, deletes the path information including the aggregated address information from the routing table.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a name resolution response generator that generates a third name resolution response including the second destination determined by the destination determiner, and transmits the third name resolution response to the communication terminal device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the name resolution response generator generates a response indicating no second destination when the first name resolution response including the first destination is not included in a name resolution response returned from the name resolution server, and transmits the response to the communication terminal device.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the name resolution request generator, upon receipt of a request for name resolution of a first destination host from the communication terminal device, transmits a sixth name resolution request for address information of the first destination host to a name resolution server which performs name resolution for the first destination host and which is located in the second network where the first destination host is located;

the apparatus further comprising;

a storage unit for storing path information including identification information of a network interface for connecting the apparatus to the second networks, respectively, and network information associated with the identification information, the network information indicating a range of addresses included in a second domain of an authoritative name server assigned to manage a domain of the second network, wherein the second network is connected by a network interface of the apparatus;

an authoritative name server resolution requesting unit that receives a fourth name resolution response including the address information of the first destination host in response to the sixth name resolution request from the name resolution server, and based on the fourth name resolution response, transmits to the name resolution server an authoritative information name server request for authoritative information including the domain of the second network having the first destination host and the information of the authoritative name server assigned to manage the domain of the second network; and

a network information acquiring unit that receives an authoritative name server resolution response including the authoritative information in response to the authoritative name server resolution request from the name resolution server, and acquires the network information based on the authoritative information of the authoritative name server resolution response,

wherein the path setting unit generates the path information by determining an address range obtained from the network information acquired by the network information acquiring unit, in correspondence with the identification information of the network interface.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the authoritative name server resolution requesting unit determines whether the address information included in the name resolution response received is included in the address range obtained by the network information set in the path information, and upon determination that the address information is not included, transmits the authoritative name server resolution request to the name resolution server based on the name resolution response received.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the authoritative name server resolution requesting unit transmits the authoritative name resolution request by reverse name lookup to the name resolution server based on the address information of the first destination host included in the name resolution response.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the network information acquiring unit determines whether the authoritative name server resolution response received from the name resolution server includes the authoritative information, and upon determination that the authoritative information is included, converts the authoritative information to address information of the authoritative name server, and based on the address information of the authoritative name server converted, acquires a range of addresses included in the network.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein the path setting unit, upon determination by the network information acquiring unit that the authoritative information is not included in the authoritative name server resolution response received from the name resolution server, determines, as the path information, the address information of the first destination host included in the name resolution response in correspondence with the identification information of the network interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 16,

wherein the network information acquiring unit determines a netmask from the authoritative information, determines whether the address information of the authoritative name server and the netmask are identical with the address information of the first destination host included in the name resolution response of the second networks and the netmask, and upon determination that the netmasks represent a same network, acquires the address information of the authoritative name server and the netmask as an address range included in the networks.

19. A method of setting a communication path between a communication terminal device, connected through a first network, and a first destination of one of a plurality of second networks, the method comprising:

generating a first name resolution request addressed to each of a plurality of name resolution servers located in the second networks based on a second name resolution request for name resolution of the first destination received from the communication terminal device;

transmitting the first name resolution request to each of the plurality of name resolution servers;

assigning a priority to a first name resolution response received from each of a plurality of name resolution servers in response to the first name resolution request transmitted, based on a length of a portion, from top level domain, shared between a domain name of the first name resolution response and a domain name of a connection to the plurality of second network;

determining a second destination based on the priority; and

setting a path by generating a routing table from path information including address information of the destination determined, address information of a gateway located in the second networks, and an interface name.

20. A computer program product for setting a communication path between a communication terminal device, connected through a first network, and a first destination of one of a plurality of second networks, the computer program product having a computer readable medium including programmed instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

generating a first name resolution request addressed to each of a plurality of name resolution servers located in the second networks based on a second name resolution request for name resolution of the first destination received from the communication terminal device;

transmitting the first name resolution request to each of the plurality of name resolution servers;

assigning a priority to a first name resolution response received from each of a plurality of name resolution servers in response to the first name resolution request transmitted, based on a length of a portion, from top level domain, shared between a domain name of the first name resolution response and a domain name of a connection to the plurality of second network;

determining a second destination based on the priority; and

setting a path by generating a routing table from path information including address information of the destination determined, address information of a gateway located in the second networks, and an interface name.