JP2000059379A - IP data transfer method and IP data processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To improve line utilization efficiency and guarantee communication quality when transferring IP data in an open network such as the Internet. When information is transferred in two directions in a packet network having a node for switching packets and a line connecting the nodes, information transfer in a first direction is performed for each packet. The route is determined by the address included in the packet, the packet is transferred, and for the information transfer in the second direction, a connection is set up and all the packets are transmitted from the start to the end of the requested information transfer. According to the connection, transfer is performed on the same route.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an IP data transfer method and an IP data processing apparatus, which are suitable for use in an open network such as the Internet, improve line use efficiency, and The present invention relates to an IP data transfer method and an IP data processing device capable of guaranteeing communication quality.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Networks are classified into the following two networks from the viewpoint of communication characteristics.

(1) Network for Guaranteeing Communication Quality A typical example is a telephone network that handles voice. In a telephone network, a subscriber exchange and a transit exchange are arranged in several layers, routing is performed based on a network plan, and routing information is set in advance in a database of each exchange. Then, before the communication starts, a connection is set by the control signal, and audio information is transferred according to the connection. The connection has a band, and the band is guaranteed until the communication ends, regardless of the congestion of the network. However, the network efficiency is low because the connection is set regardless of the presence or absence of the information.

(2) Network Considering Line Usage Efficiency A typical example is the Internet that handles IP datagrams. When connecting between networks by the IP protocol, it is configured in a non-hierarchical manner by routers. A change in the configuration, a failure, or the like is automatically detected by the router, and each router autonomously changes. As described above, a network that transfers information in packets uses a line only when information is generated, so network efficiency is high. However, when the network is crowded, packets are discarded, and the quality of communication is reduced. Then there is a problem.

[0005]

As described in the section of the prior art, in a network in which a connection is set and the quality of communication is guaranteed, the line utilization efficiency is reduced, and conversely, communication using packets is not performed. In this case, there is a trade-off relationship that the line utilization efficiency is good but the communication quality is not good.

[0006] Internet communication is a typical type of packet communication that emphasizes the line usage rate. However, with the spread of the Internet in recent years, an increase in traffic has been regarded as a problem. In particular, as an application of the Internet that is expected to develop in the future, there is a case where real-time information such as moving images and audio is transferred. In such a case, the amount of information transfer is large, and it is difficult to transfer information with high quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to improve the efficiency of use of lines and the quality of communication in an open network such as the Internet. An object of the present invention is to provide an IP data transfer method and an IP data processing device.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the configuration of the invention according to the IP data transfer method of the present invention is as follows.
In an IP data transfer method of a packet network for exchanging information by packets, the packet network includes a node for switching the packet and a line connecting the nodes, and performs information transfer in two directions. For information transfer in the first direction, a route is determined for each packet by an address included in the packet, and the packet is transferred according to the route. For information transfer in the second direction, a connection is established. Is set, and from the start to the end of the requested information transfer, all packets are transferred along the same route according to the connection.

More specifically, in the above-mentioned IP data transfer method, the connection is performed by using an ATM PVC (Permanent
nt Virtual Channel).

[0010] More specifically, in the above-mentioned IP data transfer method, when the connection is made at the time of an information transfer request,
This is set by an ATM SVC (Switched Virtual Channel).

More specifically, in the above-described IP data transfer method, the information transfer in the first direction is performed in units of IP packets.

More specifically, in the information transfer in the first direction, the information is transferred in ATM cell units.

More specifically, in the above IP data transfer method, in the information transfer in the first direction, an address included in the packet is an ATM E.E. 164 address. At the node, the ATM E.164 address is used. Routing is performed by using 164 addresses.

More specifically, in the above IP data transfer method, in the information transfer in the first direction, an address included in the packet is an IP address, and the node assembles an ATM cell into an IP packet at the node. Thus, routing is performed using the IP address included in the IP packet.

[0015] More specifically, in the above-described IP data transfer method, the first information transfer path is provided from the IP terminal to the Wen.
The second information transfer path is an upstream information transfer path for transmitting a packet from the Web server to the IP terminal, and the second information transfer path is a downstream information transfer path for transmitting a packet from the Web server to the IP terminal.

In order to achieve the above object, the IP of the present invention is used.
The configuration of the invention according to the data processing device includes,
In an IP data processing device of a packet network for exchanging information, the packet network has a node for switching the packet and a line connecting the nodes, and for each packet, an address included in the packet. A route is determined, and according to the route, a first information transfer path through which the packet is transferred and a connection are set. From the start to the end of the requested information transfer, all packets follow the connection. The second information transfer path, which is transferred by the same route, can be connected.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the configuration of the invention according to the IP data processing apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the IP data processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
In the data processing device, the packet network has a node that switches the packet and a line that connects the nodes, and performs information transfer in two directions. For each packet, a route is determined by an address included in the packet, the packet is transferred according to the route, a connection is set to the information transfer path in the second direction, and the requested information is set. From the start to the end of transfer, all packets are transferred on the same route according to the connection.

More specifically, in the above-mentioned IP data processing device, TCP (Transmission)
The information transfer path is determined by the port number of the Control Protocol.

More specifically, in the above-described IP data processing device, the first information transfer path is an upstream information transfer path for transmitting a packet from the IP terminal to the Web server, and the second information transfer path is from the Web server to the Web server. This is a downlink information transfer path for sending a packet to an IP terminal.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[Network Configuration for IP Data Transfer Method of the Present Invention] (I) Outline of Network Configuration First, an outline of a network configuration for the IP data transfer method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a network to which an IP data transfer method according to the present invention is applied.

The IP data transfer method of the present invention is premised on application to two types of network.

One is the best effort network 2
The other is a guaranteed network 3. The best-effort network 2 does not guarantee the quality of communication, but is a network with high line utilization efficiency because it tries to send all information that can be sent.
The guaranteed network is a network that guarantees the quality of communication, so that the line utilization efficiency is low.

The network configuration is such that the edge nodes 4 and 5 connect the trunk lines 16 and 18 to the trunk lines 17 and 19, and the trunk lines 16 and 18 use the best effort network 2. This is a line, and the relay lines 17 and 19 are lines when using the guaranteed network 3. The edge node 4 accommodates the subscriber line 13, and the IP terminal 11 is connected to the subscriber line 13. One edge node 5 accommodates the subscriber line 14, and
b server 12 is connected. The best effort network 2 is used from the IP terminal 11
The communication with the server 12 is a so-called "up" 15a, while the guaranteed network 3 is used when the Web server 12 communicates with the IP terminal 11 at a so-called "down" 15b. . The configuration of the edge nodes 4 and 5 will be described later in detail.

(II) Configuration of Best Effort Network 2 Next, the configuration of the best effort network 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of the best effort network 2.

The best effort network 2 is composed of routers and trunk lines connecting the routers. The router 22 in FIG. 2 is connected to the edge node 4 via the trunk line 16. As shown in FIG. 1, a subscriber line 13 is connected to the edge node 4, and an IP terminal 11 is accommodated therein.

The router 25 in the opposite direction has the trunk line 18 connected thereto.
Is connected to the edge node 5 via the. , A subscriber line 14 is connected to the edge node 5, and a Web server 12 is accommodated therein.

In the network, relay routers 23 and 24 for appropriately relaying IP packets and ATM cells 21 are provided between routers provided at the entrance and the exit.

In this network, the information transfer unit may be an IP packet or an ATM cell. IP
If the packet is transferred over the network, I
When transferred by ATM cell by P address,
E. Each router is routed by the 164 address. Alternatively, the ATM cells may be decellularized by a router (that is, converted into IP packets) and then routed.

(III) Configuration of Guaranteed Network 3 Next, the configuration of the guaranteed network 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the guaranteed network 3.

The guaranteed network 3 is composed of nodes and relay lines connecting the nodes. In particular, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that ATM is used, the trunk line is an ATM trunk line, and the node is A
It is a TM node.

In the example of FIG. 3, the ATM node 32
The edge node 4 is connected via an ATM trunk line 17. A subscriber line 13 is connected to the edge node 4, and the IP terminal 11 is accommodated in the same as in the case of the above-described best effort network 2.

On the other side, there is an ATM node 35, to which the edge node 5 is connected via the ATM trunk line 19. A subscriber line 14 is connected to the edge node 5 and the Web server 12 is accommodated in the same as in the above case.

An ATM relay node 3 is connected between the ATM node 32 and the ATM node 35 via an ATM relay line 36.
3, 34, and 35 are provided and an ATM connection 31 is provided.
Relay. ATM connection setup methods include PVC and S
There is VC. In the case of PVC, the connection is set in advance by an instruction from the operation center. In the case of SVC, when the first packet of communication is received, a connection is set each time a communication request is made using signaling.

(IV) Configuration of Edge Node Next, the configuration of the edge nodes 4 and 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the edge node 4. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the edge node 5. As shown in FIG.

The edge node 4 is connected to the ATM as shown in FIG.
It comprises a switch 41, a subscriber interface 42, a trunk interface 43, an IP controller 44, and an SVC server 45.

The subscriber interface 42 includes a forwarding unit, a distribution unit, and a multiplexing unit. Among them, the forwarding unit has a table for transferring the packet, and assigns an address to the packet,
VPI (Virt) for packetization of packets and transfer to relay nodes
ual Path Identifier), VCI (Virtual Channel Ide)
ntifier) settings. Here, VPI, in order to identify what should be VP for transfer, ATM
This is an identifier given to the cell header. Similarly, VC
I in order to identify what should be VC for transfer, which is an identifier assigned to the header of the ATM cell.

Further, if there is no translation address corresponding to the packet in the table, the forwarding unit
Inquires the controller and registers the result in the table.

The trunk interface 43 is an interface for connecting to another edge node.

The IP controller 44 is a device for responding to an inquiry when the address and the route information cannot be found in the table of the subscriber interface. The IP controller 44 has the route information and the address information of the entire network. Reply.

The SVC server 45 is a device that performs signaling processing for setting up a virtual connection (SVC) with a receiving edge node before transferring a user packet.

The ATM switch 41 is a device for exchanging ATM cells in accordance with the ATM principle. The ATM switch 41 includes a subscriber interface 42a.
To 42n, and trunk interfaces 43a to 43n. Also, the IP controller 44 and the SV
The C server 45 is also connected to the ATM switch 41.

In the subscriber interface, for example,
It is assumed that the subscriber interface 42a is connected to the IP terminal 11 via the access line 13a. Further, among the trunk interfaces, the trunk interface 43a is connected to the best effort network 2 via the access line 16, and the trunk interface 43n is connected via the access line 17.
It is assumed that it is connected to the guaranteed network 3.

As shown in FIG. 5, the edge node 5 has the same function and configuration as the edge node 4. The subscriber interface 52a of the edge node 5 has a Web interface
The server 12 is connected. The trunk interface 53a is connected to the best effort network 2 via the access line 18, and the trunk interface 43n is connected via the access line 17.
It is assumed that it is connected to the guaranteed network 3.

[Data Format for IP Data Transfer Method of the Present Invention] Next, a data format for the IP data transfer method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a format of an IP packet having a TCP / UDP header.

This packet has a TCP / UDP header 2
11, an IP header 212, and a data section 213. The TCP / UDP header 211 includes a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) which is a transport layer.
l), information used in UDP (User DataGram Protocol) is set. In this TCP / UDP header 211,
A destination port number 214 is included, and the type of application to be used can be selected based on the port number. As a method of determining the port, a port number (Well-known Port) determined by each application by a public organization is used. Therefore, according to the present invention, the Web server 1
And Web when requesting the information of the second
An application for transmitting information from the server 12 to the IP terminal 11 has a different port number.

The IP header section 212 has an IP (Inte
This is a part where information used in rnet protocol) is set. This IP header section 212 has a destination IP address 2
15 are included. This destination IP address is, of course, the address of the destination used by the IP, but as will be described later, it is converted into VPI, VCI, and A
It may be stored in the header of the TM cell.

[IP Data Transfer Processing of the Present Invention] Next, the IP data transfer processing of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of IP data at the subscriber interface of the edge node.

(I) From the IP terminal 11 to the Web server 12
In this case, the IP data is transferred in the “up” direction.
Data transfer is performed by the best effort network 2. Depending on the form of data transfer, it will be described separately for each case.

(1) When the IP packet is transferred in the best effort network 2 First, the IP packet having the format shown in FIG.
Edge node 4 from terminal 11 via access line 13
Is forwarded to

Edge Node Subscriber Interface 42
In a, processing is performed according to the flowchart of FIG.

In the subscriber interface 42a, first,
Based on the destination port number 214 of the TCP / UDP header 211 on the IP packet, it is determined whether to use the guaranteed network 3 or the best effort network 2 for data transfer (S101, S102).

In this embodiment, as described above, the IP
When data is transferred from the terminal 11 to the Web server 12, the best effort network 2 is used.

In the best effort network 2, since it is necessary to perform routing processing in units of cells and packets, processing for securing the next router address is performed. Therefore, first, it is checked whether or not it is set in the table in the subscriber interface 42a (S109), and if it is set, it is acquired from the table (S11).
0), if not set, obtains an address from the IP controller 44 (abbreviated as “IPC” in FIG. 7) (S
111) and set it (S112). Then, it is converted into an ATM cell (S113).

Then, after being processed by the subscriber interface 42a, it is transferred to the ATM switch 41 and sent to the trunk interface 43a connected to the best effort network 2.

In the trunk interface 43a, the data is decellularized again and transmitted to the best effort network 2 in IP packet units.

In the best effort network 2, the routers 22, 23, 24, and 25 perform packet-by-packet routing based on the IP address included in the IP packet as shown in FIG. Will be transferred.

The edge node 5 reaches the destination Web server 12 via the trunk interface 53a, the ATM switch 51, and the subscriber interface 52a.

(2) In the best effort network 2, the packet is transferred by the ATM cell, In the case of routing with the 164 address, the subscriber interface 4 of the edge node 4 in the above (1)
In the process of 2a, the IP address of the next router was secured (S108 to S110).

In the case of (2), in place of the above processing, the VPI and VCI to the next router and the next router are set and the E.P. 164 address is set in the ATM cell.

In the trunk interface 43a connected to the best effort network 2, in the process (1), the cell is decellulated and the data is transferred in IP packet units. In the case of (2), the data is assembled into IP packets. The ATM cell is transmitted to the best effort network 2 as it is.

At this time, it is necessary to set a PVC between the edge node 4 and the router 22 so that the cell can reach a predetermined router 22. In the router 22, the E.E. The next router 23 is determined based on the 164 address. The same routing processing is performed, and the routers 24, 2
5. The data is transferred to the edge node 5.

(3) In the best effort network 2, a case where data is transferred using an ATM cell and routing is performed using an IP address In this case, as in (2). The transfer is performed by an ATM cell, but the routing is performed by an IP address. In this case, the ATM cell contains:
E. FIG. The 164 address is not set, and the router 22
A TM cell is assembled, an IP packet is created, and the next router 23 is determined based on the IP address on the IP packet.

The same routing process is performed, and the IP packet is transferred to the routers 24 and 25 and the edge node 5.

(II) Web server 12 to IP terminal 11
In this case, the data transfer is in the “down” direction, which is the reverse of (I), and the data transfer is performed by the guaranteed network 3. In this case, data transfer is performed by establishing an ATM connection.
There are two types as follows.

(1) In the case of transfer by ATM PVC in the guaranteed network 3 First, an IP packet in the format shown in FIG.
The data is transferred from the server b to the edge node 5 via the access line 14.

Edge Node Subscriber Interface 52
In a, processing is performed according to the flowchart of FIG.

At the subscriber interface 52a, first,
Based on the destination port number 214 of the TCP / UDP header 211 on the IP packet, it is determined whether to use the guaranteed network 3 or the best effort network 2 for data transfer (S101, S102).

In this embodiment, as described above, the We
When performing data transfer from the server b to the IP terminal 11, the guaranteed network 3 is used. In the guaranteed network 3, it is necessary to make connection settings. Here, the ATM P
This is an example using VC.

In this case, it is necessary to perform processing for converting the IP address of the next router into the ATM VPI and VCI. Therefore, the IP address of the next router is
It is checked whether it is set in the table in the subscriber interface 52a (S103).
The address is obtained from the table (S104), and if not set, the address is obtained from the IP controller 44 (abbreviated as "IPC" in FIG. 7) (S105). And
The acquired IP address is converted into VPI and VCI (S106). Thereafter, the IP packet is converted into an ATM cell (S107), and VPI and VCI are set in the header of the cell (S108).

The ATM cells are processed by the subscriber interface 52a, transferred to the ATM switch 51, and sent out to the trunk interface 53n connected to the guaranteed network 3.

In the guaranteed network 3, FIG.
As shown in (1), since the connection 31 is set in advance, the ATM cell is
Via the ATM relay nodes 32, 33, 34, 35, the ATM
The data is transferred to the edge node 4 via the relay line 36.

The transferred ATM cell is stored in the edge node 4
Then, the trunk interface 43n, the ATM switch 4
1, and reaches the destination IP terminal 11 via the subscriber interface 42a.

(2) In the guaranteed network 3, when the transfer is performed by the ATM SVC In (1), the type of the ATM connection is PVC, but in this case, the type of the connection is SVC. In this case, the connection 31 shown in FIG. 3 is not set in advance, and after acquiring the ATM address from the IP address in FIG.
The SVC protocol is started between the ATM relay node 32 and the adjacent ATM relay node 32 via the server 45. Similarly, S between the ATM relay nodes 32, 33 and 34 and the edge node 5
The VC protocol is activated. As a result, an ATM connection as shown in FIG. 3 is set, and ATM cells are transferred on this connection.

[Features of this Embodiment] In this embodiment, as described above, the upstream information from the IP terminal to the Web server is transferred through the best effort network, and the downstream information from the Web server to the IP terminal is transferred through the guaranteed network. . This has the following features.

(1) It is anticipated that there will be many large-capacity multimedia information such as moving images and voices in the downlink information from the Web server to the IP terminal. Even in such a case, the communication quality of each information can be guaranteed by utilizing the QOS function of the ATM.

(2) The conventional Internet can be used for search request information and the like from an IP terminal to a Web server.

(3) Since the upstream information from the IP terminal to the Web server has a smaller transfer amount than the downstream information from the Web server to the IP terminal, efficient transfer is possible by using the best effort network. .

[0079]

According to the present invention, in an open network such as the Internet, line utilization efficiency is improved,
In addition, it is possible to provide an IP data transfer method and an IP data processing device that can guarantee the quality of communication.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a network to which an IP data transfer method of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a best effort network 2.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a guaranteed network 3.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an edge node 4;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an edge node 5;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a format of an IP packet having a TCP / UDP header.

FIG. 7: IP at the edge node subscriber interface
5 is a flowchart illustrating data processing.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Granted network, 3 ... Best effort network, 4,5 ... Edge node, 11 ... IP terminal, 12 ... Web server, 13, 14 ... Access line,
16, 17, 18, 19, 26, 36 ... trunk line, 2
2, 23, 24, 25 ... router, 32, 33, 34, 3
5 ... relay node, 41, 51 ... ATM switch, 42,
52 subscriber interface, 43, 53 trunk interface, 44, 54 IPC, 45, 55 SV
C server, 211 ... TCP / UDP header, 212 ...
IP header, 213: data part, 214: destination port number, 215: destination IP address.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An IP data transfer method for a packet network for exchanging information by a packet, the packet network comprising: a node for switching the packet; and a line connecting the nodes, the information being transmitted in two directions. When performing the transfer, for the information transfer in the first direction, for each packet, a route is determined by an address included in the packet, the packet is transferred according to the route, and the information in the second direction is transferred. In the transfer, an IP data transfer method is characterized in that a connection is set, and all packets are transferred along the same route according to the connection from the start to the end of requested information transfer. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the connection is an ATM PVC (P
2. The IP data transfer method according to claim 1, wherein the IP data transfer method is set by an E.C. 3. The IP data transfer method according to claim 1, wherein said connection is set by an ATM SVC (Switched Virtual Channel) when an information transfer request is made. 4. In the information transfer in the first direction, I
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data is transferred in units of P packets.
4. The IP data transfer method according to claim 3, wherein: 5. In the information transfer in the first direction, A
4. The IP data transfer method according to claim 1, wherein the transfer is performed in units of TM cells. 6. The information transfer in the first direction, wherein an address included in the packet is an ATM E.D. 16
4 at the node. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the routing is performed by using a 164 address.
P data transfer method. 7. The information transfer in the first direction, wherein an address included in the packet is an IP address, and the node assembles an ATM cell into an IP packet at the node, and includes an IP address included in the IP packet. 6. The IP data transfer method according to claim 5, wherein the routing is performed by: 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first information transfer path is a path from the IP terminal to the Web
2. The upstream information transfer path for transmitting a packet to a server b, and the second information transfer path is a downstream information transfer path for transmitting a packet from a Web server to an IP terminal. 7. The IP data transfer method according to item 7. 9. An IP data processing device of a packet network for exchanging information by a packet, the packet network having a node for switching the packet and a line connecting the nodes, and The route is determined by the address contained in the packet, the first information transfer path to which the packet is transferred according to the route, the connection is set, and from the start to the end of the requested information transfer, An IP data processing apparatus, which is capable of connecting to a second information transfer path through which the same packet is transferred along the same route according to the connection. 10. An IP data processing device of a packet network for exchanging information by a packet, the packet network having a node for switching the packet and a line connecting the nodes, wherein the information is transmitted in two directions. When performing the transfer, for the information transfer path in the first direction, for each of the packets,
The route is determined by the address included in the packet, the packet is transferred according to the route, a connection is set up in the information transfer path in the second direction, and from the start to the end of the requested information transfer. An IP data processing apparatus wherein all packets are transferred by the same route according to the connection. 11. TCP (Tran) included in the packet
11. The IP data processing device according to claim 10, wherein an information transfer path is determined by a port number of a transmission control protocol (smission control protocol). 12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first information transfer path is a communication path between the IP terminal and the W
10. The upstream information transfer path for transmitting a packet to an Web server, and the second information transfer path is a downstream information transfer path for transmitting a packet from the Web server to an IP terminal. 12. The IP data processing device according to any one of items 11 to 12.