RELAY SERVER, RELAY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, AND COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20080288591A1
• Filed: 11/23/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: TANIMOTO, Yoshifumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54

Abstract

A relay server that is connected to a LAN and that can communicate with a relay server of a different LAN, includes: an account information registering unit that stores account information including information on client terminals connected to the LAN; a relay group information registering unit that stores relay group information including information on a group of relay servers permitting access to each other; and a shared resource information registering unit that stores shared resource information including information on resources and information on the client terminals sharing the resources, wherein when an operation command for a resource, which can be operated by a client terminal connected to the different terminal, is received from the client terminal stored in the account information registering unit based on the shared resource information, the operation of the resource is relayed on the basis of the relay group information.

Claims

1. A relay server that is connected to a LAN and that can communicate with a relay server of a different LAN, the relay server comprising:

an account information registering unit that stores account information including information on client terminals connected to the LAN;

a relay group information registering unit that stores relay group information including information on a group of relay servers permitting access to each other; and

a shared resource information registering unit that stores shared resource information including information on resources and information on the client terminals sharing the resources,

wherein when an operation command for a resource, which can be operated by a client terminal connected to the different terminal, is received from the client terminal stored in the account information registering unit on the basis of the shared resource information, the operation of the resource is relayed on the basis of the relay group information.

2. The relay server according to claim 1, wherein the shared resource information includes information indicating essences of the resources, information on owner client terminals which can operate the essences of the resources, and information on user client terminals which can indirectly operate the essences of the resources through the owner client terminals, and

wherein the relay server further comprises:

a terminal selecting unit that selects the owner client terminal of a resource on the basis of the shared resource information when receiving an operation command for the resource, which can be operated by the client terminal connected to the different LAN, from the user client terminal stored in the account information registering unit; and

an operation command transmitting unit that selects a relay server connected to the same LAN as the selected owner client terminal is connected on the basis of the relay group information and that transmits the operation command for the resource to the owner client terminal through the selected relay server.

3. A relay communication system, comprising:

a plurality of LANs; and

a relay server and client terminals connected to each of the plurality of LANs,

wherein the relay server includes;

an account information registering unit that stores account information including information on the client terminals connected to one LAN;

a relay group information registering unit that stores relay group information including information on a group of relay servers permitting access to each other; and

a shared resource information registering unit that stores shared resource information including information on resources and information on the client terminals sharing the resources,

wherein when receiving an operation command for a resource, which can be operated by a client terminal connected to the different terminal, from the client terminal stored in the account information registering unit on the basis of the shared resource information, the relay server relays the operation of the resource on the basis of the relay group information, and

wherein the client terminal connected to one LAN is allowed to indirectly operate the resource held by the client terminal connected to a different LAN.

4. A communication device that can communicate with a communication device in a different LAN through an extra-LAN relay server in the different LAN from an intra-LAN relay server in a LAN, the communication device comprising:

a shared resource information receiving unit that receives shared resource information, which includes information on resources which can be operated by the communication device in the different LAN and information on the communication devices sharing the resources, from the intra-LAN relay server;

a shared resource information display unit that displays details of the shared resource information; and

an operation determining unit that determines whether a resource can be directly operated in response to an operation command for the resource,

wherein when the resource having been instructed to be operated cannot be directly operated, the communication device transmits the operation command to the intra-LAN relay server and indirectly operates the resource through the extra-LAN relay server.

5. The communication device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a shared resource information registering unit that registers the shared resource information, which includes information on resources which can be operated by the communicate device and information on the communication devices sharing the resources, in the intra-LAN relay server;

a connection checking unit that checks whether the resources stored in the intra-LAN relay server are periodically accessible; and

a shared resource information notifying unit that notifies the intra-LAN relay server of a change of the shared resource information when it is checked that a resource is not accessible.

6. A relay communication system, comprising:

a plurality of LANs connected to a WAN; and

a relay server and communication devices connected to each of the plurality of LANs,

wherein each communication device is a communication device that can communicate with a communication device in a different LAN through an extra-LAN relay server in the different LAN from an intra-LAN relay server in the same LAN and that includes;

a shared resource information receiving unit that receives shared resource information, which includes information on resources which can be operated by the communication device in the different LAN and information on the communication devices sharing the resources, from the intra-LAN relay server;

a shared resource information display unit that displays details of the shared resource information; and

an operation determining unit that determines whether a resource can be directly operated in response to an operation command for the resource,

wherein when the resource having been instructed to be operated cannot be directly operated, the communication device transmits the operation command to the intra-LAN relay server and indirectly operates the resource through the extra-LAN relay server.

7. A relay server that is connected to a LAN and that can communicate with a relay server connected to a different LAN, the relay server comprising:

an account information registering unit that stores account information including information on client terminals connected to the LAN;

a relay group information registering unit that stores relay group information including information on a group of relay servers permitting communications with each other; and

a shared resource information registering unit that stores shared resource information including information on resources and information on the client terminals sharing the resources,

wherein when an operation command for a resource, which can be operated by a client terminal connected to the different terminal, is received from the client terminal stored in the account information registering unit on the basis of the shared resource information, the operation of the resource is relayed on the basis of the relay group information, and

wherein the relay server further comprises;

a log information storing unit that stores log information including information on the operation command; and

a log information exchanging unit that exchanges the log information between the group of relay servers on the basis of the relay group information.

8. The relay server according to claim 7, further comprising a first log information outputting unit that outputs the log information associated with a specific client terminal among the log information which is exchanged between the group of relay servers.

9. The relay server according to claim 7, further comprising a second log information outputting unit that outputs the log information associated with a specific resource among the log information which is exchanged between the group of relay servers.

10. The relay server according to claim 7, further comprising a log information exchange setting unit that sets whether specific log information should be exchanged between the group of relay servers every relay server.

11. The relay server according to claim 7, further comprising a log information integrating unit that integrates and outputs the log information overlapping with each other in response to the operation command passing through the plural relay servers among the log information which is exchanged between the group of relay servers.

12. A management method using a relay server that is connected to a LAN and that can communicate with a relay server of a different LAN, the management method comprising:

storing account information including information on client terminals connected to the LAN;

storing relay group information including information on a group of relay servers permitting access to each other; and

storing shared resource information including information on resources and information on the client terminals sharing the resources,

wherein when an operation command for a resource, which can be operated by a client terminal connected to the different terminal, is received from the client terminal stored in the registering of the account information on the basis of the shared resource information, the operation of the resource is relayed on the basis of the relay group information.

13. The management method according to claim 12, wherein the shared resource information includes information indicating essences of the resources, information on owner client terminals which can operate the essences of the resources, and information on user client terminals which can indirectly operate the essences of the resources through the owner client terminals, and

wherein the management method further comprises:

selecting the owner client terminal of a resource on the basis of the shared resource information when receiving an operation command for the resource, which can be operated by the client terminal connected to the different LAN, from the user client terminal stored in the registering of the account information; and

selecting a relay server connected to the same LAN as the selected owner client terminal is connected on the basis of the relay group information and transmitting the operation command for the resource to the owner client terminal through the selected relay server.

14. A management method of a relay communication system having a plurality of LANs and a relay server and client terminals connected to each of the plurality of LANs, the management method comprising:

storing account information including information on the client terminals connected to one LAN;

storing relay group information including information on a group of relay servers permitting access to each other; and

storing shared resource information including information on resources and information on the client terminals sharing the resources,

wherein when receiving an operation command for a resource, which can be operated by a client terminal connected to the different terminal, from the client terminal stored in the registering of the account information on the basis of the shared resource information, the relay server relays the operation of the resource on the basis of the relay group information, and

wherein the client terminal connected to one LAN is allowed to indirectly operate the resource held by the client terminal connected to a different LAN.

15. A management method using a communication device that can communicate with a communication device in a different LAN through an extra-LAN relay server in the different LAN from an intra-LAN relay server in a LAN, the management method comprising:

receiving shared resource information, which includes information on resources which can be operated by the communication device in the different LAN and information on the communication devices sharing the resources, from the intra-LAN relay server;

displaying details of the shared resource information; and

determining whether a resource can be directly operated in response to an operation command for the resource,

wherein when the resource having been instructed to be operated cannot be directly operated, the communication device transmits the operation command to the intra-LAN relay server and indirectly operates the resource through the extra-LAN relay server.

16. The management method according to claim 15, further comprising:

registering the shared resource information, which includes information on resources which can be operated by the communicate device and information on the communication devices sharing the resources, in the intra-LAN relay server;

checking whether the resources stored in the intra-LAN relay server are periodically accessible; and

notifying the intra-LAN relay server of a change of the shared resource information when it is checked that a resource is not accessible.

17. A management method of a relay communication system having a plurality of LANs connected to a WAN;

a relay server connected to each of the plurality of LANs; and

a communication device that can communicate with a communication device in a different LAN through an extra-LAN relay server in the different LAN from an intra-LAN relay server in a LAN, the management method comprising;

receiving shared resource information, which includes information on resources which can be operated by the communication device in the different LAN and information on the communication devices sharing the resources, from the intra-LAN relay server;

displaying details of the shared resource information; and

determining whether a resource can be directly operated in response to an operation command for the resource,

wherein when the resource having been instructed to be operated cannot be directly operated, the communication device transmits the operation command to the intra-LAN relay server and indirectly operates the resource through the extra-LAN relay server.

18. A management method using a relay server that is connected to a LAN and that can communicate with a relay server connected to a different LAN, the management method comprising:

storing account information including information on client terminals connected to the LAN;

storing relay group information including information on a group of relay servers permitting communications with each other; and

storing shared resource information including information on resources and information on the client terminals sharing the resources,

wherein when an operation command for a resource, which can be operated by a client terminal connected to the different terminal, is received from the client terminal stored in the registering of the account information on the basis of the shared resource information, the operation of the resource is relayed on the basis of the relay group information, and

wherein the management method further comprises;

storing log information including information on the operation command; and

exchanging the log information between the group of relay servers on the basis of the relay group information.

19. The management method according to claim 18, further comprising

outputting the log information associated with a specific client terminal among the log information which is exchanged between the group of relay servers.

20. The management method according to claim 18, further comprising

outputting the log information associated with a specific resource among the log information which is exchanged between the group of relay servers.

21. The management method according to claim 18, further comprising

setting whether specific log information should be exchanged between the group of relay servers every relay server.

22. The management method according to claim 18, further comprising

integrating and outputting the log information overlapping with each other in response to the operation command passing through the plural relay servers among the log information which is exchanged between the group of relay servers.