JP2004062443A

JP2004062443A - Service management system and method, server management device, communication terminal, and server device

Info

Publication number: JP2004062443A
Application number: JP2002218693A
Authority: JP
Inventors: Masaru Ota; 太田　賢; Tomohiro Nakagawa; 中川　智尋; Takashi Yoshikawa; 吉川　貴; Masaharu Kurakake; 倉掛　正治
Original assignee: NTT Docomo Inc
Current assignee: NTT Docomo Inc
Priority date: 2002-07-26
Filing date: 2002-07-26
Publication date: 2004-02-26

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To search for a high-performance server device when providing services, while avoiding an increase in traffic. <P>SOLUTION: A service management system includes a plurality of server devices S1a, S1b, S2a, S2b which provide services of the same kinds; a communication terminal C1 which issues a server search request to request search for the corresponding server device among the plurality of server devices S1a, S1b, S2a, S2b; and server management devices N1-N4 each of which searches for the corresponding server device in response to the server search request. Each of the server management devices N1-N4 has a server device storage means 10 which accepts the registration of the nearby server device while measuring the performance of the server device and retaining measurements as performance information in relation to an identifier identifying the server device; and a service selection means 9 for selecting the server device in response to the search request and according to the performance information of the server device matching the search request. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

【０００１】
【発明の属する技術分野】
本発明は、携帯電話機やデスクトップコンピュータ、ＰＤＡなどの通信端末によりコンピュータネットワーク上に配置されるサーバ装置からサービスを受ける際にサーバ装置を検索するためのサービス管理システム、サービス管理方法、サーバ管理装置、通信端末及びサーバ装置に関する。
【０００２】
【従来の技術】
近年にあっては、携帯電話機やパーソナルコンピュータ等の通信端末から、ネットワーク上のサーバ装置にアクセスし、サーバ上で実行されるプログラムと、通信端末上で実行されるプログラムとを連携させて、各種のサービスを提供するシステムが構築されている。
【０００３】
このようなシステムにおいて、サーバと連携して処理を行う通信端末上のプログラムの性能は、ネットワークの通信遅延やサーバの負荷に大きく影響される。このため、アクセスの集中による通信遅延やサーバの処理負荷を軽減するために、サーバの複製を地理的に分散配備し、最適なサーバを選択して、通信端末にアクセスさせるという方式が採用されている。
【０００４】
この方式にあっては、一般的に、端末とサーバ間の距離や平均的性能に基づいて静的にサーバが選択されたり、通信端末やその代理のサーバが複数の複製サーバ間と通信して性能を測定し、その結果に基づき動的にサーバ選択がなされている。
【０００５】
【発明が解決しようとする課題】
しかしながら、上述した方式において、静的にサーバが選択される場合、変動するネットワーク品質やサーバ負荷に適応することができないという問題がある。一方、通信端末やその代理のサーバが複数の複製サーバ間との性能を測定し、動的にサーバ選択を行う手法は、広域にわたってトラフィックが増加し、測定時間がかかるという問題があった。
【０００６】
そこで、本発明は、以上の点に鑑みてなされたもので、サーバ管理装置を分散配置して、各サーバ装置の管理を行わせることで、卜ラフィック増加を抑えながら高性能のサーバ装置を検索することを可能にするサービス管理システム、サービス管理方法、サーバ管理装置、通信端末及びサーバ装置を提供することをその目的とするものである。
【０００７】
【課題を解決するための手段】
上記課題を解決するために、本発明は、複数のサーバ管理装置により、通信端末が発行する検索要求に応じて、同種のサービスを提供する複数のサーバ装置の中から該当するサーバ装置を検索し、検索結果を通信端末に応答する際に、サーバ管理装置において、近傍のサーバ装置の登録を受け付けるとともに、そのサーバ装置の性能を測定し、測定結果を性能情報としてサーバ装置を特定する識別子に関連付けて保持し、検索要求に応じて、検索要求に該当する各サーバ装置の性能情報に基づいてサーバ装置を選択する。
【０００８】
このような本発明によれば、サーバ装置を近傍のサーバ管理装置に登録し、各サーバ管理装置がそれぞれ、自己が管理するサーバ装置を検索するため、サーバ装置を選択する際の、性能の測定が広域のパスに拡散しないようすることができ、通信負荷を低減することができる。
【０００９】
上記発明においては、通信端末やサーバ装置から受け取った検索要求を他のサーバ管理装置に転送し、転送先のサーバ管理装置が管理するサーバ装置とその性能情報を含む応答を受け取り、自身が管理するサーバ装置と他のサーバ管理装置が管理する遠隔サーバ装置の中から、各サーバ装置の性能情報に基づいてサーバ装置を選択することが好ましい。
【００１０】
この場合には、管理装置が他の管理装置にサービス検索要求を転送できるようにすることで、他の管理装置が管理してる遠隔のサーバ装置を検索することが可能となる。
【００１１】
上記発明においては、他のサーバ管理装置との間の遅延を測定し、その測定結果を保持し、他のサーバ管理装置が管理しているサーバ装置の性能情報を、他のサーバ管理装置から受信し、保持された測定結果と、受信した性能情報とを、遠隔サーバ装置の性能情報として保持することが好ましい。
【００１２】
この場合には、分散配置した管理装置同士の遅延も加えて遠隔サーバ装置の遅延とすることで、トータルとして遅延の短いサーバ装置を選択することを可能とすることができる。
【００１３】
上記発明においては、各サーバが指定する有効時間を保持するとともに、各サーバ装置の登録を受けた時間からの経過時間を計時し、この計時結果に応じて、該当するサーバ装置の登録を削除することが好ましい。
【００１４】
この場合には、古いサーバ装置の性能情報を削除することで、サーバ装置の障害や性能の変化に対処することが可能となるとともに、サーバ管理装置のリソースを有効に活用することができる。この結果、サーバが障害して登録が更新されない場合、そのサーバ装置の情報は自動的に削除されることとなる。
【００１５】
上記発明においては、通信端末及びその近傍に存在する第１のサーバ管理装置間の遅延と、サーバ装置及びその近傍に存在する第２のサーバ管理装置間の遅延と、これら第１及び第２のサーバ管理装置間の遅延とを合計し、この合計結果に基づいて、各性能情報を算出することが好ましい。
【００１６】
この場合には、通信端末からサーバ管理装置を経由したサーバまでのパスの性能を総合的に判断することができ、通信全体の遅延を考慮したサーバの選択が可能となる。
【００１７】
上記発明においては、各サーバ装置の性能情報は、応答処理時間や通信遅延、処理負荷を含むことが好ましい。
【００１８】
この場合には、サーバ管理装置が実際に測定する性能情報として、応答時間や負荷を含むため、検索の際に負荷の低いサーバや応答時間の短いサーバ装置を選ぶことを可能とすることができる。
【００１９】
上記発明においては、性能情報の閾値と、登録された各サーバの性能情報の閾値とを比較し、この比較結果に応じて、自機に登録されたサーバ装置に関する情報を、他のサーバ管理装置に対して登録の移管を依頼するステップを有することが好ましい。
【００２０】
また、上記発明においては、自機に登録された各サーバの識別子と、他のサービス管理システムに登録された各サーバの識別子とを照合し、重複して登録されているサーバを特定するステップと、重複して登録されているサーバ装置の性能情報を比較し、この比較結果に応じて、管轄する近傍のサーバ装置を決定するステップと、この決定に応じて、自機における登録の削除又は他のサービス管理システムにおける登録の削除を依頼するステップとを有することが好ましい。
【００２１】
この場合には、複数のサーバ管理装置が重複して同一のサーバ装置を管理することを回避することができ、サーバ監視のための通信が、重複して送信されるのをより的確に防止することができる。
【００２２】
【発明の実施の形態】
（サービス管理システムの構成）
本発明に係るサービス管理システムについて図を参照しつつ説明する。図１は本実施形態に係るサービス管理システムの全体構成を示す説明図である。図１に示すように、本実施形態に係るサービス管理システムは、通信端末Ｃ１と、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１〜Ｎ４と、サーバ装置Ｓ１ａ，Ｓ１ｂ、Ｓ２ａ〜ｃとから構成される。なお、上記サーバ装置を示す符号Ｓ１及びＳ２は、サービスの種別を意味し、同一の符号Ｓ１及びＳ２を付されたサーバ装置は、同種のサービスを提供することを示す。
【００２３】
各サーバ管理装置Ｎ１〜Ｎ４は、通信ネットワークを介して相互に接続されており、それぞれ、近傍のサーバ装置の登録を受け付け、受け付けた各サーバ装置に関する情報を蓄積する管理サーバである。図示した例では、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１は、サーバＳ１ａの登録を受け付け、サーバ管理装置Ｎ２は、サーバ装置Ｓ２ａ及びＳ２ｂの登録を受け付け、サーバ管理装置Ｎ３は、サーバ装置Ｓ１ｂ及びＳ２ｃの登録を受け付けている。
【００２４】
（サーバ管理装置の構成）
図２は、上述したサーバ管理装置Ｎ１〜Ｎ４の内部構成を示すブロック図である。
【００２５】
サーバ管理装置は、図２に示すように、管理部８と、タイマ１１と、サーバ装置記憶部１０と、サーバ装置選択部９と、サービス検索要求受信部２と、サービス検索要求転送部３と、サービス検索応答送信部４と、サーバ装置性能測定部６と、他管理装置性能測定部７と、サービス検索応答受信部５と、通信部１と、マッピング部１２とを備えている。
【００２６】
サーバ装置記憶部１０は、サーバの識別子、サーバのアドレス、サーバ管理装置からサーバ装置までの遅延、サーバ装置の応答時間、サーバ装置の負荷、この情報の有効期間などの性能情報を蓄積したレコードを格納するデータベースである。例えば、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１のサーバ装置記憶部１０には、サーバ装置Ｓ１ａの遅延や負荷、サーバ管理装置Ｎ２との遅延、サーバ管理装置Ｎ４との遅延が記録され、サーバ管理装置Ｎ２のサーバ装置記憶部１０には、サーバ装置Ｓ２ａとＳ２ｂの遅延や負荷、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１，Ｎ４との遅延が記録されている。
【００２７】
なお、上記各サーバ装置の性能情報は、サーバ装置性能測定部６により、各サーバ装置からの登録を受け付ける際に、測定が行われ、記録される。
【００２８】
また、このサーバ装置記憶部１０は、タイマ１１に接続されており、このタイマ１１の計時結果を利用して、有効期間が過ぎたレコードを削除する機能を備えている。
【００２９】
他管理装置性能測定部７は、他のサーバ管理装置と通信を行い、他のサーバ管理装置における遅延やスループットを測定し、測定に係るサーバ管理装置の識別子と、遅延時間、スループット、測定時刻などの性能情報とを関連付けて、１つのレコードとして、サーバ装置記憶部１０に記録する。
【００３０】
サーバ装置選択部９は、サーバ装置記憶部１０から、サービス検索要求に合致する種別のサーバ装置を抽出し、要求された品質に基づいてサーバ装置を選択して、サービス検索応答送信部４に渡す。
【００３１】
サービス検索要求受信部２は、通信端末や他サーバ管理装置からサービス検索要求を受信し、サービス検索要求転送部３に検索要求のコピーを出力して、他サーバ管理装置に転送させるとともに、サービス検索要求を受信した際には、サーバ装置選択部９を起動し、サービス検索要求に含まれるサーバ装置種別と、要求する品質（遅延や負荷）に適合するサービスを検索させる。
【００３２】
サービス検索要求転送部３は、サービス検索要求受信部２が受信した検索要求のコピーを他のサーバ管理装置に中継転送するものである。なお、転送する際、このサービス検索要求転送部３は、当該サーバ管理装置が、転送先である他サーバ管理装置から応答をもらえるように、図４に示すように、当該サーバ管理装置の識別子（転送元）と、サービス検索要求を送信した端末装置（ユーザー）の識別子をサービス検索要求に含める。
【００３３】
また、サービス検索要求転送部３は、中継回数制限を行うため、現在までに中継された数（中継回数）をサービス検索要求に含める。なお、転送を受けた他サーバ管理装置は、図５に示すように、サービス検索応答にパス遅延フィールドの値を含めて返すため、検索要求元のサーバ管理装置は、遠隔サーバ装置までの遅延を見積もることができる。
【００３４】
さらに、サービス検索要求転送部３は、中継数がある設定値を超えた場合、中継を行わないようにする。さらに、中継の際、パス上の遅延を計算するため、転送先のサーバ管理装置までの遅延をパス遅延フィールドに足す。
【００３５】
サービス検索応答送信部４は、検索要求に応じて、それを受信した旨を応答するものであり、当該サーバ管理装置が受信したサービス検索要求が他サーバ管理装置から転送されたものである場合、要求元のサーバ管理装置へ応答を返し、サービス検索要求が通信端末からのものである場合、通信端末に応答を返す。
【００３６】
サービス検索応答受信部５は、他サーバ管理装置が管理するサーバ装置の情報を受け取り、サーバ装置記憶部１０に格納する。
【００３７】
サーバ装置性能測定部６は、サービス検索要求に応じて、サーバ装置に信号を送信し、その応答速度により、各サーバ装置までの遅延時間を測定する。サーバ装置がその応答時間や負荷を応答の信号に含める場合は、遅延時間に加えて、応答時間、負荷の性能情報をサーバ装置性能測定部６は獲得する。
【００３８】
他管理装置性能測定部７は、サービス検索要求を他のサーバ管理装置に転送した際に、この他のサーバ管理装置の応答速度を測定することにより、他サーバ管理装置までの遅延時間を得る。他のサーバ管理装置がその応答時間や負荷を応答の信号に含める場合は、遅延時間に加えて、応答時間、負荷の性能情報を他管理装置性能測定部７は獲得する。
【００３９】
なお、サーバ装置性能測定部６及び他管理装置性能測定部７は、タイマにより周期的に起動されてもよいし、サーバ装置から登録要求を受け付けたときに起動されてもよい。そして、サーバ装置性能測定部６や他管理装置性能測定部７が起動されたときには、これらが保持する他のサーバ管理装置との遅延情報に基づき、サーバ装置記憶部１０に蓄積されたサーバ装置の遅延情報を更新する。例えば、ある遠隔のサーバ装置の遅延情報が５０ｍｓとして受信し、そのサーバ装置が登録されているサーバ管理装置Ｎ１までの遅延が１００ｍｓであった場合、そのサーバ装置の遅延情報は１５０ｍｓとして更新される。
【００４０】
通信部１は、サーバ管理装置と他の機器が通信を行うためのモジュールであり、通信手段は有線・無線、或いはパケット、回線交換など方式を問わない。
【００４１】
マッピング部１２は、図３に示すように、サーバ装置記憶部１０に対してデータの入出力を行うインターフェース部１２１と、性能情報の閾値を記憶する閾値記憶手段１２２と、サーバ装置記憶部１０に登録された各サーバの性能情報と閾値とを比較する比較部１２４と、比較部１２４による比較結果に応じて、自機に登録されたサーバ装置に関する情報を、他のサーバ管理装置に対して登録の移管を依頼する移管依頼部１２５とを有している。
【００４２】
さらに、本実施形態に係るマッピング部１２は、自機に登録された各サーバの識別子と他のサービス管理システムに登録された各サーバの識別子とを照合し、重複して登録されているサーバを特定する重複検出部１２３と、重複して登録されているサーバ装置の性能情報を比較し、この比較結果に応じて、管轄する近傍のサーバ装置を決定する管轄決定部１２６と、管轄決定部１２６の決定結果に応じて、自機における登録の削除又は他のサーバ管理装置における登録の削除を依頼する重複排除部１２７とを備えている。
【００４３】
管理部８は、上記各部１〜７，９〜１１の動作を管理し、制御する管理サーバであり、システム管理者の操作端末等の接続され、システム全体の集中管理が可能となっている。また、本実施形態に係る管理部８は、マッピング部１２の移管依頼部１２５や重複排除部１２７からの要求に応じて、各他のサーバ管理装置に対して、登録の移管や排除の依頼を送信する。
【００４４】
（サービス管理システムを用いたサービス管理方法）
以上の構成を有するサービス管理システムを用いたサービス管理方法は以下の手順で行われる。図６は、サービス管理システムの動作を示すシーケンス図である。
【００４５】
先ず、図６に示すように、通信端末Ｃ１が、種別Ｓ２のサービス検索要求を、近傍のサーバ管理装置Ｎ１に発行する（Ｓ１０１）。このとき、当該近傍のサーバ管理装置は、手動、或いはＤＨＣＰ等を使って動的に通信端末に決定される。ここでは、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１が決定されたものとする。
【００４６】
この検索要求を受信したサーバ管理装置Ｎ１は、当該要求が重複してなされたものであるか否かの判断を行い（Ｓ１０２）、重複しているようであれば終了する。一方、ステップＳ１０２で、重複した要求でないと判断された場合には、中継回数が制限内か否かを判断し（Ｓ１０３）、制限を越えているようであれば検索を終了し、超えていない場合には、通信端末Ｃ１からのサービス検索要求の中継回数をカウントするとともに、今回の要求分加算し、近傍にあるサーバ管理装置Ｎ２，Ｎ４にサービス検索要求を転送する（Ｓ１０４）。この転送後、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１は、一定時間待機状態を維持する（Ｓ１０５）。
【００４７】
この転送された検索要求を受信したサーバ管理装置Ｎ２，Ｎ４は、サービス検索要求の中継回数を１加算するとともに、自機に登録されたサーバ装置を検索し、要求にマッチするサーバ装置の抽出を試みる（Ｓ２０２）。ここでは、サーバ管理装置Ｎ４は、種別Ｓ２のサーバ装置を管理していないため、応答を返さず、終了する。一方、サーバ管理装置Ｎ２は、サーバ装置Ｓ２ａとＳ２ｂを管理してしるため、その両方をＮ１に返す（Ｓ２０３）。
【００４８】
さらに、サーバ管理装置Ｎ２，Ｎ４は、近傍にあるサーバ管理装置Ｎ３に転送する。ここでは、中継回数制限を２回とし、サーバ管理装置Ｎ３はそれ以上の転送を行わない。
【００４９】
そして、検索要求を受信したサーバ管理装置Ｎ３は、要求にマッチするサーバ装置を抽出する（Ｓ２０１，Ｓ２０２）。ここでは、サーバ管理装置Ｎ３は、サーバ装置Ｓ２ｃを管理しているため、そのサーバ装置Ｓ２ｃの識別子と、遅延、負荷をサービス検索応答に含めて、要求元であるサーバ管理装置Ｎ１に応答を返す（Ｓ２０３）。
【００５０】
結局、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１には、サーバ管理装置Ｎ２及びＮ３からサーバ装置Ｓ２ａ，Ｓ２ｂ，Ｓ２ｃの３つの候補が返され、これらの応答結果は、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１のサーバ記憶装置１０に記憶される。このとき、サーバ装置Ｓ２ａ，Ｓ２ｂからの応答遅延には、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１及びＮ２の遅延が加えられ、サーバ装置Ｓ２ｃの遅延にはサーバ管理装置Ｎ１及びＮ３の遅延が加えられる。ここで、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１及びＮ３の遅延は、サービス検索要求の転送時に、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１−Ｎ４、Ｎ４−Ｎ３までの遅延が加えられたものである。
【００５１】
そして、サーバ管理装置Ｎ１は、サービス検索要求として遅延が指定されていたのを受けて、最も遅延の小さいサーバ装置Ｓ２ａを選択し、通信端末Ｃ１に返す（Ｓ１０６及びＳ１０７）。
【００５２】
次いで、各サーバ管理装置におけるサーバ装置の登録処理について説明する。図７は、サーバ管理装置におけるサーバ装置登録時の動作を示すシーケンス図である。
【００５３】
先ず、サーバ装置において、サーバ管理装置において、登録有効期間を決定する（Ｓ３０１）。この有効期間は、自機が提供するサービスの期間や、メンテナンスのサイクル等に基づいて決定する。
【００５４】
次いで、サーバ管理装置に対してサービス登録を行う（Ｓ３０２）。このとき、サーバ管理装置は、サーバ装置に対して性能測定を行い、性能記録を取得し（Ｓ４０２、Ｓ４０１）、この記録を性能情報として、当該サーバ装置の識別子と関連付けて登録する。さらに、サーバ管理装置は、タイマにより待機状態を維持するとともに、他管理装置とのパス性能を測定する（Ｓ４０１）。これらＳ３０１〜Ｓ３０３及びＳ４０１〜Ｓ４０３の処理は、ループ処理により繰り返し行われる。
【００５５】
なお、上記ステップＳ４０１の性能記録に際しては、他のサーバ管理装置と重複してサーバ装置を登録しないように、マッピング処理が行われる。すなわち、サーバ管理装置は、サーバ装置の登録に際して、他のサーバ管理装置に登録されたサーバ装置の情報を取得し、重複登録がないか、或いは、自機よりもより近傍のサーバ管理装置がないかを判断し、重複している場合には、最も近傍のサーバ管理装置へ登録を依頼したり、自機における登録を抹消したり、既に自機に登録されている場合には、自機に登録された情報を他のサーバ管理装置に転送し、登録の移管を行う。
【００５６】
（変更例）
なお、本実施形態では、通信端末が検索要求を発行する場合を例に説明したが、本発明は、これに限定されるものではなく、例えば、サーバ装置が他のサーバ装置の提供するサービスを利用して処理を行う場合も、同様にして効率的に適切なサーバ装置を検索するようにしてもよい。すなわち、検索元のサーバ装置が検索要求を近傍のサーバ管理装置に送り、例えば、最短の遅延時間で到達可能なサーバ装置を応答として受け取ることができる。
【００５７】
【発明の効果】
以上説明したように、本発明のサービス管理システム、サービス管理方法、サーバ管理装置、通信端末及びサーバ装置によれば、各サーバの性能測定は近くのサーバ管理装置との間で行われるため、トラフィック増加が押さえられる。また、サーバ管理装置、管理装置からサーバまでの遅延と他のサーバ管理装置との遅延等の情報を利用し、通信端末から遅延の短いサーバを選択したり、任意のサーバ装置間の遅延を計算してサーバ連携において遅延を最小化する組み合わせを求めることができる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】実施形態に係るサービス管理システムの全体構成を模式的に示す説明図である。
【図２】実施形態に係るサーバ管理装置の構成例を示すブロック図である。
【図３】実施形態に係るマッピング部の内部構成を示すブロック図である。
【図４】実施形態に係るサーバ装置の検索手順における検索要求メッセージ形式の一例を示す説明図である。
【図５】実施形態に係るサーバ装置の検索手順における検索応答メッセージ形式の一例を示す説明図である。
【図６】実施形態に係る通信端末がサーバ装置の検索要求を発行して受信するまでの、サーバ装置の検索手順におけるシーケンス図である。
【図７】実施形態において、サービスを管理する際のサーバ管理装置の動作を示すシーケンス図である。
【符号の説明】
Ｃ１…通信端末
Ｎ１〜Ｎ４…サーバ管理装置
Ｓ１ａ，Ｓ１ｂ，Ｓ２ａ，Ｓ２ｂ…サーバ装置
１…通信部
２…サービス検索要求受信部
３…サービス検索要求転送部
４…サービス検索応答送信部
５…サービス検索応答受信部
６…サーバ装置性能測定部
７…他管理装置性能測定部
８…管理部
９…サーバ装置選択部
１０…サーバ装置記憶部
１１…タイマ
１２…マッピング部
１２１…インターフェース部
１２２…閾値記憶手段
１２３…重複検出部
１２４…比較部
１２５…移管依頼部
１２６…管轄決定部
１２７…重複排除部[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a service management system, a service management method, a server management device, and a service management system for searching for a server device when receiving a service from a server device arranged on a computer network by a communication terminal such as a mobile phone, a desktop computer, or a PDA. The present invention relates to a communication terminal and a server device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, a communication terminal such as a mobile phone or a personal computer accesses a server device on a network, and a program executed on the server and a program executed on the communication terminal are linked with each other to perform various operations. The system which provides the service of is built.
[0003]
In such a system, the performance of a program on a communication terminal that performs processing in cooperation with a server is greatly affected by network communication delay and server load. For this reason, in order to reduce the communication delay due to the concentration of access and the processing load on the server, a method has been adopted in which server replicas are geographically distributed and the optimum server is selected and the communication terminal is accessed. I have.
[0004]
In this method, in general, a server is statically selected based on the distance between the terminal and the server or the average performance, or a communication terminal or its proxy server communicates with a plurality of replication servers to communicate with the server. Performance is measured, and server selection is made dynamically based on the results.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described method, when a server is statically selected, there is a problem that it is not possible to adapt to fluctuating network quality and server load. On the other hand, the method in which a communication terminal or its proxy server measures the performance between a plurality of replication servers and dynamically selects a server has a problem that traffic increases over a wide area and measurement time is required.
[0006]
In view of the above, the present invention has been made in view of the above points. By distributing server management devices and managing each server device, it is possible to search for a high-performance server device while suppressing an increase in traffic. It is an object of the present invention to provide a service management system, a service management method, a server management device, a communication terminal, and a server device that enable the user to perform a service.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a method of searching for a server device from among a plurality of server devices that provide the same kind of service according to a search request issued by a communication terminal by a plurality of server management devices. When responding to the communication terminal with the search result, the server management device accepts registration of a nearby server device, measures the performance of the server device, and associates the measurement result with the identifier for identifying the server device as performance information. In response to a search request, a server device is selected based on performance information of each server device corresponding to the search request.
[0008]
According to the present invention, a server device is registered in a nearby server management device, and each server management device searches for a server device managed by itself, so that a performance measurement when selecting a server device is performed. Can be prevented from spreading to a wide area path, and the communication load can be reduced.
[0009]
In the above invention, the search request received from the communication terminal or the server device is transferred to another server management device, and a response including the server device managed by the transfer destination server management device and its performance information is received and managed by itself. It is preferable to select a server device from remote server devices managed by the server device and another server management device based on performance information of each server device.
[0010]
In this case, by enabling the management device to transfer the service search request to another management device, it is possible to search for a remote server device managed by the other management device.
[0011]
In the above invention, the delay with the other server management device is measured, the measurement result is held, and the performance information of the server device managed by the other server management device is received from the other server management device. Then, it is preferable that the held measurement result and the received performance information are held as performance information of the remote server device.
[0012]
In this case, it is possible to select a server device having a short delay as a whole by setting the delay of the remote server device in addition to the delay between the management devices arranged in a distributed manner.
[0013]
In the above invention, the validity time designated by each server is held, the elapsed time from the time when the registration of each server device is received is measured, and the registration of the corresponding server device is deleted according to the result of the clocking. Is preferred.
[0014]
In this case, by deleting the performance information of the old server device, it is possible to cope with a failure of the server device or a change in performance, and it is possible to effectively utilize the resources of the server management device. As a result, if the registration is not updated due to the server failure, the information of the server device is automatically deleted.
[0015]
In the above invention, the delay between the communication terminal and the first server management device near the communication terminal, the delay between the server device and the second server management device near the communication terminal, and the first and second It is preferable to sum the delay between the server management devices and calculate each piece of performance information based on the total result.
[0016]
In this case, the performance of the path from the communication terminal to the server via the server management device can be comprehensively determined, and the server can be selected in consideration of the delay of the entire communication.
[0017]
In the above invention, it is preferable that the performance information of each server device includes a response processing time, a communication delay, and a processing load.
[0018]
In this case, since the performance information actually measured by the server management device includes the response time and the load, it is possible to select a server with a low load or a server device with a short response time during the search. .
[0019]
In the above invention, the threshold value of the performance information is compared with the threshold value of the performance information of each registered server. According to the comparison result, information on the server device registered in the own device is compared with another server management device. It is preferable to have a step of requesting the transfer of the registration to.
[0020]
Further, in the above invention, a step of collating the identifier of each server registered in the own device with the identifier of each server registered in another service management system, and specifying a server registered in duplicate. Comparing the performance information of the server devices registered in duplicate, and determining a nearby server device to be controlled in accordance with the comparison result; and deleting or deleting other registration in the own device in response to the determination. Requesting deletion of registration in the service management system.
[0021]
In this case, it is possible to prevent a plurality of server management apparatuses from managing the same server apparatus redundantly, and to more accurately prevent redundant transmission of server monitoring communication. be able to.
[0022]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
(Configuration of service management system)
A service management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of the service management system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the service management system according to the present embodiment includes a communication terminal C1, server management devices N1 to N4, and server devices S1a, S1b, and S2a to c. Note that reference numerals S1 and S2 indicating the server devices indicate service types, and indicate that server devices assigned the same reference numerals S1 and S2 provide the same type of service.
[0023]
Each of the server management devices N1 to N4 is a management server that is mutually connected via a communication network, receives registration of a nearby server device, and stores information on the received server device. In the illustrated example, the server management device N1 receives registration of the server S1a, the server management device N2 receives registration of the server devices S2a and S2b, and the server management device N3 receives registration of the server devices S1b and S2c. I have.
[0024]
(Configuration of server management device)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the server management devices N1 to N4 described above.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 2, the server management device includes a management unit 8, a timer 11, a server device storage unit 10, a server device selection unit 9, a service search request reception unit 2, a service search request transfer unit 3, , A service search response transmission unit 4, a server device performance measurement unit 6, an other management device performance measurement unit 7, a service search response reception unit 5, a communication unit 1, and a mapping unit 12.
[0026]
The server device storage unit 10 stores a record in which performance information such as a server identifier, a server address, a delay from the server management device to the server device, a response time of the server device, a load on the server device, and a validity period of the information is accumulated. The database to store. For example, the server storage unit 10 of the server management device N1 records the delay and load of the server device S1a, the delay with the server management device N2, and the delay with the server management device N4. The unit 10 records delays and loads of the server devices S2a and S2b, and delays between the server devices N1 and N4.
[0027]
The performance information of each server device is measured and recorded by the server device performance measurement unit 6 when registration from each server device is received.
[0028]
Further, the server device storage unit 10 is connected to a timer 11 and has a function of deleting a record whose validity period has expired by using the time measurement result of the timer 11.
[0029]
The other management device performance measurement unit 7 communicates with another server management device, measures delay and throughput in the other server management device, and identifies an identifier of the server management device related to the measurement, delay time, throughput, measurement time, and the like. And is recorded in the server device storage unit 10 as one record in association with the performance information.
[0030]
The server device selection unit 9 extracts a server device of a type that matches the service search request from the server device storage unit 10, selects a server device based on the requested quality, and passes it to the service search response transmission unit 4. .
[0031]
The service search request receiving unit 2 receives a service search request from a communication terminal or another server management device, outputs a copy of the search request to the service search request transfer unit 3 and causes the service search request transfer unit 3 to transfer the copy to the other server management device. When the request is received, the server device selection unit 9 is activated to search for a service that matches the server device type included in the service search request and the requested quality (delay or load).
[0032]
The service search request transfer unit 3 relays and transfers a copy of the search request received by the service search request reception unit 2 to another server management device. At the time of transfer, the service search request transfer unit 3 transmits the identifier of the server management device (see FIG. 4) so that the server management device receives a response from another server management device that is the transfer destination. The service search request includes the transfer source) and the identifier of the terminal device (user) that transmitted the service search request.
[0033]
Further, the service search request transfer unit 3 includes the number of relays up to now (relay count) in the service search request in order to limit the number of relays. Since the other server management device that has received the transfer returns the service search response including the value of the path delay field, as shown in FIG. 5, the server management device that is the search request source transmits the delay to the remote server device. Can be estimated.
[0034]
Further, when the number of relays exceeds a certain set value, the service search request transfer unit 3 does not perform the relay. Further, at the time of relaying, in order to calculate the delay on the path, the delay to the transfer destination server management device is added to the path delay field.
[0035]
The service search response transmitting unit 4 responds to the search request to the effect that it has been received. If the service search request received by the server management device is transferred from another server management device, A response is returned to the requesting server management device. If the service search request is from the communication terminal, a response is returned to the communication terminal.
[0036]
The service search response receiving unit 5 receives the information of the server device managed by the other server management device, and stores the information in the server device storage unit 10.
[0037]
The server device performance measuring unit 6 transmits a signal to the server device in response to the service search request, and measures a delay time to each server device based on the response speed. When the server device includes the response time and the load in the response signal, the server device performance measuring unit 6 acquires the response time and the load performance information in addition to the delay time.
[0038]
When transferring the service search request to another server management device, the other management device performance measuring unit 7 obtains a delay time to the other server management device by measuring the response speed of the other server management device. When another server management device includes the response time and load in the response signal, the other management device performance measuring unit 7 acquires the response time and load performance information in addition to the delay time.
[0039]
The server device performance measuring unit 6 and the other management device performance measuring unit 7 may be started periodically by a timer, or may be started when a registration request is received from the server device. Then, when the server device performance measuring unit 6 and the other management device performance measuring unit 7 are started, the server device storage unit 10 stores the server devices stored in the server device storage unit 10 based on the delay information with respect to other server management devices. Update delay information. For example, if the delay information of a certain remote server device is received as 50 ms and the delay to the server management device N1 in which the server device is registered is 100 ms, the delay information of the server device is updated as 150 ms. .
[0040]
The communication unit 1 is a module for performing communication between the server management apparatus and other devices, and the communication means may be any method such as wired / wireless, packet, and circuit switching.
[0041]
As shown in FIG. 3, the mapping unit 12 includes an interface unit 121 for inputting / outputting data to / from the server device storage unit 10, a threshold storage unit 122 for storing a threshold value of performance information, and a server device storage unit 10. A comparing unit 124 that compares the performance information of each registered server with a threshold value, and registers information on the server device registered in the own device to another server management device according to the comparison result by the comparing unit 124 And a transfer requesting unit 125 for requesting the transfer.
[0042]
Further, the mapping unit 12 according to the present embodiment compares the identifier of each server registered in the own device with the identifier of each server registered in another service management system, and identifies the server registered in duplicate. The duplication detection unit 123 to be specified is compared with the performance information of the server device that is registered in duplicate, and a jurisdiction determination unit 126 and a jurisdiction determination unit 126 that determine a nearby server device to be controlled according to the comparison result. And a deduplication unit 127 for requesting deletion of registration in the own device or deletion of registration in another server management device in accordance with the result of the determination.
[0043]
The management unit 8 is a management server that manages and controls the operations of the units 1 to 7 and 9 to 11, and is connected to an operation terminal of a system administrator or the like, and enables centralized management of the entire system. Further, the management unit 8 according to the present embodiment, in response to a request from the transfer request unit 125 or the deduplication unit 127 of the mapping unit 12, requests each of the other server management devices to transfer the registration or remove the registration. Send.
[0044]
(Service management method using service management system)
The service management method using the service management system having the above configuration is performed in the following procedure. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the service management system.
[0045]
First, as shown in FIG. 6, the communication terminal C1 issues a service search request of type S2 to the nearby server management device N1 (S101). At this time, the server management device in the vicinity is determined as a communication terminal manually or dynamically using DHCP or the like. Here, it is assumed that the server management device N1 has been determined.
[0046]
Upon receiving this search request, the server management device N1 determines whether or not the request has been made redundantly (S102), and ends if the request is duplicated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the request is not a duplicate request, it is determined whether or not the number of relays is within the limit (S103). In this case, the number of relays of the service search request from the communication terminal C1 is counted, the current request is added, and the service search request is transferred to the nearby server management devices N2 and N4 (S104). After this transfer, the server management device N1 maintains the standby state for a certain period of time (S105).
[0047]
The server management devices N2 and N4 that have received the transferred search request add 1 to the number of relays of the service search request, search the server device registered in the own device, and extract the server device that matches the request. Attempt (S202). Here, since the server management device N4 does not manage the server device of the type S2, the process ends without returning a response. On the other hand, the server management device N2 returns both of them to N1 in order to manage the server devices S2a and S2b (S203).
[0048]
Further, the server management devices N2 and N4 transfer the data to a nearby server management device N3. Here, the relay count limit is set to two, and the server management device N3 does not perform any further transfer.
[0049]
Then, the server management device N3 that has received the search request extracts a server device that matches the request (S201, S202). Here, since the server management device N3 manages the server device S2c, it includes the identifier of the server device S2c, the delay, and the load in the service search response, and returns a response to the requesting server management device N1. (S203).
[0050]
Eventually, the server management apparatus N1 returns three candidates of the server apparatuses S2a, S2b, and S2c from the server management apparatuses N2 and N3, and the response results are stored in the server storage device 10 of the server management apparatus N1. . At this time, the delay of the server management devices N1 and N2 is added to the response delay from the server devices S2a and S2b, and the delay of the server management devices N1 and N3 is added to the delay of the server device S2c. Here, the delays of the server management devices N1 and N3 are obtained by adding delays to the server management devices N1-N4 and N4-N3 when transferring the service search request.
[0051]
Then, in response to the fact that the delay is specified as the service search request, the server management device N1 selects the server device S2a with the smallest delay and returns it to the communication terminal C1 (S106 and S107).
[0052]
Next, a server device registration process in each server management device will be described. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the server management device when registering the server device.
[0053]
First, in the server device, the server management device determines a registration validity period (S301). The validity period is determined based on a service period provided by the own device, a maintenance cycle, and the like.
[0054]
Next, service registration is performed on the server management device (S302). At this time, the server management device measures the performance of the server device, acquires a performance record (S402, S401), and registers the record as performance information in association with the identifier of the server device. Further, the server management device maintains the standby state by the timer and measures the path performance with another management device (S401). These processes of S301 to S303 and S401 to S403 are repeatedly performed by a loop process.
[0055]
When the performance is recorded in step S401, a mapping process is performed so that the server device is not registered with another server management device. That is, when registering a server device, the server management device acquires information on the server device registered in another server management device, and there is no duplicate registration or there is no server management device closer to the server management device. If there is an overlap, request registration to the nearest server management device, delete the registration in the own device, or if already registered in the own device, The registered information is transferred to another server management device, and the registration is transferred.
[0056]
(Example of change)
In the present embodiment, the case where the communication terminal issues a search request has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a server device may provide a service provided by another server device. In the case where processing is performed using the same, an appropriate server device may be efficiently searched in the same manner. That is, the search source server device can send a search request to a nearby server management device, and can receive, for example, a server device that can be reached with the shortest delay time as a response.
[0057]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the service management system, the service management method, the server management device, the communication terminal, and the server device of the present invention, since the performance measurement of each server is performed with a nearby server management device, The increase is suppressed. Also, by using information such as the delay between the server management device and the management device to the server and the delay between other server management devices, select a server with a short delay from the communication terminal or calculate the delay between any server devices. Then, a combination that minimizes the delay in server cooperation can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of a service management system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a server management device according to the embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a mapping unit according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a search request message format in a search procedure of the server device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a search response message format in a search procedure of the server device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram in a server device search procedure from when the communication terminal according to the embodiment issues and receives a server device search request.
FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an operation of the server management apparatus when managing a service in the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
C1 communication terminals N1 to N4 server management devices S1a, S1b, S2a, S2b server device 1 communication unit 2 service search request reception unit 3 service search request transfer unit 4 service search response transmission unit 5 service search Response receiving unit 6 Server device performance measuring unit 7 Other management device performance measuring unit 8 Management unit 9 Server device selecting unit 10 Server device storage unit 11 Timer 12 Mapping unit 121 Interface unit 122 Threshold storage unit 123: duplicate detection unit 124, comparison unit 125, transfer request unit 126, jurisdiction determination unit 127, deduplication unit

Claims

A plurality of server devices that provide the same kind of service,
A communication terminal that issues a server search request to search for a corresponding server device from among the plurality of server devices when requesting service provision;
A server management device that searches for a corresponding server device in response to the server search request and responds to the communication terminal, wherein the server management device includes:
Server device storage means for receiving registration of a nearby server device, measuring the performance of the server device, and holding the measurement result as performance information in association with an identifier identifying the server device;
A service selecting unit for selecting a server device based on performance information of each server device corresponding to the search request in response to the search request.

Search request transfer means for transferring a search request received from the communication terminal or the server device to another server management device;
Response receiving means for receiving a response including the server device managed by the transfer destination server management device and its performance information,
2. The service selection unit according to claim 1, wherein the server selection unit selects a server device from a server device managed by itself and a remote server device managed by another server management device based on performance information of each server device. A service management system according to item 1.

Another management device performance measuring means for measuring a delay with another server management device and holding the measurement result;
Response receiving means for receiving, from the other server management device, performance information of the server device managed by the other server management device,
2. The server device storage unit stores, as performance information of a remote server device, a measurement result held by the other management device performance measurement unit and performance information received by the response reception unit. Or the service management system according to 2.

The server device storage means,
It is characterized in that a valid time designated by each server is retained, an elapsed time from a time when the registration of each server device is received is measured, and the registration of the corresponding server device is deleted according to the result of the timing. The service management system according to claim 1.

The service selection means,
The delay between the communication terminal and the first server management device located near the communication terminal, the delay between the server device and the second server management device located near the communication terminal, and the delay between the first and second server management devices. 5. The service management system according to claim 1, wherein delays are totaled, and each of the performance information is calculated based on the total result. 6.

6. The service management system according to claim 1, wherein the performance information of each server device includes a response processing time, a communication delay, and a processing load.

Threshold storage means for storing a threshold of the performance information;
Comparing means for comparing the performance information of each server registered in the server device storage means with the threshold value;
According to a result of the comparison by the comparing means, the information relating to the server device registered in the own device, a transfer request unit for requesting the transfer of registration to another server management device, comprising a mapping means having The service management system according to claim 1.

The mapping means,
Duplication detection means for comparing the identifier of each server registered in its own device with the identifier of each server registered in another service management system, and identifying a server registered in duplicate;
Jurisdiction determining means for comparing the performance information of the server devices registered in duplicate, and determining a nearby server device to be controlled according to the comparison result;
8. The service management system according to claim 7, further comprising: a deduplication unit for requesting deletion of registration in the own device or deletion of registration in another server management device according to a determination result of the jurisdiction determination unit.

A service search in which a plurality of server management apparatuses search for a corresponding server apparatus from among a plurality of server apparatuses providing the same kind of service in response to a search request issued by a communication terminal, and return a search result to the communication terminal. The method,
(1) receiving, in the server management device, the registration of a nearby server device, measuring the performance of the server device, and retaining the measurement result as performance information in association with an identifier for identifying the server device;
(2) selecting a server device based on performance information of each server device corresponding to the search request in response to the search request.

(3) transferring a search request received from the communication terminal or the server device to another server management device;
(4) receiving a response including the server device managed by the transfer destination server management device and its performance information;
In the step (2), a server device is selected from a server device managed by itself and a remote server device managed by another server management device based on performance information of each server device. 9. The service management method according to item 9.

(5) measuring a delay with another server management device and holding the measurement result;
Receiving the performance information of the server managed by the other server management device from the other server management device (6);
11. The remote server device according to claim 10, wherein in the step (1), the measurement result held in the step (5) and the performance information received in the step (4) are held as performance information of a remote server device. Service management method described in.

In the step (1),
It is characterized in that a valid time designated by each server is retained, an elapsed time from a time when the registration of each server device is received is measured, and the registration of the corresponding server device is deleted according to the result of the timing. The service management method according to claim 9.

In the step (2),
The delay between the communication terminal and the first server management device located near the communication terminal, the delay between the server device and the second server management device located near the communication terminal, and the delay between the first and second server management devices. 13. The service management method according to claim 9, wherein a total of the delay and the performance information is calculated based on a result of the sum.

14. The service management method according to claim 9, wherein the performance information of each server device includes a response processing time, a communication delay, and a processing load.

The threshold value of the performance information is compared with the performance information of each registered server and the threshold value. According to the comparison result, information on the server device registered in the own device is transmitted to another server management device. The service management method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of requesting transfer of registration.

Collating the identifier of each server registered in its own device with the identifier of each server registered in another service management system, and identifying a duplicately registered server;
Comparing the performance information of the server devices registered in duplicate, and determining a nearby server device to be controlled according to the comparison result;
16. The service management method according to claim 15, further comprising: requesting deletion of registration in the own device or deletion of registration in another service management system according to the determination.

In response to a search request issued by the communication terminal, a server management device that searches for a corresponding server device from among a plurality of server devices that provide the same type of service, and responds to the communication terminal with a search result,
Server device storage means for receiving registration of a nearby server device, measuring the performance of the server device, and holding the measurement result as performance information in association with an identifier identifying the server device;
A server selecting unit for selecting a server device based on performance information of each server device corresponding to the search request in response to the search request.

Search request transfer means for transferring a search request received from the communication terminal or the server device to another server management device;
Response receiving means for receiving a response including the server device managed by the transfer destination server management device and its performance information,
18. The service selection unit according to claim 17, wherein the service selection unit selects a server device from a server device managed by itself and a remote server device managed by another server management device based on performance information of each server device. A server management device according to item 1.

Another management device performance measuring means for measuring a delay with another server management device and holding the measurement result;
Response receiving means for receiving, from the other server management device, performance information of the server device managed by the other server management device,
18. The remote server device according to claim 17, wherein the server device storage unit holds the measurement result held by the other management device performance measuring unit and the performance information received by the response receiving unit as performance information of the remote server device. Or the server management device according to 18.

The server device storage means,
It is characterized in that a valid time designated by each server is retained, an elapsed time from a time when the registration of each server device is received is measured, and the registration of the corresponding server device is deleted according to the result of the timing. The server management device according to claim 17.

The service selection means,
The delay between the communication terminal and the first server management device located near the communication terminal, the delay between the server device and the second server management device located near the communication terminal, and the delay between the first and second server management devices. 21. The server management device according to claim 17, wherein the server management apparatus calculates the performance information based on a sum of the delay and the delay.

22. The server management device according to claim 17, wherein the performance information of each server device includes a response processing time, a communication delay, and a processing load.

Threshold storage means for storing a threshold of the performance information;
Comparing means for comparing the performance information of each server registered in the server device storage means with the threshold value;
According to a result of the comparison by the comparing means, the information relating to the server device registered in the own device, a transfer request unit for requesting the transfer of registration to another server management device, comprising a mapping means having 23. The server management device according to claim 17, wherein

The mapping means,
Duplication detection means for comparing the identifier of each server registered in its own device with the identifier of each server registered in another service management system, and identifying a server registered in duplicate;
Jurisdiction determining means for comparing the performance information of the server devices registered in duplicate, and determining a nearby server device to be controlled according to the comparison result;
24. The server management apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising: a deduplication unit that requests deletion of registration in the own device or deletion of registration in another service management system according to a determination result of the jurisdiction determination unit.

A communication terminal receiving a service from a server device,
Means for issuing a search request to a server management device that searches for a corresponding server device from a plurality of server devices that provide the same kind of service;
Means for receiving, from among the server devices registered in the server management device, a result searched based on performance information that is a result of measuring the performance of those server devices.

The search request includes a performance index specifying one of a server device type, a response time, and a load,
26. The communication terminal according to claim 25, wherein the response from the server management device is made based on the performance information matching the performance index.

A server device that provides a service in response to a request from a communication terminal,
Means for requesting registration to a server management device that searches for a corresponding server device in response to the server search request;
Means for responding to service performance in response to a performance measurement request from the server management device;
Means for providing a service when the server management apparatus is searched based on the result of the performance measurement.

Means for specifying the period of valid registration when requesting the registration;
28. The server device according to claim 27, further comprising means for performing a re-registration process before the period expires.