Relay apparatus, relay control method, and recording medium having relay control program recorded therein

• US 9,407,730 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Sone, Tomoyuki, Hamada, Kei
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US14/224,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20150172424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A relay apparatus includes a reception processor configured to receive data corresponding to any one of plural types of communication protocols from a first network, analyze the structure of the received data, and convert information commonly included in the data of the communication protocol into common data of a predetermined format, a transmission processor configured to transmit data corresponding to any one of the plural types of communication protocols to a second network, and a relay controller configured to control the communication protocol and destination of the received data to be transmitted from the transmission processor to the second network, based on the common data and a relay rule which is defined for the common data.

Claims

1. A relay apparatus comprising:

a reception processor configured to;

receive data corresponding to any one of plural types of communication protocols from a first network;

analyze a structure of the received data; and

convert information commonly included in the data of the communication protocol into common data of a predetermined format;

a transmission processor configured to transmit data corresponding to any one of the plural types of communication protocols to a second network; and

a relay controller configured to control the communication protocol and destination of the received data to be transmitted from the transmission processor to the second network, based on the common data and a relay rule, the relay rule being defined for the common data.

2. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the reception processor comprises a plurality of protocol terminators corresponding to the plural types of communication protocols, and

each of the protocol terminators comprises:

an analysis processor configured to analyze the structure of the received data and extract transmission source information, destination information, and data body of the received data; and

a conversion processor configured to convert the respective transmission source information and destination information into internal identification information to be included in the common data.

3. The relay apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising one or more of applications configured to process the received data, wherein

the relay rule includes data indicating a correspondence relationship between the identification information and information indicating an internal distribution destination, the internal distribution destination including any one of the applications and the transmission processor, and

the relay controller includes a distribution processor configured to transmit the common data and the data body to a distribution destination corresponding to the identification information based on the data indicating the correspondence relationship.

4. The relay apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the common data includes information indicating a processing order of the received data having the same destination information,

the relay controller comprises:

a queue configured to store the common data and the data body for each distribution destination; and

a queue controller configured to control a transfer order of transferring the common data and the data body from the queue to the distribution destination, based on the information indicating the processing order of the common data.

5. The relay apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the relay controller discards the common data and the data body when the correspondence relationship for the respective data is unavailable in the relay rule.

6. The relay apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the relay controller discards the common data and the data body when the correspondence relationship for the respective data is unavailable in the relay rule.

7. The relay apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the transmission processor comprises:

a plurality of protocol converters correspond to the plural types of communication protocols; and

a protocol selector configured to select a communication protocol of the common data and the data body which are transmitted from the relay controller, based on data indicating a correspondence relationship between the identification information and the communication protocol of the received data, and to transmit the common data and the data body to a protocol converter corresponding to the selected communication protocol, and

the respective protocol converter comprises;

a reverse conversion processor configured to inversely convert the identification information of the common data into the transmission source information and the destination information of the received data; and

a protocol data generator configured to generate transmission data corresponding to the selected communication protocol, the transmission data including;

the transmission source information and the destination information obtained by the inverse conversion; and

the data body.

8. A relay control method comprising:

receiving data corresponding to any one of plural types of communication protocols from a first network;

analyzing a structure of the received data to convert information commonly included in the data of the communication protocol into common data of a predetermined format; and

upon transmitting data corresponding to any one of the plural types of communication protocols to a second network, controlling the communication protocol and destination of the received data to be transmitted to the second network, based on the common data and a relay rule, the relay rule being defined for the common data.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein a relay control program that causes a computer to execute a process comprising:

receiving data corresponding to any one of plural types of communication protocols from a first network;

analyzing a structure of the received data to convert information commonly included in the data of the communication protocol into common data of a predetermined format; and

upon transmitting data corresponding to any one of the plural types of communication protocols to a second network, controlling the communication protocol and destination of the received data to be transmitted to the second network, based on the common data and a relay rule, the relay rule being defined for the common data.