Network system and packet data transmission method

• US 7,283,537 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2001
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kametani, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, CHI HO A
• Application Number:
  US09/880,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20020003803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,315 Days
• Field of Search: 370/354, 370/355, 370/475, 370/466, 370/401, 379/114.01, 379/114.28
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A user terminal is connected to an IP network through an access gateway, and service provider networks are connected to the IP network through an exchange router and border gateways. A group of servers store, for example, information about users, information about services, information about connection, and account information, and, in addition, perform user accounting and alternative account billing to the users. The exchange router converts a packet from the user terminal to the protocol/format on the service provider side and converts a packet from the service provider side to the protocol/format of the user terminal. By virtue of this construction, a network system and a packet data transmission method can be realized which unify connection between users and a plurality of service providers and unified management of business routine and accounting.

Claims

1. A network system wherein IP packets according to a service requested by a terminal are sent to one of a plurality of service providers, said network system comprising:

a plurality of IP networks that each utilize a different network layer protocol, the plurality of IP networks including at least a first IP network, a second IP network, and a third IP network; and

a packet exchange, provided between the plurality of IP networks, said packet exchange receiving an IP packet in a first network layer protocol format to be sent from the first IP network, determining a destination network among the second IP network and the third IP network based upon a destination address specified by the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format, and converting the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format, wherein the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format is converted to a second network layer protocol format if said second IP network is the destination address that is determined and the IP packet of the first network layer protocol format is converted to a third network layer protocol format if said third IP network is the destination address that is determined.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal is connected to the first IP network, a first service provider is connected to the second IP network, and a second service provider is connected to the third IP network,

wherein said user terminal transmits and receives packets formatted in accordance with said first network layer protocol, said first service provider transmits and receives packets formatted in accordance with said second network layer protocol, and said second service provider transmits and receives packet formatted in accordance with said third network layer protocol.

3. The network system according to claim 2, wherein the first IP network includes a first server which stores service information of services provided by the first service provider and the second service provider.

4. The network system according to claim 2, wherein the first IP network includes a second server which stores account information of the service which has been provided to the terminal.

5. The network system according to claim 3, wherein the first server stores the format of each of the IP networks and the address of the first service provider and the second service provider.

6. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the packet exchange measures the amount of data of the IP packet, which has been converted to one of said second network layer protocol and said third network layer protocol.

7. The network system according to claim 2, wherein the terminal is connected to the first IP network through an access gateway that authenticates the IP packet.

21. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the packet exchange converts the IP packet to said second network layer protocol using multi-protocol label switching protocol (MPLS) if said second IP network is determined to be the destination network or IP within IP if said third IP network is determined to be the destination network.

22. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the packet exchange performs an inverse format conversion to convert return packets from said second IP network or said third IP network to the first network layer protocol.

8. A network system comprising:

a user terminal connected to a first network to be utilized by a user;

a plurality of networks of service providers or online entrepreneurs which provide various services to the user including at least a second network and a third network, wherein said first network, said second network, and said third network each utilize a different network layer protocol;

an IP network which transmits packet data between the user terminal and the networks through a router according to an IP address;

one or more servers connected to the IP network,

said servers functioning to record information about the user, information about the plurality of service providers or online entrepreneurs, and information about services provided by the networks to the user, and based on the recorded information, to unitarily manage account information of the services provided to the user, and to perform alternative account billing from the service providers or online entrepreneurs to the user; and

a packet exchange, connected to the IP network, said packet exchange receiving an IP packet in a first network layer protocol format from the user terminal via the first network, determining a destination network among the second network and the third network based upon a destination address specified by the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format, and converting the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format, wherein the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format is converted to a second network layer protocol format if said second network is the destination address that is determined and the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format is converted to a third network layer protocol format if said third network is the destination address that is determined.

9. The network system according to claim 8, wherein the packet exchange performs an inverse format conversion to convert return packets from said second IP network or said third IP network to the first network layer protocol format.

10. The network system according to claim 8, wherein the packet exchange converts the IP packet to said second network layer protocol format using multi-protocol label switching protocol (MPLS) if said second network is determined to be the destination network and converts the IP packet to said third network layer protocol format using IP within IP if said third network is determined to be the destination network.

11. The network system according to claim 8, wherein the user terminal is a personal computer or a portable terminal, capable of processing packet data.

12. A network system comprising:

an IP network through which an IP packet is transmitted;

an access gateway connected to the IP network;

a user terminal which is installed on a user side and is connected to the access gateway by a first network;

a plurality of networks of service providers or online entrepreneurs, including at least a second network and a third network, wherein said first network, said second network and said third network each utilize a different network layer protocol;

one or more servers connected to the IP network that record information about the user and the plurality of service providers or online entrepreneurs, and record information about services provided by the service providers or online entrepreneurs to the user, and based on the recorded information, said one or more servers unitarily manage account information of the services provided to the user;

a packet exchange, connected to the IP network, said packet exchange receiving an IP packet in a first network layer protocol format from the user terminal via the first network, determining a destination network among the second network and the third network based upon a destination address specified by the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format, and converting the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format, wherein the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format is converted to a second network layer protocol format if said second network is the destination address that is determined and the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format is converted to a third network layer protocol format if said third network is the destination address that is determined; and

a plurality of border gateways which connect the packet exchange to the plurality of networks of the service providers or online entrepreneurs.

13. The network system according to claim 12, wherein the user terminal is a personal computer or a portable terminal, capable of processing packet data, and the access gateway is a remote access server.

14. The network system according to claim 13, wherein the portable terminal is a portable telephone connected to the IP network.

15. The network system according to claim 12, wherein the user terminal and the packet exchange are each a router.

16. The network system according to claim 12, wherein the packet exchange is an exchange router.

17. The network system according to claim 12, 15 or 16, wherein the packet exchange converts the received packet to a format corresponding to a network layer protocol of a send destination through encapsulating a format of an original IP packet by multi-protocol label switching protocol (MPLS) or IP within IP as a network layer protocol,

wherein the packet exchange converts the IP packet to said second network layer protocol format using MPLS if said second network is determined to be the destination network and converts the IP packet to said third network layer protocol format using IP within IP if said third network is determined to be the destination network.

18. The network system according to claim 17, wherein

the original IP packet comprises an IP (internet protocol) header and payload data,

the packet data encapsulated by MPLS comprises an MPLS label for path designation, an MPLS label for user ID, an IP header and payload data, and

the packet data encapsulated by IP within IP comprises an IP header for encapsulation, an IP header and payload data.

23. The network system according to claim 12, wherein the packet exchange performs an inverse format conversion to convert return packets from said second network or said third network to the first network layer protocol.

19. A packet data transmission method wherein packet data transmission for receiving/sending services between a user terminal connected to a first network which utilizes a first network protocol and a plurality of service providers or online entrepreneurs is carried out using a plurality of virtual private network (VPN) platforms corresponding to the service providers, which are respectively connected to at least a second network utilizing a second network protocol and a third network utilizing a third network protocol, said packet data transmission method comprising:

recording, in one or more servers, information about one or more users that utilize the user terminal, and information about the service providers or online entrepreneurs;

upon receiving a request from the user for a service, and only when information about the packet data from the user terminal matches access conditions recorded in the servers, determining a destination network among the second network and the third network based upon a destination address specified by an IP packet in a first network layer protocol format, and converting the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format, wherein the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format is converted to a second network layer protocol format if said second network is the destination address that is determined and the IP packet in the first network layer protocol format is converted to a third network layer protocol format if said third network is the destination address that is determined; and

storing and managing account information about the services provided to the user and providing alternative account billing to the user by the servers,

wherein the first network layer protocol utilized by the first network, the second network layer protocol utilized second network, and the third network layer protocol utilized by the third network are different network layer protocols.

20. The packet data transmission method according to claim 19, wherein the conversion of packet data by the packet exchange is carried out using multi-protocol label switching protocol (MPLS) as said second network layer protocol if said second network is determined to be the destination network and IP within IP as said third network layer protocol if said third network is determined to be the destination network, said conversion based on the VPN platform corresponding to the service provider receiving/sending the packet data.

24. The packet data transmission method according to claim 19, further comprising:

performing an inverse format conversion to convert return packets from said second network or said third network to the first network layer protocol.