Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Switching a message which includes an address header
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-06
2001-09-18
Patel, Ajit (Department: 2661)
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Switching a message which includes an address header
C370S392000, C709S238000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06292489
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a router device for use in forwarding a communication between networks.
A router device connects a plurality of networks and further performs to forwarding a packet sent between the connected networks. In addition, the router device performs a traffic control for processing preferentially a specified packet in order to assure a communication quality of connection between the terminals to be communicated.
There is a certain system in which this traffic control is carried out in accordance with the management information registered in a router device by a managing person for the network. In this system, for example, as to the terminal device for performing a communication requiring a real-time characteristic, managing information for instructing a preferential processing for a packet required by the terminal device is registered in advance in the router device. However, the managing person must register managing information having the same contents in respect to all the router devices where the packet of the connection may pass in the case that a certain connection is to be registered.
In turn, it has been promoted to make a standardization for a protocol (a resource reservation protocol) capable of specifying a traffic control (assignment for a communication band) from a terminal device of a user in a network to a router device. In the system to which this protocol is applied, all the terminals in the system are provided with a program capable of performing a communication of the protocol. When a communication is started, the transmission terminal specifies a communication band width by the communication of the resource reservation protocol to a terminal of a communicating party and routers forwarding the communication. The router device may perform a traffic control in such a way that it may fulfill the specified communication band width or the like. A detailed information about the aforesaid protocol is described in “RSVP: A New Resource Reservation Protocol” L. Zhang, S. Deering, D. Estrin, S. Shenker & D. Zappala, IEEE Network 1993.9.
In the system in which a managing person registers a managing information indicating the content of the traffic control, it is necessary to perform a registration of the same content in respect to all the router devices through which a packet may pass for every connection. In the case that there are many router devices performing a forwarding, this registration may become a substantial burden for a managing person.
Adopting the reservation protocol eliminates the need for setting the information indicating the contents of traffic control to the router in the communication path because the information will be transferred by the protocol, thereby lightening the burden of the managing person. However this technique causes new problems as follows.
In a system in which a user can specify the content of traffic control by the resource reservation protocol, it is necessary to install the program capable of performing a communication of the resource reservation protocol in all the terminals, so that a high burden may be applied to the managing person when the system is constructed.
In addition, in this system, since all the users can specify the communication band width of their own connections respectively, there is a possibility that a communication band or a processing capability of a router device is occupied by a certain connection and an opening of other connections or communication quality can not be assured.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a router device and a network system using the same in which a management of connection of a managing person may easily be attained and a communication quality of each of the connections is assured.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a router device and a network system using the same in which there is provided means for performing a processing to be issued by a terminal device by its nature in place of the terminal device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a router device and a network system using the same in which there is provided means for disabling from a user setting a communication band or the like and occupying a function of the router freely.
In order to attain the aforesaid objects, the present invention is operated such that in the case that the terminal device has no function of resource reservation protocol, the router may issue a control packet of the resource reservation protocol in place of the terminal device.
In addition, in the case that the terminal device has a function of resource reservation protocol, the router receives only the control packet sent from a terminal permitted in advance to avoid the problem that the terminal device may freely set a communication band or the like and a function of the router may be occupied.
More practically, the router device of the present invention is constructed such that each of a plurality of networks having either at least one communication terminal or at least one router device connected thereto is connected to each other and a connection between communication terminals to perform a communication through a plurality of said networks is managed as a connection by at least two of said router devices, said router device comprising: receiving means for receiving a packet from said plurality of networks; connection acknowledging means for acknowledging a connection to communicate with said packet in reference to the content of the packet received by said receiving means; transmission means for transferring said received packet to said network corresponding to the connection acknowledged by said connection acknowledging means; management table having information indicating the content of a traffic control performed in respect to said connection for every connection of said communication terminal connected to said network connected to said router device without passing through other router devices; connection management means for generating a control packet including information indicating said connection in the case that the packet received by said receiving means is a packet of not-opened connection and information indicating the content of traffic control registered in said management table in correspondent with said connection and transmitting the generated control packet to other router devices included in said connection from said transmission means; communication control means for opening said connection in response to both information indicating a connection used for generating said control packet and information indicating the content of the traffic control and for applying a traffic control to the packet transferred by said transmission means in respect to said connection; and registering means for revising the content of registration of said management table in response to a predetermined instruction for management.
This router device limits the content of the traffic control performed for each of the connections in accordance with the content of registration of the management table registered by a managing person for a network, for example, under application of a management instruction, resulting in that it is possible to make a proper distribution of processing capability of the router device to each of the connections and to assure a management of each of the connections of the managing person.
In addition, this router device facilitates a management of each of the connections performed by a managing person due to the fact that only the managing table is satisfactory for the registration of the connection with the communication terminal directly connected without applying any other router devices.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5519705 (1996-05-01), Fukutomi
patent: 5530963 (1996-06-01), Moore et al.
patent: 5583862 (1996-12-01), Callon
patent: 5633866 (1997-05-01), Callon
patent: 5699347 (1997-12-01), Callon
patent: 5802316 (1998-09-01), Ito et al.
patent: 5822319 (1998-10-01),
Fukushima Hidehiro
Ikeda Naoya
Kamegaya Masashi
Kawakita Kenji
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Hitachi , Ltd.
Patel Ajit
Phunkulh Bob A.
LandOfFree
Router device and network system using the same does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Router device and network system using the same, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Router device and network system using the same will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2471644