JPH1115764A - Connection terminal managing method and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To register a new terminal even when an unregistered empty area is used up without reserving excessively a storage area of a connection terminal information table and to prevent the failure of connection. SOLUTION: This method acquires terminal information which includes a terminal name and a connection priority according to a connection request from a terminal (S1), retrieves a connection terminal information table with the terminal name (S2) and decides whether it is registered or not (S3). It proceeds to S10 when it is registered, connects the terminal to a host computer, sets a flag of the connection terminal information table to the mid connection, disconnects the connection when an end message of communication is received, eliminates the flag and updates a final access date and hour (S11). When the terminal name is not registered, it checks the existence of an empty area (S4), registers terminal information when an empty area exists (S9) and proceeds to the S10 after ending. When an empty area does not exist, after space selection through priority (S6), it selects a terminal whose final access date and time is the oldest (S7), eliminates its terminal information (S8), proceeds to the S9, newly registers terminal information and performs connection.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connected terminal management method, and more particularly, to a connected terminal management method for connecting a terminal to a host computer in a network system including a host computer and a large number of terminals.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a network system composed of a large number of terminals and a host computer, the host computer usually holds necessary information on terminals to be connected in the form of a connection terminal information table (or file). When a connection request is received from a terminal, the terminal that made the request is identified with reference to the connection terminal information table, and only the registered terminals are connected to perform communication.

Therefore, when a new terminal is installed in an operating network system, a network administrator assigns a terminal name and address information to the new terminal, notifies the new terminal, and actually issues a connection request from the new terminal. Before the connection, the terminal name and address information of the new terminal must be updated in the connection terminal information table in the host computer. As a measure to reduce such a burden on a network administrator, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5-21
No. 6801 discloses that, when a first connection request is made from a new terminal, the terminal information of the new terminal is automatically registered and updated in a free area of a connection terminal information table developed in a storage area in the host computer. A way to do that has been proposed.

[0004]

However, as described in JP-A-5-216801, when a new terminal is automatically registered at the time of the first connection request, the connection terminal information is eventually stored. Since there is no unregistered free space in the table and it is not possible to add new terminals,
There is a problem that connection cannot be established even if a connection request is made. In order to avoid such a situation, a sufficient storage area is reserved for the connection terminal information table, and the network administrator grasps the state of the unregistered free area in the table and permits connection of a new terminal (terminal Name and address information).

[0005] An object of the present invention is to eliminate the necessity of excessively securing a storage area for a connection terminal information table, and to enable a network administrator to obtain a connection permission from a new terminal without having to grasp the state of a free area. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connection terminal management method capable of preventing a connection failure.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection terminal management method, wherein when a plurality of terminals are newly installed in a network system for connecting to a host computer, the new terminals receive the first connection request from the new terminal. In the connection terminal management method having a function of automatically adding the terminal information to the connection terminal information table in the host computer and enabling connection of the terminal, the terminal information already registered in the connection terminal information table When the number reaches the maximum allowable number and there is no free space for new registration, the latest connection history is selected and deleted from the oldest registered terminal information. It is characterized in that the terminal information of the terminal is registered.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection terminal management method.
In the described connection terminal management method, the connection terminal information table stores at least the last access date and time to be updated at the start and end of the connection as information of the latest connection history of each terminal, and stores the terminal information of the registered terminal. When deleting, the terminal information of the registered terminal whose date and time is the oldest is deleted from the connection terminal information table by referring to the last access date and time.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection terminal management method.
In the connection terminal management method described above, the connection terminal information table stores a flag indicating whether each terminal is currently connected or not and a last access date and time to be updated at the end of connection as latest connection history information. In the meantime, when deleting the information of the registered terminal, the terminal information of the registered terminal that is not currently connected and the last access date and time is the oldest with reference to the flag and the last access date and time from the connection terminal information table. It is characterized by being deleted.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection terminal management method.
Alternatively, in the connection terminal management method according to claim 3, the connection priority given to each terminal is stored in the connection terminal information table, and when deleting the information of the registered terminal, a connection request is issued. A registered terminal having a connection priority equal to or lower than the connection priority transmitted from the terminal is selected, and a terminal to be deleted is selected from the registered terminals and deleted from the connection terminal information table.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute the procedure of the connection terminal management method according to the first, second, third or fourth aspect is recorded. I have.

[0011]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a main part of an apparatus used for the embodiment.

First, the configuration and functions of the main parts of the apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, a connection request from the terminal 1 to the host computer is transmitted to the terminal management unit 2 via a network. The terminal management unit 2 is a part of the function of the host computer, and manages a terminal connected to the host computer. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal management unit 2 includes a connection terminal information table 20 and a terminal information acquisition unit 2.
1, terminal information search means 22, and vacancy check means 23
Selecting means 24 by priority, selecting means 25 by last access date and time, existing terminal information deleting means 26, new terminal information registering means 27, connection start processing means 28,
And a connection termination processing means 29. The thick arrows in the drawing indicate the flow of processing, and the thin arrows indicate the flow of information exchange within the terminal management unit 2.

The connection terminal information table 20 is a management table in which terminal information of a large number of terminals permitted to connect to the host computer is recorded. As shown in FIG. Information, terminal name, connection priority, flag indicating connection, and last access date and time are stored. The connection priority indicates the priority processing order of the connection request from the terminal, and is reflected in the order when the connection request is connected to the queue.
The address information, the terminal name, and the connection priority are not rewritten until the terminal information is registered and then deleted, but the flag and the last access date and time are updated each time the terminal makes a connection. Specifically, when the connection between the terminal and the host computer is started, a flag is set by the connection start processing means 28, and when the communication between the terminal and the host computer is terminated and the connection is disconnected, the connection is terminated. Processing means 2
9 deletes the flag and updates the last access date and time.

Upon receiving the connection request from the terminal 1, the terminal information obtaining means 21 obtains, from the connection request, the terminal name, address information, and connection priority of the request source, and obtains necessary information from the terminal information searching means 22. , The priority selection means 24 and the new terminal information registration means 27.

The terminal information search means 22 searches the connection terminal information table 20 based on the terminal name given from the terminal information acquisition means 21 and, if the corresponding terminal name has been registered, the connection start processing means 28 And if it is not registered, the control is passed to the empty check means 23.

The empty check means 23 checks whether there is an empty area for registering a new terminal in the connection terminal information table 20. If there is an empty area,
The location information is notified and the control is passed to the new terminal information registration means 27. If there is no free area, the control is transferred to the priority-based selection means 24.

The priority selection means 24 searches the connection terminal information table 20 according to the connection priority given from the terminal information acquisition means 21 and preliminarily selects terminal information having the same or lower connection priority, together with the information. Control is passed to the selection means 25 based on the last access date and time.

The selecting means 25 based on the last access date and time
From the terminal information preliminarily selected by the priority selecting means 24, the terminal information indicating that the connection is not set and the terminal having the oldest access date and time is selected, and the position information is set to the existing terminal. The information is passed to the information deleting means 26.

The existing terminal information deletion means 26 deletes the terminal information corresponding to the position information given from the selection means 25 based on the last access date and time from the connection terminal information table 20 and passes control to the new terminal information registration means 27.

The new terminal information registration unit 27 stores the address information, the terminal name, and the connection priority given by the terminal information acquisition unit 21 in the free space of the connection terminal information table 20 secured by the deletion by the existing terminal information deletion unit 26. The area or the empty area searched by the empty check means 23 is written and notified to the connection start processing means 28.

The connection start processing means 28 is started by the terminal information searching means 22 or the new terminal information registering means 27, performs a terminal connection to the host computer main body, and sets a flag of the terminal information of the corresponding terminal in the connection terminal information table 20. Set during connection.

The connection termination processing means 29 disconnects the connection when the communication between the terminal and the host computer is terminated, deletes the corresponding terminal information flag in the connection terminal information table 20, and updates the last access date and time. .

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a series of processing procedures of the terminal management unit 2 when a connection request is received from the terminal 1 in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described according to FIG. 1 with reference to FIG.

When a connection request is received from the terminal 1, the terminal information obtaining means 21 obtains address information, a terminal name, and a connection priority from the connection request (step S1).
2 searches the connected terminal information table 20 with the acquired terminal name (step S2), and determines whether or not the terminal that has made the connection request has been registered (step S3). If registered, the process proceeds to step S10, where the connection start processing unit 28 connects the terminal to the host computer, and sets a flag in the terminal information of the terminal in the connected terminal information table 20 to "connected". Upon receiving the communication termination notification from the host computer, the connection termination processing means 29 disconnects the connection with the terminal, removes the flag in the terminal information of the terminal in the connection terminal information table 20, and sets the final The access date and time is updated to the date and time when the connection was disconnected (step S11).

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S3 is that the terminal name of the terminal that has made the connection request is not registered in the connection terminal information table 20, the empty check means 23
Checks whether there is an empty area for new registration in the connection terminal information table 20 (step S).
4). If there is a free area, the position information is notified to the new terminal information registration unit 27, and the terminal information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 21 is written to the corresponding position in the connection terminal information table 20 (step S9). When the writing is completed, the process proceeds to step S10, the terminal is connected, and a flag is set. If there is no vacant area, preliminary selection is performed by the priority selection means 24 based on the connection priority passed from the terminal information acquisition means 21 (step S).
6) The last access date / time selection means 25 selects terminal information for which no connection flag is set from among them and has the oldest last access date / time as a deletion candidate (step S7), and the existing terminal information deletion means 26 deletes the selected terminal information from the connected terminal information table 20,
The location information is passed to the new terminal information registration means 27 (step S8). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S9, where the terminal information of the terminal that has made the connection request is written in the deleted position in the connected terminal information table 20, and the connection is made.

Next, the above operation will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 4, the same number of terminal information as the number of table entries is already registered in the connection terminal information table, and when there is no free area for new registration, the address information is "ADDR11", the terminal name is Is "TERMB", and a new terminal whose connection priority is "3" makes a connection request. The connection priority has a value from “1” to “4”, and “1” has the highest priority, and the higher the value, the lower the priority. The flag indicates that "1" is being connected.

When a connection request is made, the terminal information search means 22 searches the connection terminal information table 2 with the terminal name "TERMB".
0 is searched (steps S1 and S2). As shown in FIG. 4, the connection terminal information table 20 stores the terminal name “TERM”.
The search fails because "B" does not exist. Therefore, this terminal is determined to be an unregistered new terminal, and the empty check means 23 checks whether there is an empty area for new registration (steps S3 and S4). Connected terminal information table 2
0 has already registered the terminal information of the number of entries, and there is no free area. Therefore, the priority-based selection unit 24 performs preliminary selection based on the connection priority “3” passed from the terminal information acquisition unit 21, and the connection priority is The terminal name of “3” or “4” is “TERM3” “TERM6” “TERM8” “TER”
MA "(steps S5 and S5).
6). Subsequently, the selection means 25 based on the last access date and time selects the terminal information of "TERM3" whose flag is not "1" and the last access time is the oldest, and the existing terminal information deletion means 26 selects the terminal information of the entry. Is deleted (steps S7, S8). Finally, the new terminal information registration unit 27 writes the address information, terminal name, and connection priority of the terminal passed from the terminal information acquisition unit 21 into the corresponding entry, and the connection start processing unit 28 executes connection and connects to the flag. "1" indicating the inside is set (step S9,
S10).

FIG. 5 shows the terminal name "TERM"
In this state, the terminal information of the new terminal “B” is registered, and a flag indicating that the terminal is being connected is set. At this point, the last access date and time is blank, but when the communication with the host computer ends, the flag is updated to “0” by the connection termination processing means 29, and the information of the date and time when the connection was disconnected is displayed as the last access date and time. The date and time are recorded (step S11).

As described above, in the present embodiment,
The terminal that has issued the connection request is immediately connected if it has been registered in the connected terminal information table 20, and even if it has not been registered, it is registered and then connected. At this time, if there is a vacant area for new registration in the connection terminal information table 20, if there is no vacant area, after the preliminary selection based on the connection priority, the time after the latest access has been completed is the shortest time. Registration is performed by deleting the terminal information of the terminal that has passed and has a low possibility of reconnection. Thereby, new registration in the connection terminal information table 20 can be performed without the intervention of the network administrator regardless of the presence or absence of an empty area, and terminal information of a terminal with a high connection priority or a terminal that is frequently connected is deleted. Can be prevented. If a connection request is made later from the deleted terminal, re-registration is performed by the same procedure as in the case of the above-described new terminal, and connection is possible.

In the above-described embodiment, when there is no free space at the time of registration of a new terminal, a registered terminal having the same or lower connection priority is preliminarily selected, and the terminal which is not currently connected and which has the last access date and time is selected from among them. The old terminal was selected, the terminal information was deleted, and registration was performed. On the other hand, the preliminary selection based on the connection priority may not be performed, and the terminal that is not currently connected and has the oldest last access date and time may be selected and deleted regardless of the connection priority. Preliminary selection based on the connection priority is performed, but the selection criterion is changed. For example, the higher the connection priority, the older the reference date and time is set, and the terminal with the last access date and time older than the reference date and time is preliminarily selected. The terminal having the oldest last access date and time may be selected last. Although the determination as to whether or not a connection is currently being made is made at the time of final selection instead of at the time of preliminary selection, it may be made at the time of preliminary selection.

In the above-described embodiment, a flag area is provided in the connection terminal information table to determine whether or not connection is currently being made, and the data value of the last access date and time is updated only at the end of connection. However, it is also possible that the flag area is not provided in the connected terminal information table and the determination as to whether or not the terminal is currently connected is performed by another method (such as providing a connected terminal table separately). The data value of the last access date and time is updated at the start and end of the connection and, if necessary, every time the connection is continued for a certain period of time. However, almost the same function can be exhibited.

In the above-described embodiment, the last access date and time is stored in the connection terminal information table as information necessary for selecting a terminal to be deleted. It is also possible to use information. For example, a similar process can be performed by providing a counter that counts up at the time of access start and end processing, and records the count value as access history information instead of date and time data.

In the above-described embodiment, all unregistered terminals that have made a connection request are automatically registered in the connected terminal information table and can be connected. Restrictions may be set. For example, a specific encryption information is included in the terminal name given by the network administrator, and this encryption information is decrypted to confirm that the terminal name is a legally-assigned terminal. By prohibiting the registration of devices described in,
It is conceivable to prevent automatic registration of a terminal whose connection is not permitted even if the terminal name is a legally assigned terminal due to a change in the situation thereafter.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention, which comprises a terminal 1, a host computer 3 and a recording medium 4. The host computer 3 includes the terminal management unit 2 shown in FIG. 2, and the recording medium 4 stores a program for executing processing of each unit included in the terminal management unit 2. By reading these programs from the recording medium 4, the same processing as described in the first embodiment can be performed.

[0036]

As described above, according to the connection terminal management method and the storage medium of the present invention, the load on the network administrator can be reduced by automatically registering the terminal information of the new terminal in the connection terminal information table in the host computer. In addition to the above, it is possible to solve the problem that the unregistered free space disappears and connection from a new terminal cannot be performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a connection failure from a new terminal to which connection permission has been given without securing an excessive storage area for the connection terminal information table and without the network administrator having to worry about the state of the free area. .

If there is no free area in the connection terminal information table, the terminal that has passed the most time since the last access was selected is deleted, and the terminal information is deleted. By considering the degree, it is possible to prevent the terminal information of the terminal having the higher connection priority or the terminal that is frequently connected from being deleted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a series of processing procedures according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a device configuration for executing the processing procedure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a data format of a connection terminal information table of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a connection terminal information table having no free area.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a transition when a new terminal is registered in the state of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal 2 Terminal management unit 3 Host computer 4 Recording medium 20 Connected terminal information table 21 Terminal information acquisition means 22 Terminal information search means 23 Empty check means 24 Selection means by priority 25 Selection means by last access date and time 26 Existing terminal information deletion means 27 new terminal information registration means 28 connection start processing means 29 connection end processing means

Claims (5)

[Claims] When a new terminal is installed in a network system in which a plurality of terminals connect to a host computer, terminal information of the terminal is automatically stored in a connection terminal information table in the host computer when a first connection request is made from the new terminal. In the connection terminal management method having a function of enabling the terminal to be additionally registered and connectable to the terminal, the number of terminal information already registered in the connection terminal information table reaches an allowable maximum number, and an empty space for new registration is obtained. In the case where there is no area, the terminal information of an unregistered terminal that has made a connection request is registered by selecting and deleting the terminal information of a registered terminal having the oldest connection history. Management method. 2. The connection terminal information table stores at least the last access date and time updated at the start and end of connection as information of the latest connection history of each terminal,
2. The terminal information of a registered terminal is deleted from the connection terminal information table by referring to the last access date and time, and deleting terminal information of the registered terminal with the oldest date and time. Connection terminal management method. 3. The connection terminal information table stores a flag indicating whether each terminal is currently connected or not, and a last access date and time to be updated at the end of connection as latest connection history information, When deleting the information of the registered terminal, referring to the flag and the last access date and time, delete the terminal information of the registered terminal having the oldest last access date and time from the connection terminal information table that is not currently connected and has the last access date and time. 2. The connection terminal management method according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The connection priority given to each terminal is stored in the connection terminal information table, and when deleting the information of the registered terminal, the connection priority transmitted from the terminal that has made the connection request is deleted. 4. A registered terminal having a connection priority equal to or lower than the registered terminal is selected, a terminal to be deleted is selected from the selected terminals, and the terminal is deleted from the connected terminal information table. Connection terminal management method. 5. A recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute the procedure of the connection terminal management method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 is recorded.