Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-21
2001-02-06
Coulter, Kenneth R. (Department: 2758)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer session/connection establishing
C709S225000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185616
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a proxy server apparatus for providing communication between a network and a server via a public telephone network connected to the server, a proxy server system including a plurality of server apparatuses, and the server coupled to the network via the proxy server and the public telephone network.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, in the TCP/IP communication, when a client requests connection to a server, a connection can be provided by specifying the IP address of the server. However, due to the popularization of the Internet, the network becomes big and there are many servers, so that it becomes difficult to control all IP addresses of servers. Thus, DNS (Domain Name Services) has been developed.
A DNS server searches an IP address from the specified name of the server. Thus, when connection is made to a server without directly specifying the IP address of the server a DNS server searches the corresponding IP address from specified name of the server.
FIG. 9
is a prior art table controlled by the DNS server. In the DNS, names of servers coupled to the network correspond IP addresses one to one, that is, the IP addresses have been determined in advance.
In that structure, it is necessary that the server has an IP address previously determined and is always connected to the network. If the server is provided within a public area, there is no problem in this structure. However, if a server is provided in a home, it is necessary to connect to the network through a public telephone network and if it is always connected to the network, a telephone charge is high. When a server in a home, the number of times of accessing per unit interval is not so high. Accordingly, it is desirable desired to connect the server to the network only when there is a necessity for connection to suppress the telephone charge.
Moreover, in the case that the general home use computer is connected to a network through a public telephone network, the PPP (Point to Point Protocol) is used. In the PPP connection, because the number of the IP addresses is limited, the home use computer does not have IP addresses and an IP address is dynamically assigned to a home use computer on connection and the address is used only while the computer is connected to the network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved proxy server apparatus, an improved proxy server system, and an improved server apparatus.
According to the present invention, a first proxy server apparatus coupled to a network and a public telephone network is provided which comprises: a receiving portion for receiving a request from a client terminal coupled to the network, for connection to a desired server apparatus via the public telephone network, the request including a name of the server; an address table for storing the name and corresponding telephone number; a point-to-point protocol connection portion for dynamically assigning an Internet protocol address from predetermined Internet protocol addresses used in the network to the desired server apparatus from the name in accordance with the address table and for providing point-to-point protocol connection between the desired server apparatus and the proxy server apparatus; and a communication providing portion for providing communication between the client terminal and the desired server apparatus using the Internet protocol address.
In the first proxy server, the communication providing portion may further provide communication between any other client terminals and the desired server apparatus using the Internet protocol address in response to another request from any other client terminals while the Internet protocol address is assigned to the desired server apparatus.
In the first proxy server, the point-to-point protocol connection portion may release the Internet protocol address in response to a disconnection information from the desired server apparatus.
According to the invention, a second proxy server apparatus coupled to a network controlled with Internet protocol addresses and a public telephone network is provided which, comprises: a request receiving portion for receiving a request from a client terminal through the network for communicating with a server apparatus to be coupled to a network through the network and the public telephone network; a connection condition control table for storing a name of the server apparatus and the corresponding telephone number in the public telephone network and correspondingly storing Internet protocol addresses while the server apparatus are connected thereto; a connection condition controlling portion for checking whether the server apparatus is connected to the network in accordance with the connection condition control table; a point-to-point protocol connection portion for dynamically assigning one of the Internet protocol addresses to the server apparatus if the server apparatus is not being connected to the network by checking the connection condition controlling portion and for providing a point-to-point connection if the server apparatus is not being connected to the network; a data communication portion for providing data communication with the one of server apparatus with the dynamically assigned the one of Internet protocol address; and a request response portion for transmitting a communication result from the data communication portion as a reply in response to the communication request to the client terminal.
In the second proxy server apparatus, the connection control portion receives a disconnection request from the server apparatus and releases the Internet protocol address corresponding to the server apparatus.
According to the invention, a proxy server system including a plurality of proxy server apparatus coupled to a network controlled with Internet protocol addresses and a public telephone network is provided, each proxy server apparatus comprising: a proxy server apparatus arrangement table for representing corresponding relations between names of a plurality of server apparatus and names of a plurality of server apparatus in charge of the plurality of proxy server apparatus; a receiving portion for receiving a request, from a client terminal coupled to the network directly or via another one of the plurality of proxy server apparatus, for connection to one of the plurality of server apparatus; a forwarding portion for forwarding the request to one of the proxy server apparatus in charge of the one of the plurality of server apparatus through the network in accordance with the proxy server apparatus arrangement table when the one of the plurality of server apparatus is not in charge of this proxy server apparatus; an address table for storing the name and the corresponding telephone number of the one of the plurality of server apparatus in charge of this proxy server apparatus; a point-to-point protocol connection portion for dynamically assigning an Internet protocol address from predetermined Internet protocol addresses to the one of the plurality of server apparatus from the name in accordance with the address table and for providing a point-to-point protocol connection between the one of server apparatus and this proxy server apparatus, when the one of the plurality of server apparatus is in charge of this proxy server apparatus; and a communication providing portion for providing communication between the client terminal and the one of the plurality of server apparatus using the Internet protocol address.
In the proxy server system, the proxy server apparatus arrangement table is determined in accordance with distances in the public telephone network between the server apparatus and the plurality of proxy server apparatus.
In the proxy server system, the proxy server apparatus arrangement table is determined in accordance with data rates of the plurality of proxy server apparatus.
In the proxy server system, the proxy server apparatus arrangement table is determined in accordance with
Kaga Tomomi
Namma Eimei
Coulter Kenneth R.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Parkhurst & Wendell L.L.P.
Winder Patrice L.
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