Communication device for transmitting received start-up signal and power signal for starting up a designated node

• US 8,782,448 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanizawa, Yoshimichi, Ishihara, Takeshi, Ise, Kotaro, Kamagata, Eiji, Oyama, Yuichiro, Murakami, Takaomi
• Primary Examiner(s): DU, THUAN N
• Application Number:
  US13/231,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20120079297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310
• US Class Current: 713/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3209 Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40039 Details regarding the setting of the power status of a node according to activity on the bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40045 Details regarding the feeding of energy to the node from the bus

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a communication device includes a start-up signal reception unit that receives a start-up signal that a start node transmits for starting up a node to be started; a first interface connected to Ethernet; a second interface connected to Ethernet; a power reception unit that receives PoE power through the first interface; a PoE controller that receives the start-up signal and PoE power and gives a transmission instruction of a start-up power signal which is a PoE power signal having a signal pattern corresponding to the start-up signal; and a power transmission unit that receives the transmission instruction from the PoE controller and transmits the start-up power signal through the second interface.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a signal reception unit that receives a start-up signal that a start node transmits for starting up a node to be started;

a first interface connected to Ethernet;

a second interface connected to Ethernet;

a power reception unit that receives PoE power through the first interface;

a PoE controller that receives the start-up signal and PoE power and gives a transmission instruction of a start-up power signal which is a PoE power signal having a signal pattern corresponding to the start-up signal; and

a power transmission unit that receives the transmission instruction from the PoE controller and transmits the start-up power signal through the second interface.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, being started up upon reception of the start-up signal.

3. A communication device comprising:

an interface connected to Ethernet;

a power reception unit that is capable of receiving PoE power through the interface and receives start-up power signal which is a PoE power signal having a signal pattern corresponding to a first start-up signal that a start node transmits for starting up a node to be started;

a PoE power conversion unit that receives the start-up power signal and gives a transmission instruction of a second start-up signal corresponding to a signal pattern of the start-up power signal; and

a start-up signal transmission unit that receives the transmission instruction from the PoE conversion unit and transmits the second start-up signal.

4. The communication device according to claim 3, being started up upon reception of the start-up power signal.

5. A communication device comprising:

a start-up signal reception unit that receives a start-up signal that a start node transmits for starting up a node to be started;

an interface connected to Ethernet;

a power supply unit that supplies PoE power;

a PoE controller that receives the start-up signal and PoE power and gives a transmission instruction of a start-up power signal which is a PoE power signal having a signal pattern corresponding to the start-up signal; and

a power transmission unit that receives the transmission instruction from the PoE controller and transmits the start-up power signal through the interface.

6. A system comprising:

a start node including a first start-up signal transmission unit that transmits a first start-up signal;

a first communication device including;

a first start-up signal reception unit that receives the first start-up signal;

a first interface connected to Ethernet;

a second interface connected to Ethernet;

a first power reception unit that receives PoE power through the first interface;

a PoE controller that receives the first start-up signal and PoE power and gives a transmission instruction of a start-up power signal which is a PoE power signal having a signal pattern corresponding to the first start-up signal; and

a power transmission unit that receives the transmission instruction from the PoE controller and transmits the start-up power signal through the second interface,

a second communication device including;

a third interface connected to Ethernet;

a second power reception unit that receives the start-up power signal through the third interface;

a PoE conversion unit that receives the start-up power signal and gives a transmission instruction of a second start-up signal corresponding to the signal pattern of the start-up power signal; and

a second start-up signal transmission unit that receives the transmission instruction from the PoE conversion unit and transmits the second start-up signal, and

a node to be started including a second start-up signal reception unit that receives the second start-up signal and being started up when receiving the second start-up signal.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein

the second start-up signal reception unit of the node to be started converts the second start-up signal into electric power.

8. A start node for starting up a set of nodes to be started belonging to a specified group constituted by some of the nodes to be started that retain the same hash algorithm as a hash algorithm of the start node itself, comprising:

a group address determination unit that inputs a plurality of different seeds to the hash algorithm to define a hash function for each seed, inputs a node address of the node to be started to calculate a hash value for each hash function and, when a belonging hash set which is a set of the hash values of the nodes to be started belonging to the group and a non-belonging set which is a set of the hash values of the nodes to be started not belonging to the group are disjoint, generates a group address representing the belonging hash set and the non-belonging hash set;

a group address determination information creation unit that creates group address determination information including the seed input for defining the hash function for use in generating the group address;

a batch start-up signal generation unit that generates a batch start-up signal including the group address of the group to be started; and

a transmission unit that transmits the group address determination information and the batch start-up signal.

9. A system comprising the start node and node to be started as claimed in claim 8,

the nodes to be started including:

a reception unit that receives group address determination information transmitted from the start node and the batch start-up signal;

a group address determination filtering unit that inputs a seed contained in the group address determination information to the hash algorithm to define a hash function, inputs its own node address to the hash function to calculate a hash value so as to generate a group address determination filter;

a start-up determination unit that compares the group address contained in the batch start-up signal and the group address determination filter so as to determine whether or not the node to be started itself belongs to the group to be started; and

a start-up processing unit that performs start-up operation when the start-up determination unit has determined that the node to be started belongs to the group to be started but does not start up the node to be started when the start-up determination unit has determined that the node to be started does not belong to the group to be started.

10. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium including programmed instructions for outputting information, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

receiving a start-up signal that a start node transmits for starting up a node to be started;

receiving PoE power through a first interface connected to Ethernet;

receiving the start-up signal and PoE power and giving a transmission instruction of a start-up power signal which is a PoE power signal having a signal pattern corresponding to the start-up signal; and

receiving the transmission instruction and transmitting the start-up power signal through the second interface connected to Ethernet.

11. A Method comprising:

receiving a start-up signal that a start node transmits for starting up a node to be started;

receiving PoE power through a first interface connected to Ethernet;

receiving the start-up signal and PoE power and giving a transmission instruction of a start-up power signal which is a PoE power signal having a signal pattern corresponding to the start-up signal; and

receiving the transmission instruction and transmitting the start-up power signal through the second interface connected to Ethernet.