JP2006041709A - Network management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a network management system which can manage a node having a plurality of NICs without identifying another node by mistake. <P>SOLUTION: A DHCP server 2 includes a set information managing apparatus 23 for registering set value information from a network device managing apparatus 1 to a DB21; and an address managing unit 24 for transmitting a dynamically assigned IP address and set value information to a node 3 if the MAC address corresponding to an NIC 31 is registered with a DB 21 when a request of network set assignment is received from the node 3, storing the IP address, the MAC address and a lease period as updating information in a DB 22, and informing to the network device managing apparatus 1. The network device managing apparatus 1 has a node information managing unit 14 for acquiring the MAC address from the DB 12 based on the input data of the node 3, taking out the set value information of the node from the DB 13, and informing to the DHCP server 2; and a device monitoring unit 15 for holding the updating information from a network set managing apparatus 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a network management system including a network setting management device that dynamically assigns network settings such as a network address to network devices connected to a network, and a network device management device that manages network devices.

  In a network management system, a managed device connected to a network is monitored by accessing the managed device using a network address such as an IP (Internet Protocol) address. Conventionally, an IP address of a device to be managed and a device name (host name) are associated with each other by a DNS (Domain Name System) server, and an IP address is acquired from the host name to attempt address resolution.

  On the other hand, when the number of devices to be managed increases, it is complicated to manually manage IP addresses so that they do not overlap with each device, and there is a possibility of input mistakes. A method of automatically assigning network settings such as an IP address using a Configuration Protocol server is employed.

  Since the IP address may change dynamically when DHCP is used, the DNS server address information also needs to be automatically updated. This has been dealt with by installing a Dynamic DNS server and a DHCP server having a DNS Update function.

  However, even in this method, since it is necessary to manually perform an operation of defining host names so that there is no duplication for each device, problems of complexity and input errors remain. Thus, a technique is disclosed in which a network device management apparatus directly acquires IP address information from a DHCP server without addressing a DNS server and attempts to resolve the address (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-10-013443

  According to the above-described method using the conventional DHCP server, a network device having a DHCP client function that has entered the network acquires an IP address from the DHCP server at startup, while the DHCP server is a network device that has entered the network. The hardware address information is notified to the network device management apparatus. Thereby, the network device management apparatus has an advantage that the device can be automatically detected. However, there are the following problems.

  That is, a network device that has entered the network may have a plurality of network interface cards (NICs), each having a hardware address and a corresponding IP address. This is often the case for network relay devices.

  Here, when IP addresses corresponding to a plurality of network interface cards are acquired by DHCP, the DHCP server recognizes that another device has entered, and the network device management apparatus performs similar recognition. Since one device is originally recognized as another device, there is a problem that network management does not match the actual configuration.

  Next, the DHCP server has an optional function capable of transmitting not only the IP address but also network settings such as a net mask and other arbitrary parameter information to the client device. Setting up a large number of network relay devices individually is as complicated as setting up an IP address, so by setting the necessary parameters from the DHCP server using this function, you can save time and effort for installation and setup. In addition, settings can be changed only on the server side, resulting in a system with excellent maintainability.

  However, with the conventional method, only the same parameter setting can be passed to any device, and settings that require different values for each device must be manually set for each individual device as before. There is a problem.

  Furthermore, it is often necessary to limit the devices that can be connected to the network for security reasons. If any device can obtain an IP address from a DHCP server, connection restrictions cannot be made. Therefore, it is necessary to set the DHCP server to determine whether to assign an IP address, which must be set manually. However, there is a problem that it becomes very complicated.

  Further, the network management, since the network load other than absolutely original data transfer to access the device via a network such, it should not put the network extra load by reducing as much as possible the transmission and reception of the management data There is a problem.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a network management system capable of managing a network device having a plurality of network interfaces without erroneously identifying it from another device. .

  A network management system according to the present invention is a network management system comprising a network device management device that manages network devices connected to a network, and a network setting management device that dynamically assigns network settings to network devices, The network setting management device receives setting value information notified from the network device management device and registers it in a setting information database, and when receiving a network setting assignment request from the network device, If a hardware address corresponding to the network interface card for each network device is registered in the setting information database, the network address assigned dynamically and the registered setting value information are An address management unit that transmits and stores the assigned network address, hardware address, and lease time limit as update information in an address lease information database, and notifies the network device management apparatus of the update information. The device management apparatus acquires the hardware address from the node information database storing the hardware address for each target node and each network interface card based on the input data of the network device connected to the network, and sets the setting value for each node type. Setting value information is extracted from the setting pattern database storing the information using the node type as a key, and notified to the network setting management apparatus; and the notification notified from the network setting management apparatus. And having a device monitoring unit for holding information.

  According to the present invention, even when a node to be managed has a plurality of network interface cards in a network configuration in which network addresses are dynamically assigned, it can be recognized as one node, and a device having a plurality of network interfaces is mistakenly separated. Can be managed without distinguishing from other devices.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
A network management system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a network management system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The network management system shown in FIG. 1 includes a network device management device 1 that manages network devices connected to a network, and a DHCP server 2 as a network setting management device that dynamically assigns network settings such as network addresses to network devices. It has.

  The network device management apparatus 1 stores a hardware interface (HIF) 11 for controlling an interface for displaying a network state on a monitor screen and receiving an operator's data input, and a hardware address for each target node and network interface card. Node information database 12 (hereinafter referred to as DB), setting pattern DB 13 storing setting value information for each type of node, and hardware from node information DB 12 based on input data of network devices connected to the network. The hardware information is acquired, the setting value information is extracted from the setting pattern DB 13 using the node type as a key, and the node information management unit 14 for notifying the DHCP server 2 and a general network management function are provided. It manages the de, and a device monitoring unit 15 that holds the update information notified from the DHCP server 2.

  On the other hand, the DHCP server 2 has a setting information DB 21 for storing various setting information necessary for the DHCP server, such as a range of IP addresses to be assigned and a netmask definition, and an address for storing information on the IP address being leased. The lease information DB 22, the setting information management unit 23 that manages to keep the setting information up-to-date by reflecting the information notified from the network device management apparatus 1 to the setting information DB 21 as needed, and communicates with the DCHP client to obtain the IP address. The address management unit 24 has a function of leasing and updating the lease state in the address lease information DB 22 to keep the DB up-to-date, and notifying the network device management apparatus 1 of address information when the lease state is changed.

  The network device 3 to be managed dynamically associates a network address, that is, an IP address with a network interface card (NIC) 31 and a hardware address of the NIC 31, that is, a MAC (Media Access Control) address. Therefore, a DHCP client function unit 32 having a function of performing protocol communication with the DHCP server 2 is provided. Here, the network device 3 is referred to as a node, and each node incorporates one or a plurality of NICs 31 and has a unique MAC address for each NIC. Further, the network device 3 is configured to simultaneously request necessary setting information other than the IP address from the DHCP server 2 and operate with the acquired setting value.

  The network device management apparatus 1, the DHCP server 2, and the network device 3 are connected via a network 4. This network 4 is shown as a bus type in the figure for simplicity, but is a star type, ring type. Various network configurations such as types are included.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of the setting pattern DB 13 in the network device management apparatus 1. Assuming that the same setting is made for the same type of node, the setting pattern DB 13 sets a set of setting values (setting 1, setting 2, setting 3, setting 4) for each type as shown in FIG. Define as

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of the node information DB 12 in the network device management apparatus 1. In FIG. 3, the node ID uniquely identifies the node so as not to overlap. For example, the node ID is designated by a manufacturing number or an installation location. The number of NICs defines the number of NICs held by the node. Further, input information required for each NIC includes a MAC address and a type. The type matches the type in FIG. 2 and is classified according to the setting pattern. Here, it is assumed that the IP address is updated when the address is given by the DHCP server 2 without data input.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data structure of the address lease information DB 22 in the DHCP server 2. The address lease information DB 22 holds the IP address assigned for each MAC address of the DHCP client 32 that has accepted the request and the lease term in association with each other.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data structure of device information registration data notified from the network device management apparatus 1 to the DHCP server 2. A notification is made as a table structure in which columns of setting item values are arranged for each MAC address. Note that the setting item is replaced with a separately defined option number (option #) as a DHCP option number.

  Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 6 shows a processing flowchart when registering node information. The operator inputs node information connected to the network 4 to the network device management apparatus 1 by manual input or electronic data input (F1-1). The input data is reflected as addition or change information in the node information DB 12 (F1-2). Here, the node information management unit 14 creates device information registration data having the structure shown in FIG. 5 from the added or changed data in the following procedure (F1-3 to F1-6). A loop is performed for each target node and NIC (F1-3), and the MAC address is acquired from the node information DB 12 (F1-4). Also, the setting value is taken out from the setting pattern DB 13 using the type as a key (F1-5). This is repeated until the end of the loop to acquire the required number (F1-6), and the acquired device information registration data is transmitted to the setting information management unit 23 of the DHCP server 2 via the network 4 (F1-7).

  FIG. 7 shows a sequence diagram between apparatuses in the first embodiment. By the node information registration process described above, the device information registration data is transmitted from the network device management apparatus 1 to the DHCP server 2 (S11). The DHCP server 2 saves this in the setting information DB 21, and then returns registration completion to the network device management apparatus 1 (S12).

  Next, the process proceeds to a normal sequence in the DHCP server 2 (S13 to S16). When the node is activated, the DHCP client 32 broadcasts DHCP DISCOVER in the network (S13). If the MAC address information included in the data is registered in the setting information DB 21, the DHCP server 2 transmits the setting value registered together with the assigned IP address (S14: DHCP OFFER). In addition, although details of the DHCP sequence data (S15: DHCP REQUEST, S16: DHCP ACK) between the DHCP client 32 and the DHCP server 2 are omitted, the IP address and necessary setting values are passed to the DHCP client 32 in this sequence. It will be.

  Next, the DHCP server 2 stores the combination of the assigned IP address and the MAC address in the address lease information DB 22, and further the lease time limit of the IP address, and transmits this update information to the network device management apparatus 1 (S17). ). The network device management apparatus 1 reflects the IP address information in the built-in DB of the node information management unit 14 and returns an update completion to the DHCP server 2 (S18). From this point in time, the network device management apparatus 1 can start monitoring polling in NIC units for the monitoring target node (S19).

  That is, when the address management unit 24 receives a network setting assignment request from a node, if the MAC address corresponding to the NIC 31 for each node is registered in the setting information DB 21, the address management unit 24 A function of transmitting the registered setting value information to the node, storing the assigned IP address, MAC address, and lease time limit in the address lease information DB 22 as update information, and notifying the network device management apparatus 1 of the update information Have

  Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the network device management apparatus 1 is configured to hold the address information notified from the DHCP server 2 in the DB and hold the correspondence between the node and the NIC in the node information DB 12. Therefore, even when a node to be managed has a plurality of NICs in a network configuration in which IP addresses are dynamically allocated, it is possible to display the node so that the operator can recognize it as one node. In addition, since the setting value pattern is set according to the type of the node and the setting pattern different from the type of the input data is notified to the DHCP server 2, the network device management apparatus 1 applies to each node. Different settings.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the second embodiment, in addition to the effects shown in the first embodiment described above, an embodiment in which IP address assignment can be restricted so that only a registered node can be connected to the network will be described.

  This function can be realized by the address management unit 24 of the DHCP server 2 according to the flow chart shown in FIG. When receiving the IP address lease request from the DHCP client 32 (F2-1), the address management unit 24 searches the setting information DB 21 for the request source MAC address (F2-2). As a result of the search (F2-3), when the request source MAC address exists in the setting information DB 21, the IP address is leased to the DHCP client 32 (F2-4), and the leased address information is sent to the network device management apparatus 1. Notify (F2-5).

  On the other hand, if the search result (F2-3) indicates that the request source MAC address does not exist in the setting information DB 21, the IP address is not leased (F2-6). Then, the network device management apparatus 1 is notified of the MAC address for which the lease has been rejected. As a result, the network device management apparatus 1 can recognize that an unregistered device is trying to connect to the network 4, and whether the device having this MAC address is due to registration failure or unauthorized access. Information useful for troubleshooting is available.

  Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the address management unit 24 of the DHCP server 2 has a function of determining whether or not an IP address can be leased depending on whether or not the MAC address has already been registered in the setting information DB 21. Other than the above, it is possible to restrict the assignment of the IP address so that it cannot be connected to the network 4. Further, it is possible to detect an event that an unregistered node tries to connect to the network 4.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In network management, in general, the current operation status and status of a node can be determined by polling the node by ICMP (Internet Control Massage Protocol) ECHO packet (PING) and SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), or by receiving SNMP TRAP from the node. Device management is performed by detecting changes and displaying alarms on the monitoring screen or writing them in the error history log. In the third embodiment, the load on the network is suppressed by efficiently reducing the number of transmission / reception for monitoring on these networks.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the network device management apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, as the configuration of the network device management apparatus 1, in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the node status management that holds the allocation state of the network address notified from the DHCP server 2 DB16 is added. Further, the node information management unit 14 incorporates an ARP table that holds the correspondence between the assigned IP address and the MAC address, and the device monitoring unit 15 performs network monitoring only for the NIC 31 to which the IP address is assigned. Has been made.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the data structure of the node state management DB 16. As shown in FIG. 10, the node state management DB 16 holds a MAC address and an IP address for each node ID and NIC, and has an item “state”, in which UP or DOWN is recorded. Here, the state UP indicates the state where the DHCP server 2 is leasing the IP address, and DOWN indicates the state where the DHCP server 2 does not lease the IP address.

  Next, FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) table provided in the network device management apparatus 1. The ARP table holds correspondence between IP addresses and corresponding MAC addresses. In order to respond to changes in the network configuration, it is usually a setting that is dynamically deleted once it has been learned once and then retained for a certain period of time (Dynamic), but is not automatically deleted by manual setting ( Static).

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart of processing in which the network device management apparatus 1 receives an address information update notification from the DHCP server 2. First, the notified MAC address is searched from the node information DB 16 (F31-2). As a result of the search (F31-3), if the notified MAC address does not exist in the node information DB 16, it notifies the HIF 11 as an unregistered MAC address, displays an alarm on the monitoring screen, and leaves it in the history log ( F31-8).

  On the other hand, as a result of the search (F31-3), if the notified MAC address exists in the node information DB 16, the state is updated in the node state management DB 16 (F31-4). That is, if the notification from the DHCP server 2 is a notification that the IP address has been leased, it is updated to UP, and if the lease expiration date of the IP address has expired or the like, a lease release notification is updated to DOWN. The updated state is determined (F31-5), and if the updated state is UP, address information is added to the ARP table as a static type (F31-6). On the other hand, if the updated state is DOWN, the address information is deleted from the ARP table (F31-7).

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for node polling monitoring in the device monitoring unit 15 of the network device management apparatus 1. The polling monitoring loops in the order of records in the node state management DB 16 (F32-2 to F32-6). If the state (F32-3) for each node and NIC is DOWN, the monitoring polling frame is not transmitted and the process ends and the process proceeds to the next node and NIC (F32-6). If the status (F32-3) is UP, an IP address is acquired from the node status management DB (F32-4), and monitoring polling transmission is performed (F32-5).

  This polling is to wait for a response by sending a PING, SNMP Get Request, or the like. If there is no IP address in the ARP table at the time of polling, in order to resolve the corresponding MAC address, transmission is possible by broadcasting an ARP Request to the entire network and obtaining a response from the corresponding NIC.

  However, as described in the explanation of FIG. 12, when the state of the node state management DB 16 is UP, the address information is always updated to be held in the ARP table in the static type. It is guaranteed that information is retained in the ARP table without being automatically deleted.

  Therefore, ARP broadcast accompanying monitoring polling transmission does not occur, leading to a reduction in network load. In addition, when the state is DOWN, it is clear that the target node has released the IP address, so that the extra polling transmission is not sent to the network by excluding it from the monitoring polling target, which also reduces the load.

  Therefore, according to the third embodiment, the network device management apparatus 1 has the node state management DB 16, updates the node state according to the notification content of the DHCP server 2 and updates the ARP table, and the device monitoring unit 15 Therefore, the network load caused by the monitoring polling can be minimized.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the network device management apparatus 1 is configured so that the address information notified from the DHCP server 2 is held in the DB and the correspondence between the node and the NIC is held in the DB. In a network configuration in which IP addresses are dynamically assigned, even when a node to be managed has a plurality of NICs, it can be displayed so that it can be recognized by the operator as one node.

  Further, the network device management apparatus 1 is configured to set the pattern of the setting value according to the type of the node and notify the DHCP server 2 of the setting pattern different from the type of the input data. Different settings can be made from 1 to each node.

  Further, since the DHCP server 2 determines whether or not the IP address can be leased depending on whether or not the MAC address has already been registered in the setting information, it is possible to restrict the assignment of the IP address so that only a registered node can connect to the network. In addition, it is possible to detect an event that an unregistered node tries to connect to the network, thereby preventing and monitoring unauthorized access to the network.

  Further, the network device management apparatus 1 holds the address assignment state of the node, updates the node state according to the notification of the DHCP server 2 and also updates the ARP table, and determines whether or not monitoring polling can be transmitted depending on the node state in the device monitoring polling. Therefore, the load on the network due to monitoring polling can be minimized.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the network management system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a data structure figure of setting pattern DB of the network equipment management apparatus in Embodiment 1-3 of this invention. It is a data structure figure of node information DB of the network equipment management apparatus in Embodiment 1-3 of this invention. It is a data structure figure of address lease information DB of the DHCP server in Embodiment 1-3 of this invention. It is a data structure figure of apparatus information registration in Embodiment 1-3 of this invention. It is a flowchart of the node information registration process in Embodiment 1-3 of this invention. It is an inter-device sequence diagram from node information registration to address information update in the first to third embodiments of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the address request reception process in the address management part of the DHCP server in Embodiment 2-3 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the network management system which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a data structure figure of node state management DB of the network equipment management apparatus in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a data structure figure of a general ARP table. It is a flowchart of the address information notification reception process in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a flowchart of the node monitoring polling in Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1 network device management apparatus, 2 DHCP server, 3 network device (node), 4 network, 11 HIF, 12 node information DB, 13 setting pattern DB, 14 node information management unit, 15 device monitoring unit, 16 node state management DB, 21 setting information DB, 22 address lease information DB, 23 setting information management unit, 24 address management unit, 31 NIC, 32 DHCP client.

Claims (3)

A network device management device for managing network devices connected to the network;
A network management system comprising a network setting management device that dynamically assigns network settings to network devices,
The network setting management device includes:
A setting information management unit that receives setting value information notified from the network device management apparatus and registers the setting value information in a setting information database;
If a hardware address corresponding to a network interface card for each network device is registered in the setting information database when a network setting allocation request is received from the network device, the network address and registration are dynamically allocated. The set value information that has been assigned is transmitted to the network device, the allocated network address, hardware address, and lease time limit are stored as update information in the address lease information database, and the update information is notified to the network device management apparatus. Address management department and
The network device management device includes:
A setting pattern that acquires hardware addresses from a node information database that stores hardware addresses for each target node and network interface card based on input data of network devices connected to the network, and stores setting value information for each type of node A node information management unit that extracts setting value information from the database using the node type as a key, and notifies the network setting management device;
And a device monitoring unit for holding update information notified from the network setting management device. The network management system according to claim 1,
When receiving a network address lease request from a network device, the address management unit searches the setting information database for the requesting hardware address, and the search result indicates that the requesting hardware address is stored in the setting information database. If not, the network management system rejects the lease of the network address, and notifies the network device management apparatus of the hardware address for which the lease is rejected. The network management system according to claim 1 or 2,
The network device management device includes:
A node state management database that holds an assignment state of a network address notified from the network setting management device;
And a table that holds the correspondence between the network address being assigned and the hardware address,
The device monitoring unit performs network monitoring only on a network interface card to which a network address is assigned.

Images