Network switching apparatus, route management server, network interface apparatus, control method therefor, computer program for route management server, and computer-readable storage medium

• US 7,782,854 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Noboru, Yamamoto, Mitsuru, Sakata, Tsuguhide, Yatsu, Hiroyuki, Niwa, Yukichi, Nakamura, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe; Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Louis; Vinncelas
• Application Number:
  US10/912,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20050089034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,209 Days
• Field of Search: 370/392, 370/401, 370/389, 370/335, 370/230, 370/231, 370/237, 370/503, 370/507, 370509-512, 370/223, 370/254, 370/412, 370/469, 370/229, 370/397, 709/234, 707/10
• US Class Current: 370/392
• 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 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/25 Routing or path finding in a switch fabric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/3009 Header conversion, routing tables or routing tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches

Abstract

This invention constructs within the LAN a private area network (PAN) which is configured by terminal devices (personal computers and the like) of a specific group, is hardly influenced by the LAN traffic, and has high security. For this purpose, a PAN server which manages the communication route between specific terminals is installed within the LAN. The PAN server sets the communication route of each terminal device as label information, and causes switches and terminals to set pieces of label information generated for them. When the frame of data from a given port of each connection switch contains information representing PAN communication, the connection switch outputs the data to only a port specified by routing label information described in the frame.

Claims

1. A network system including a plurality of terminal devices and a plurality of switching apparatuses to configure a network for packet communication among the plurality of terminal devices, wherein each one of the switching apparatuses includes a plurality of connection ports for connecting to one or more of the plurality of terminal devices or one or more of the plurality of switching apparatuses,

wherein one of the plurality of terminal devices serves as a full-routing management server by performing:

assigning a personal area network (PAN) member identifier (ID) to each of said plurality of terminal devices including the terminal device serving as the full-routing management server, each said PAN member ID being a unique identifier and being different from a MAC/IP address;

assigning a full-routing-label to each network connection path from one of the plurality of terminal devices to another one of the plurality of terminal devices, each said full-routing-label being a unique label and being defined by one or more of the plurality of switching apparatuses on the network;

generating a first-routing-label table for each said terminal device, wherein each said first-routing-label table includes the PAN member IDs of destination terminal devices, full-routing-labels indicating network connection paths to the destination terminal devices from the source terminal device, and names of all switching apparatuses on the network connection path indicated by each of the full-routing labels;

generating a second-routing-label table for each of the switching apparatuses, wherein each said second-routing-label table includes information indicating a relationship between a connection of an input connection port and an output connection port and each of the full-routing-labels;

distributing each said first-routing-label table to a corresponding terminal device on the network; and

distributing each said second-routing-label table to a corresponding switching apparatus on the network,

wherein each said terminal device performs;

storing the first-routing-label table distributed from the full-routing management server;

specifying one of the full-routing-labels indicating a network connection path to a destination of a packet, by using the stored first-routing-label table; and

including the specified full-routing-label in a predetermined area of the packet and sending the packet to the network, and

wherein each of said switching apparatuses performs;

storing the second-routing-label table distributed from the full-routing management server;

in response to a reception of a packet via one of the connection ports, specifying a connection port for outputting the packet by using the full-routing-label included in the received packet and in the stored second-routing-label table; and

outputting the packet via the specified connection port, and

wherein transmission of a packet from an originator terminal device to one of the destination terminal devices is made using the full-routing-label included in the packet.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein each said switching apparatus provides one-to-one, full-routing-label-based, direct connection paths between the plurality of terminal devices connected to the connection ports, wherein each said switching apparatus includes:

a communication unit that transmits and receives a plurality of frames, each said frame including a personal area network (PAN) communication type identifier indicating that the frame is to be sent using a one-to-one, full-routing-label-based, direct connection path between two terminal devices, and the PAN member ID associated with at least one of the terminal devices using a PAN communication type;

a check unit that checks, when a received frame is received via one of the plurality of connection ports, whether a communication type of the received frame is the PAN communication type;

a selection unit that selects one of the full-routing-label tables corresponding to the PAN member ID included in the received frame; and

a switching unit that, based on the full-routing-label table selected by the selection unit, connects an output connection port specified by the full-routing-label table and an input connection port that has received the received frame.

3. The network system according to claim 2, wherein each said switching unit includes a first switching control unit that connects the plurality of connection ports in accordance with the one-to-one full-routing-label table and the full-routing label, and a second switching control unit that connects the plurality of connection ports in accordance with MAC/IP addresses, and

wherein the second switching control unit checks connected terminal devices and reports check results to the full-routing-management server.

4. The network system according to claim 1, wherein each switching unit includes a first switching control unit that connects two or more of the plurality of connection ports in accordance with the full-routing-label table and the one-to-one, full-routing-label information, and a second switching control unit that connects two or more of the plurality of connection ports in accordance with MAC/IP addresses, wherein each said switching unit prioritizes the first switching control unit over the second switching control unit by stopping the second switching control until while the second switching control until is connecting the two or more of the plurality of connection ports, if necessary, when a full-routing-label based packet and a MAC/IP address based packet conflict at an output port.

5. The network system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the terminal devices forms a frame of a data packet including:

a destination PAN member ID;

an originator PAN member ID;

one of the full-routing-labels;

a PAN communication identifier indicating that a communication is to be made using one of the full-routing-labels;

a communication sequence identifier indicating a communication start, communication data, or a communication end of the communication to be made using the full-routing-label; and

a CRC,

wherein, when beginning or ending a communication, each one of the terminal devices includes, into a communication sequence identifier in a data packet to be sent to at least one of the destination terminal devices, a bit indicating a communication start request or a communication end request, and sends the packet to the at least one destination terminal device, and

wherein each of the switching apparatuses specified by one of the full-routing-labels in a data packet performs;

error correcting using a CRC in a received data packet, if the CRC indicates that at least one error is present;

reserving or canceling of a reservation of two connection ports specified by the full-routing-label in the data packet; and

including a response bit into a communication sequence identifier of a response packet and returning the response packet to an originating terminal of the data packet,

wherein each of the switching apparatuses specified by the full-routing-label in the data packet maintains a connection of two connection ports specified the full-routing-label in the data packet until receiving the data packet including information indicating a communication end, after having received the data packet including information indicating a communication start, and

wherein a connection path on each of the switching apparatuses between originating and destination terminal devices is maintained while a communication using one of the full-routing-labels is made.