JP2022162840A - Communication system and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication system and a communication method that allow a user to select an optimal redundancy method by determining whether link aggregation or uplink redundancy is selected.SOLUTION: A communication system includes a transmission side communication device, a receiving side communication device, and a management server, the transmission side communication device and the receiving side communication device are connected by two lines, the transmission side communication device and the receiving side communication device perform time synchronization, a transmission data schedule is input to the transmission side communication device and the receiving side communication device, and the transmission side communication device and the receiving side communication device set link aggregate or uplink redundancy for the two lines on the basis of the received transmission data schedule.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to communication systems and communication methods.

In communication equipment, there is a method of utilizing a plurality of communication interfaces and connecting to one communication destination.

Link aggregation and uplink redundancy are techniques for making connections between network devices such as routers and switches redundant. Link aggregation is a technology for bundling a plurality of lines connecting devices and handling them as one virtual line, and is stipulated by IEEE802.3ad. Uplink redundancy is a port redundancy function in which two ports are used for uplinks, one of which is used as an operating line and the other as a standby line.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a communication device that performs communication by bundling a plurality of communication interfaces (link aggregation), and performs communication by switching communication interfaces one by one (port redundancy). ing.

Link Aggregation has a fault-tolerant point of view, since even if one line fails, another line can be used. In many cases, it is adopted to improve communication quality such as.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing communication equipment and lines. A transmitting side communication device S and a receiving side communication device D are connected by two lines (line 1 and line 2). Let the communication speed of line 1 be X (Mbps) and the communication speed of line 2 be Y (Mbps). However, it is assumed that X>Y. The communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side are access points, mobile routers, and the like.

The communication device S and the communication device D set in advance how to use the two lines (whether to use link aggregation or uplink redundancy). FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a case where a communication device sets a line to link aggregation. As shown in FIG. 2, in link aggregation, two lines are bundled and used.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a case where a terminal is connected to communication equipment. The two lines are set to link aggregation. Let A be a terminal connected to communication equipment S. The amount of data transmitted from terminal A is not fixed. Sometimes it is less than the communication speed of line 1 (X (Mbps)), and sometimes it is higher than the communication speed of line 1, but the communication speed of lines 1 and 2 is higher than that of line 1. sometimes less than the sum of (X+Y (Mbps)). In other words, the amount of data transmitted from the terminal A may be an amount that can be sent through one line, or it may overflow through a single line. When and what size data will be transmitted from terminal A is uncertain.

Japanese Patent No. 5537504

For example, in a communication device having two different network interfaces, it is necessary to make effective use of the two network interfaces. However, with general network equipment, it is necessary to set the usage of multiple networks (setting whether to use link aggregation or uplink redundancy) individually for each equipment, and when changing the settings, it is also necessary to change the settings. should be newly implemented.

For example, if the amount of communication data to be sent is small and can be transmitted with only one communication interface, there are cases where link aggregation is set even though uplink redundancy should be set to improve fault tolerance. . In addition, there are cases in which uplink redundancy is set even though the amount of data to be sent is large and cannot be sent using one communication interface. In these cases, when the amount of transmission data is variable, it is not possible to select the optimum communication method (setting between link aggregation and uplink redundancy) depending on the amount of transmission data.

The conventional communication device described in Patent Document 1 is an invention relating to a method of selecting a plurality of communication interfaces at that time, and it is intended to extend the life of the device by selecting an interface in consideration of the usage time, the number of insertions and removals, etc. purpose.

On the other hand, the present invention is an invention that measures the communication of communication equipment and determines whether to perform link aggregation or port redundancy according to the result. It is an invention for the purpose of selecting.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
A communication system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a transmission-side communication device, a reception-side communication device, and a management server, and the transmission-side communication device and the reception-side communication device are connected by two lines. wherein the transmission side communication device and the reception side communication device perform time synchronization, the transmission data schedule is input to the transmission side communication device and the reception side communication device, and the transmission side communication device and the reception side communication device The side communication device is characterized by setting whether the two lines are set to link aggregation or uplink redundancy based on the received transmission data schedule.

A communication method according to an aspect of the present invention is a communication system comprising a transmission-side communication device, a reception-side communication device, and a management server, wherein the transmission-side communication device and the reception-side communication device are connected by two lines. wherein the transmission side communication device and the reception side communication device perform time synchronization, the transmission data schedule is input to the transmission side communication device and the reception side communication device, and the transmission side communication device and the receiving side communication device sets whether the two lines are set to link aggregation or uplink redundancy based on the received transmission data schedule.

According to the communication system and communication method of the present invention, the communication of communication equipment is measured, and depending on the result, it is determined whether to use link aggregation or uplink redundancy, so the optimum redundancy method is selected. can do.

It is a figure which shows a communication apparatus and a line. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a case where a communication device sets a line to link aggregation; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a case where a terminal is connected to communication equipment; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the communication system and communication method which concern on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram when a transmission data schedule is input from the management server; 1 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a flowchart when the initial condition is link aggregation in the third embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

A communication system and a communication method according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a communication system and communication method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 10 has a transmitting side communication device S, a receiving side communication device D, and a management server 20 . A transmitting side communication device S and a receiving side communication device D are connected by two lines (line 1 and line 2). Let the communication speed of line 1 be X (Mbps) and the communication speed of line 2 be Y (Mbps). However, it is assumed that X>Y.

In this embodiment, the usage of the two lines (link aggregation or uplink redundancy) is dynamically set according to the fluctuating amount of transmission data.

Note that this embodiment relates to a case in which transmission data is determined by time. For example, in remote monitoring in a plant, a flag indicating normal operation and small-capacity data such as sensor data values are transmitted to a server at regular intervals during daytime hours. When operation is stopped, such as at night, a large amount of data is transmitted, such as by sending other sensor data values collectively or by sending an update file of the equipment from the server to the sensor terminal on the plant side. This embodiment relates to a case where transmission data is determined by time.

First, the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side are time-synchronized. Time synchronization may be performed directly between the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side using the line 1 or 2, or may be performed via the management server 20. FIG. In the example of FIG. 4, a time synchronization signal is transmitted from the management server 20 to the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side.

Next, the transmission data schedule is input to the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side from the administrator or the management server 20 . FIG. 5 is a diagram when a transmission data schedule is input from the management server 20. As shown in FIG. From the management server 20, a transmission data schedule is input to the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side. The input data is the time and the amount of data at that time. 18:00 to 08:59: △kbps” format.

Based on the received transmission data schedule, the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side schedule the two-line configuration method (link aggregation or uplink redundancy) for each time. do.

When the transmission data amount>X, link aggregation is set.
When Y<transmission data amount<X, uplink redundancy is set in which line 1 is the main line and line 2 is the backup line.
When the transmission data amount<Y, uplink redundancy is set. Which line to use as the main line, line 1 or line 2, is selected according to the packet error rate, communication delay, and other quality parameters for each line.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the communication method of this embodiment. In S11, the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side are time-synchronized. In S12, the transmission data schedule is input to the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side from the administrator or the management server 20. FIG. In S13, the transmitting communication device S and the receiving communication device D configure link aggregation or uplink redundancy according to the transmission data schedule.

According to the communication method of this embodiment, depending on the situation, the communication link can be strengthened, and the communication speed and fault tolerance are improved.

(Second embodiment)
The first embodiment is effective when the transmission schedule is fixed in advance, but the second embodiment considers the case where the transmission schedule is not fixed.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of the communication method of this embodiment. In S21, the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side set uplink redundancy with line 1 as the main line. This is the initial condition.

In S22, data transmission is started from the connection terminal A connected to the communication device S on the transmission side.

At S23, the sending communication device S monitors the transmission queue of the network interface. The network interface exists in the communication device S on the sending side and is an interface for receiving data from the terminal A. FIG. If data that cannot be transmitted accumulates in the transmission side communication device S, the transmission queue overflows.

When the transmission queue does not overflow (when the number of dropped packets is 0), uplink redundancy with line 1 as the main line is continued (S24).
When the transmission queue overflows (when the number of dropped packets>0), link aggregation is set (S25).

Again, when the transmission queue does not overflow, the following settings are made according to the result of measuring the traffic W (bps) passing through the network interface per second (S26). The amount of communication W is the amount of communication from the terminal A to the communication device S on the transmission side per second.
When W>X, the link aggregation is continued (S27).
When Y<W<X, uplink redundancy with line 2 as the main line is established (S28).
When W<Y, the line 1 or line 2 is uplink redundant with the main line (S29). Which line to use as the main line, line 1 or line 2, is selected according to the packet error rate, communication delay, and other quality parameters for each line.

(Third embodiment)
3rd Embodiment is the method which combined 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment.
In the third embodiment, the status of line setting (link aggregation or uplink redundancy setting) determined in the second embodiment is accumulated. The line setting status may be accumulated by the communication device S on the transmission side, the communication device D on the reception side, or by the management server 20 .

The accumulated data is, for example, the following data.
December 1 (Mon)
Time 0:00 to 10:00: Link aggregation Time 10:00 to 11:00: Uplink redundancy Time 11:00 to 23:00: Link aggregation
December 2 (Tue)
Time 0:00 to 10:00: Link aggregation Time 10:00 to 11:00: Uplink redundancy Time 11:00 to 23:00: Link aggregation
Wednesday, December 3
All day: Link aggregation ・・・
Wednesday, December 10th
All Day: Link Aggregation

Based on the accumulation result, the line setting is determined from the tendency of the transmission data. For example, based on the accumulation result above, it is determined that "Wednesday is all-day link aggregation". The determination of the line setting may be performed by the communication device S on the transmission side or the communication device D on the reception side, or may be performed by the management server 20 .

Alternatively, the line dynamic setting processing (S21 to S29) of the second embodiment may be started using the determined line setting (for example, the setting of "link aggregation all day on Wednesday") as an initial condition.

FIG. 8 shows a flow example when the initial condition is link aggregation.

In S31, the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side set link aggregation. This is the initial condition.

In S32, data transmission is started from the connection terminal A connected to the communication device S on the transmission side.

At S33, the sending communication device S monitors the transmission queue of the network interface.
When the transmission queue does not overflow, the following settings are made according to the result of measuring the traffic W (bps) passing through the network interface per second (S35).
When W<Y, the link aggregation is continued (S36).
When Y<W<X, uplink redundancy with line 2 as the main line is established (S37).
When W>X, the line 1 or line 2 is uplink redundant with the main line (S38). Which line to use as the main line, line 1 or line 2, is selected according to the packet error rate, communication delay, and other quality parameters for each line.
When the transmission queue overflows (when the number of dropped packets>0), link aggregation is continued (S34).

In this embodiment, it is possible to improve the communication quality while maintaining mutual compatibility with the mobile ad-hoc network protocol defined by the IETF.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the transmission queue of the network interface is monitored to deal with the case where the transmission schedule is undetermined, and the response is made after the queue overflows. In the fourth embodiment, the second embodiment is improved by monitoring the transmission queue, measuring the amount of increase in the transmission queue per unit time, predicting the time when the queue overflows, and taking measures in advance before the queue overflows. do.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of the communication method of this embodiment.

In S41, the communication device S on the transmission side and the communication device D on the reception side set uplink redundancy with line 1 as the main line. This is the initial condition.

In S42, data transmission is started from the connection terminal A connected to the communication device S on the transmission side.

At S43, the sending communication device S monitors the transmission queue of the network interface and calculates the "data accumulation tendency" to the queue. "Data accumulation trend" is the amount of accumulation per hour (increase rate of data accumulation).
When the "data accumulation tendency" is 0 or less, uplink redundancy with line 1 as the main line is continued (S44).
When the "data accumulation tendency" is positive, the transmission queue overflow time is predicted, and link aggregation is set at that time (S45). Since the send queue has a fixed amount of buffers, dividing it by the "data accumulation trend" gives an estimate of how many hours it will take to overflow.
Again, when the transmission queue does not overflow, the following settings are made according to the result of measuring the traffic W (bps) passing through the network interface per second (S46).
When W>X, the link aggregation is continued (S47).
When Y<W<X, uplink redundancy with line 2 as the main line is established (S48). After that, the "data accumulation tendency" is measured again, and if positive, the transmission queue overflow time is predicted, and the link aggregation is set at that time.
When W<Y, the line 1 or line 2 is set to the uplink redundancy as the main line (S49). Which line to use as the main line, line 1 or line 2, is selected according to the packet error rate, communication delay, and other quality parameters for each line. After that, the "data accumulation tendency" is measured again, and if positive, the transmission queue overflow time is predicted, and the link aggregation is set at that time.

Note that link aggregation may be set as an initial condition, and switching to uplink redundancy may be performed in consideration of the rate of decrease in communication traffic.

In this embodiment as well, it is possible to improve the communication quality while maintaining mutual compatibility with the mobile ad-hoc network protocol defined by the IETF.

As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like are included within the scope of the present invention. Also, the constituent elements shown in the above-described embodiments can be configured by appropriately combining them.

1 line (first line)
2 lines (second line)
20 Management server A Connection terminal D Receiving side communication device S Sending side communication device

Claims (8)

A communication system comprising a transmitting side communication device, a receiving side communication device, and a management server, wherein the transmitting side communication device and the receiving side communication device are connected by two lines,
The transmission side communication device and the reception side communication device perform time synchronization,
a transmission data schedule is input to the transmission side communication device and the reception side communication device;
wherein the transmitting side communication device and the receiving side communication device set whether the two lines are to be link aggregation or uplink redundant based on the received transmission data schedule. system. The transmitting side communication device and the receiving side communication device set uplink redundancy with the main line as the first line,
The transmitting communication device monitors a transmission queue of a network interface with a connection terminal,
when no transmission queue overflow occurs, continuing uplink redundancy with the first line as the main line;
2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said two lines are set to link aggregation when a transmission queue overflow occurs. 3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein line setting conditions are accumulated, and line setting is determined from a tendency of transmission data based on the accumulation result. The transmitting communication device monitors a transmission queue of a network interface with a connection terminal and calculates a tendency of data accumulation in the queue;
when the data accumulation tendency is 0 or less, continuing uplink redundancy with the first line as the main line;
4. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein when said data accumulation tendency is positive, a transmission queue overflow time is predicted, and said two lines are put into link aggregation at that time. A communication method in a communication system having a transmitting side communication device, a receiving side communication device, and a management server, wherein the transmitting side communication device and the receiving side communication device are connected by two lines,
The transmission side communication device and the reception side communication device perform time synchronization,
a transmission data schedule is input to the transmission side communication device and the reception side communication device;
communication characterized in that the transmission side communication device and the reception side communication device set whether the two lines are set to link aggregation or uplink redundancy based on the received transmission data schedule. Method. The transmitting communication device and the receiving communication device set uplink redundancy with the main line as the first line,
the transmitting communication device monitors a transmission queue of a network interface with a connection terminal;
when no transmission queue overflow occurs, continuing uplink redundancy with the first line as the main line;
6. The communication method according to claim 5, wherein said two lines are set to link aggregation when a transmission queue overflow occurs. 7. The communication method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of accumulating line setting conditions, and determining the line setting from the tendency of transmission data based on the accumulated results. the transmitting communication device monitors a transmission queue of a network interface with a connection terminal and calculates a tendency of data accumulation in the queue;
when the data accumulation tendency is 0 or less, continuing uplink redundancy with the first line as the main line;
8. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein when said data accumulation tendency is positive, a transmission queue overflow time is predicted, and said two lines are set to link aggregation at that time.

Images