Packet communication apparatus with function enhancement module

• US 20060203832A1
• Filed: 01/10/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Toshiaki, Endo, Hideki, Toumura, Kunihiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,830,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/566 Routing instructions carried by the data packet, e.g. active networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A packet communication apparatus comprising a node management processor for controlling the whole apparatus, network interfaces for transmitting and receiving packets to and from external networks, function enhancement modules for performing predetermined processes on the packets, and a switch for transferring the packets within the apparatus. The network interface includes a CPU and a memory, the memory stores a program executed by the CPU, the CPU processes the packet received from the external networks by executing the program, and the function enhancement module stores the program stored in the memory.

Claims

1. A packet communication system, comprising:

a packet communication apparatus including a node management processor for controlling the apparatus, network interfaces for transmitting and receiving packets to and from external networks, function enhancement modules for performing predetermined processes on the packets, and a switch for transferring the packets within the apparatus;

a terminal for transmitting and receiving the packets to and from the packet communication apparatus; and

a external network for connecting the packet communication apparatus with the terminal, wherein

the function enhancement module stores the program stored in the memory,

the network interface includes a CPU and a memory,

the memory is installed a program stored in the function enhancement module, and

the CPU processes the packet received from the external networks by executing the program installed in the memory.

2. A packet communication apparatus comprising a node management processor for controlling the apparatus, network interfaces for transmitting and receiving packets to and from external networks, function enhancement modules for performing predetermined processes on the packets, and a switch for transferring the packets within the apparatus, wherein

the function enhancement module stores the program stored in the memory,

the network interface includes a CPU and a memory,

the memory is installed a program stored in the function enhancement module, and

the CPU processes the packet received from the external networks by executing the program installed in the memory.

3. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the node management processor receives update information for updating the program stored in the memory from the function enhancement module, obtains the program from an apparatus which is identified on the basis of the received update information and which stores the program, and transmits the obtained program to the network interface.

4. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the update information includes at least one of the program, information relating to the apparatus storing the program, and information representing the characteristics of the program.

5. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an intra-node memory for storing at least one of the program and the information relating to the apparatus storing the program which are included in the update information received by the node management processor.

6. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the network interfaces are connected with servers and nodes placed outside the apparatus through the external networks, and

the information relating to the apparatus storing the program is location information of the server storing the program or the node storing the program which are placed outside the apparatus.

7. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the node management processor receives the program from the function enhancement module, and transmits the received program to the network interface.

8. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the node management processor receives the program from the function enhancement module, identifies the network interface, which is to be the destination for the received program, on the basis of conditions that have been set in advance, and transmits the received program to the identified network interface.

9. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an intra-node memory for storing information, wherein

the intra-node memory stores program management information for managing the programs, and

the node management processor receives the program from the function enhancement module, identifies the network interface, which is to be the destination for the received program, on the basis of the program management information, and transmits the received program to the identified network interface.

10. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the program management information includes at least one of the information of versions of the programs, information of an association between the network interfaces and the programs, information of an association between the function enhancement modules and the programs, and value of a counter for indicating the remaining capacity of the memory and the number of the function enhancement modules using the programs.

11. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the intra-node memory stores the program and/or the information relating to the apparatus storing the program, and

the node management processor adds or deletes the program stored in the memory, the program stored in the intra-node memory, and/or the information relating to the apparatus storing the program stored in the intra-node memory.

12. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

when the node management processor identifies the network interface which is to be the destination for the received program, the node management processor determines whether or not the program has already been stored in the memory of the identified network interface by referring to the program management information,

in the case where the program has already been stored, the node management processor increments the counter included in the program management information, and transmits information to the identified network interface, the information being used by the identified network interface in order to transfer a packet to the function enhancement module.

13. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the node management processor decrements the counter included in the program management information when the function enhancement module is dismounted, and

the node management processor requests the network interface storing the program associated with the counter to delete the program when the counter indicates zero.

14. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the program transfers the packet received from the external networks to the function enhancement module.

15. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the program requests the network interface to add or delete another program in the case where a predetermined period of time elapses or a specified packet is received.

16. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the network interface added to the packet communication apparatus requests to the node management processor for the program, and

when the program is requested, the node management processor identifies the program to be transmitted to the added network interface on the basis of the predetermined conditions, obtains the identified program, and transmits the obtained program to the added network interface.

17. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising an intra-node memory for storing information, wherein

the intra-node memory stores program management information for managing the programs, and

the node management processor identifies the apparatus storing the identified program on the basis of the program management information, and obtains the program from the identified apparatus.

18. The packet communication apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the network interfaces are connected with servers placed outside the apparatus and nodes placed outside the apparatus through the external networks, and

the node management processor obtains the identified program from the intra-node memory, the function enhancement module, the server placed outside the apparatus, or the node placed outside the apparatus.

19. A method of enhancing functions in a packet communication apparatus comprising a node management processor for controlling the apparatus, network interfaces for transmitting and receiving packets to and from external networks, function enhancement modules for performing predetermined processes on the packets, and a switch for transferring the packets within the apparatus, wherein

the function enhancement module stores the program stored in the memory.

the network interface includes a CPU and a memory,

the memory is installed a program stored in the function enhancement module, and

the CPU processes the packet received from the external networks by executing the program installed in the memory.