Nec Corporation

Toshio Koide

Hideyuki Shimonishi

Yuta Ashida

Nobuyuki Enomoto

Kentaro Sonoda

Yoichi Hatano

Takayuki Sasaki

Yuichi Ishikawa

Masayuki Nakae

Yoichiro Morita

Junichi Yamato

Yuki Ashino

Masaya Yamagata

Takeo Ohno

Naoki Shiota

Yuta Higuchi

A communication control apparatus according to the present invention is connected between a core node which processes received packets in accordance with a specified flow and a control apparatus which controls the core node, controls each of the core nodes existing in an aggregated network into which one or more the core nodes are aggregated, and converts an aggregated flow specified for an aggregated network and received from the control apparatus to a real flow specified for each of the core nodes in the aggregated network based on connection relationships between the core nodes in the aggregated network, information specifying a real port which is a port through which the core node in the aggregated network is connected to a device outside the aggregated network and a real node which is the core node having the real port for each the aggregated networks.

Converting an aggregated flow to a real flow for core nodes

An information processing apparatus configuring a control apparatus controlling a network includes: a display unit displaying a first icon corresponding to a database storing control information for controlling the network and a plurality of second icons, each of which corresponds to one of a plurality of modules, each of which operates the control information based on a predetermined algorithm, on a display; and a management unit configuring the control apparatus having a function of connecting, upon connecting the first icon with any one of the second icons, a module corresponding to the second icon to the database and operating the control information responsive to a database operation command issued by the module.

Information processing apparatus, configuration method, communication system, and program

A network control device includes a network database and a switch controller. The network database stores topology information representing a network, and network flow information representing a data forwarding rule in the network. The switch controller generates the topology information by taking a plurality of switch devices included in the network as nodes and stores the generated topology information in the network database, generates switch flow information that defines an action of each of the plurality of switch devices, based on the network flow information stored in the network database, and sets the switch flow information into a corresponding one of the plurality of switch devices.

Network control device, network control method, and storage medium

A control apparatus includes: a database which stores control information for controlling a network; an interface unit which is connectable to a plurality of modules, each of which operates the control information based on a predetermined algorithm, and which operates the control information responsive to a database operation command issued by any one of the modules; and a control unit which controls packet processing in the network based on the control information configured by an operation executed by any one of the modules. The interface unit updates the control information responsive to a database operation command corresponding to information input/output or information deletion with respect to the control information.

Methods, apparatuses, and systems for controlling communication networks

A communication system, includes: a node that requests a processing rule for processing a packet; and a control apparatus that notifies the node of the processing rule in response to the request. The control apparatus, upon being notified of change of a connection relationship between a communication apparatus to which a packet is addressed and the node, determines a forwarding path for a packet addressed to the communication apparatus and notifies the node of a processing rule for realizing the forwarding path.

Communication system, control apparatus, communication apparatus, communication control method, and program

A plurality of forwarding nodes includes: a topology holding unit that holds as first topology information connection relationship between an own node and at least part of the group of nodes; a topology notification unit that notifies a node(s) adjacent to the own node among the group of nodes of the first topology information; and an in-band communication unit that notifies a control apparatus of the first topology information. The control apparatus includes: a topology configuration unit that generates second topology information by combining a plurality of pieces of the first topology information notified by the plurality of forwarding nodes; and an in-band control unit that derives a path from the control apparatus to the plurality of forwarding nodes based on the second topology information and establishes a control channel for controlling the plurality of forwarding nodes along the derived path.

Communication system, control apparatus, forwarding node, control method and program

A control apparatus includes: a database which stores control information for controlling a network; an interface unit which is connectable to a plurality of modules, each of which operates the control information based on a predetermined algorithm, and which operates the control information responsive to a database operation command issued by any one of the modules; and a control unit which controls packet processing in the network based on the control information configured by an operation executed by any one of the modules.

Control apparatus, control method, communication system, and program for issuing database operation command to operate database

A network management service system includes a policy management apparatus that receives updating of a communication policy from an user and manages the communication policy for each user; a control apparatus that generates a packet handling operation of a packet associated with the communication policy of the user, in response to a request from the user, and sets the generated packet handling operation in a forwarding node(s); and the forwarding node(s) that processes the packet using the packet handling operation generated by the control apparatus.

Network management service system, control apparatus, method, and program

A communications system includes: a first node device provided in a first network; a first controller controlling the first node device; a second node device provided in a second network and connected to the first node device; and a second controller controlling the second node device. The first controller sets the first node device with a processing rule according to which packets transferred between the first and second controllers are processed. The second controller sets the second node device with a processing rule according to which the packets are processed. The first and second controllers exchanges the packets each other through at least the first and second node devices.

System and method for communication

A communication system includes a plurality of forwarding nodes that process a received packet in accordance with a processing rule that determines a matching rule matching a packet and a process to be applied to a packet conforming with the matching rule; and a control apparatus that controls the forwarding nodes using control information. The control apparatus includes a tunnel establishing unit that determines forwarding path(s) for the respective control information for each of the forwarding nodes, and transmits to the forwarding nodes a tunnel establishing message including a processing rule for forwarding the control information to be set in the forwarding nodes in each of the forwarding paths. The respective forwarding nodes give and receive control information with regard to the control apparatus, by holding processing rules for forwarding the control information included in the tunnel establishing message.

Communication system, control device, forwarding node, and control method and program for communication system

The control unit specifies an undetected connection destination port and sends a reply request to a connection destination of the undetected connection destination port. The packet transfer unit determines whether the received reply request is to be transferred to any other packet transfer unit. The packet transfer unit, upon determining the reply request to be transferred to any other packet transfer unit, transfers the reply request to any other packet transfer unit. The packet transfer unit, upon determining the reply request not to be transferred to any other packet transfer unit, returns a reply that includes information on ports of the local packet transfer unit, the reply being sent along a path leading to the control unit.

Communication system, and method of collecting port information

A communication network management system has: a communication network including a plurality of nodes and a plurality of links connecting between the plurality of nodes; and a management computer connected to the plurality of nodes. A loop-shape communication route in the communication network is a loop route. The management computer transmits a frame to one node on the loop route. When receiving the frame, each node on the loop route forwards the received frame to a subsequent node along the loop route and, if a predetermined condition is satisfied, returns a response back to the management computer. The management computer determines whether or not a failure is occurring, based on reception state of the response.

Communication network management system, method and program, and management computer

A communication system includes: a plurality of communication nodes; and a control apparatus that controls packet processing of the plurality of communication nodes. The control apparatus further includes: a virtualization unit that configures a virtual node(s) from a plurality of communication nodes among the plurality of communication nodes; a control unit that sets a processing rule for a packet in at least one communication node of the plurality of communication nodes included in the virtual node(s), so that the at least one communication node executes packet processing corresponding to an operation of the virtual node(s); and a path calculation unit that calculates a forwarding path of a packet, based on a virtual network topology including the virtual node(s). The plurality of communication nodes process a packet corresponding to the forwarding path, in accordance with the processing rule.

Communication system, control apparatus, communication node, and communication method

A communication network management system has: a communication network including a plurality of nodes and a plurality of links connecting between the plurality of nodes; and a management computer that manages the communication network. The management computer has: a storage means in which a route information indicating a transfer route of frames in the communication network is stored; and a monitoring means configured to perform, based on the route information, transmission and reception of frames to and from the communication network. The monitoring means transmits a frame to the transfer route. Each of the plurality of nodes, when receiving a frame, not only forwards the received frame along the transfer route but also sends a reply to the management computer. The monitoring means identifies a location of failure occurrence on the transfer route, based on reception state of the reply from the plurality of nodes.

A communication network includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of links connecting between the nodes. A management computer managing the communication network has a storage means, an entry control means and a monitoring means. A route information indicating a transfer route of frames in the communication network is stored in the storage means. The monitoring means performs, based on the route information, transmission and reception of frames to and from the communication network. The entry control means instructs each node to set up a forwarding table indicating a correspondence relationship between an input source and a forwarding destination of frames. More specifically, the entry control means instructs the each node to set up the forwarding table such that frames are forwarded along the transfer route indicated by the route information.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Toshio Koide