JP2001069166A - Packet communication control method and apparatus, and recording medium recording packet communication control program - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A packet communication control method and apparatus capable of controlling priority of a specific packet in a high-speed broadband network, and a recording medium storing a packet communication control program. A packet communication control device γ copies received packets P, an input buffer A1 to A3 for temporarily storing the copied packets, and a packet sorting device for each predetermined priority. G1 to G3
And a header analysis processing means H connected in parallel to the plurality of packet selection means G1 to G3 to analyze and process the header information of the packet P, and connected to the header analysis processing means H to recognize the priority of the packet P, A switch C that accumulates in the output buffers D1 to D3 of the recognized priority; and output buffers D1 to D3 for each priority, and an input buffer between the reception packet copying unit F and the header analysis processing unit H. A1 to A3 and packet sorting means G1 to G3 are respectively set in series and connected in parallel for each priority.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention records a packet communication control method and apparatus and a packet communication control program capable of performing processing related to communication service quality (Quality of Service: QoS) in a high-speed broadband data communication network such as the Internet. It relates to a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, traffic on high-speed data communication networks such as the Internet has been increasing exponentially. Until now, the Internet has basically been a best-effort service, and has an architecture that does not guarantee quality of service (QoS) such as a packet loss rate, delay, and jitter.

However, with the spread of the Internet, service quality differentiation (Di-
Interest in fferentiated service (DS) is growing. This, in a word, depends on the contractor's contract level,
It guarantees service quality levels such as packet loss rate, delay, and jitter, and will be an important technology item for individual Internet service providers in the near future. Therefore, communication devices such as routers that make up the next generation of the Internet have broadband and
Realizing service differentiation is considered to be an essential item.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a conventional router α, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart of processing of a packet P by the router α. The router α comprises an input buffer A, a header read / write means 1, a path control means (path control processor) 2, a header control processing means B composed of a path information table 3, a switch C, and an output buffer D.

In the conventional router α, first, when a packet P is received (S1), it is determined whether or not there is a free space in the input buffer A (S2). Is stored in the receiving order (S3),
The protocol, route information, priority, etc. of the packet P are analyzed by the header control processing means B such as the route control means 2 (S4), and thereafter, according to the result of the analysis processing, the output port OUT is output via the switch C. Is selected (S5), accumulated in the output buffer D (S6), transmitted in the order of accumulation in the output buffer D (S7), and if there is no free space in S2, the packet is discarded (S8). ing.

In such a configuration, the packets P are processed in principle on a first-come, first-served basis, and it is not possible to realize service quality differentiation. Therefore, a router β capable of realizing service differentiation has been studied, and a router β that performs output buffer management processing, that is, is equipped with an output buffer management mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a router β for performing output buffer management processing, and FIG. 10 is a flow chart of processing of a packet P by the router β. Router β that performs output buffer management processing
Has a plurality of output buffers D1, D2, and D3, and can select the output buffers D1 to D3 according to the priority of the packet P by the switch C ′. Further, the header control processing means E has a configuration in which the communication quality information table 4 is added to each component of the header control processing means B in FIG.

In the processing of the packet P in the router β, the priority of the packet P is determined by the switch C ′ instead of S6 and subsequent S7 in the flow chart of the processing of the router α (FIG. 8) (S61). The packets are stored in the output buffer of the grade corresponding to the priority (S62), and the packets stored in the order of the priority of the output buffers D1 to D3 are transmitted (S71).

Therefore, in the router β, the packets P stored in the output buffer D1 having a higher priority are transmitted with higher priority than the packets P stored in the other output buffers D2 and D3. Low jitter and high quality services.

[0010]

However, although the router β for performing the output buffer management processing shown in FIG. 9 is considered to be effective in realizing the service quality differentiation in the next-generation Internet, it is as follows. I have a problem. That is, it is clear from the flowchart of FIG. 10 that the priority control is performed only in the output buffers D1, D2, and D3, and the priority control of the packet P is not performed in the input buffer A.

This is because the priority assigned to the packet P is determined only after the header information of the received packet P is analyzed. For this reason, the priority determination process is performed according to the principle of first-in first-out (FIFO) processing, regardless of the priorities assigned to conventional packets.

For example, when a high-priority packet P is received after a large number of low-priority packets P are received, the processing of the low-priority packet P received first is completed until the processing of the previously received low-priority packet P is completed. Higher packets P are waiting in the input buffer A, causing a large delay despite the higher priority.

Therefore, even the router β which performs the output buffer management processing cannot realize sufficient differentiation of service quality, and priority control for the input buffer A remains as a major problem. Become.

Therefore, as a means for solving the above-mentioned major problem, a configuration without the input buffer A can be considered. For example, if the header analysis processing can be performed at the same speed as the received signal, that is, in real time, it is not necessary to provide the input buffer A, and even if the packets P are analyzed in the first-come-first- There is no worry about inviting. Therefore, it seems that the configuration without the input buffer A can be realized when the transmission speed of the input signal is low.

However, in a situation where the transmission speed is going to reach 10 Gbps due to the progress of the optical fiber communication technology, it is becoming difficult to realize means for solving the above-mentioned large problem. In particular, due to the expansion of the Internet, the amount of route information is becoming enormous and the transmission speed will increase to 40
Gbps, and wavelength multiplexing technology advances,
Assuming a situation in which data exceeding bps tends to flow, it is becoming very difficult to analyze the header information in real time without providing the input buffer A.

As described above, in the control regarding the packet priority in the routers α and β, as the bandwidth of the data traffic increases, the delay in the input buffer A occurs, and the priority for the specific packet P is increased. It is impossible to control and it is impossible to realize sufficient differentiation of service quality.

Here, the main objects to be solved by the present invention are as follows.

[0018] A first object of the present invention is to provide a packet communication control method and apparatus capable of realizing differentiation of a packet communication service and a recording medium on which a packet communication control program is recorded.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a packet communication control method and apparatus capable of controlling priority of a specific packet and a recording medium on which a packet communication control program is recorded.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a packet communication control method and apparatus capable of exhibiting sufficient power even in a future high-speed broadband data communication network, and a recording medium on which a packet communication control program is recorded.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the specification, the drawings, and particularly the description of each claim in the claims.

[0022]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the method of the present invention determines the priority of a packet prior to packet control processing, and then controls the packet according to the determined priority. It has the feature of performing processing.

The device of the present invention solves the above problems.
An input buffer for temporarily storing received packets,
A packet sorting unit for each predetermined priority, a header analyzing unit connected to the packet sorting unit and analyzing header information of the packet, and a packet analyzing unit connected to the header analyzing unit and recognizing the priority of the packet. The switch includes a switch that accumulates in the output buffer according to the recognized priority and an output buffer that temporarily accumulates for transmission.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the recording medium of the present invention comprises a packet selection program for selecting only packets having a priority specified in advance at the stage of the input buffer at a stage subsequent to the input buffer for storing the packets, After analyzing the header information, the route information is determined by referring to the route information stored in the route information table and the communication quality information stored in the communication quality information table based on the analyzed information, and the packet information of the packet is determined. A program having a feature of performing a series of execution processes of a path control program that performs a writing process in a header is recorded.

More specifically, in order to solve the problem, the present invention achieves the above object by adopting a novel characteristic configuration method or means from the upper concept to the lower concept enumerated below. It is done as follows.

A first feature of the method of the present invention is a method for controlling packet communication, in which a determination on the priority of a received packet is first performed, and subsequently, a determination is made in accordance with the determined priority. In this case, the packet communication control method for performing the control processing of the packet is employed.

According to a second feature of the method of the present invention, the determination in the first feature of the method of the present invention is such that after the received packet is copied and stored in all input buffers corresponding to respective priorities, The stored packets are output to the individual packet selecting means connected to the input buffers of the respective priorities, and the determination is made based on whether or not the priority corresponds to a predetermined priority individually for each of the packet selecting means. In the configuration of the packet communication control method.

According to a third feature of the method of the present invention, the determination in the first feature of the method of the present invention is such that the input signal of the received packet is distributed and stored in all input buffers corresponding to each priority. After that, the stored packets are output to the individual packet selecting means connected to the input buffers of the respective priorities, and whether or not the priority corresponds to the predetermined priority individually for each of the packet selecting means is determined. In the adoption of the configuration of the packet communication control method performed by

A fourth feature of the method of the present invention is that the determination in the first feature of the method of the present invention is such that, after storing the received packet in the first-stage input buffer having the highest priority, a time difference is set. The multi-stage processing is performed in ascending order of priority, and the multi-stage processing corresponds to the priority stored in the input buffer at a certain priority level in the order of accumulation in the input buffer and the priority defined in advance in the relevant step. It is determined whether or not to perform the above-described packet control processing if applicable, and if not applicable, the step processing of accumulating in the input buffer of the next lower priority step is performed. The present invention resides in adopting a configuration of a packet communication control method, which is a process for sequentially performing one-step processing to a final step processing of a predetermined priority class number.

A fifth feature of the method of the present invention is that the control processing of the packet in the first, second, third or fourth feature of the method of the present invention is performed in parallel for each determination of the priority, A packet communication control method for reading path information and communication quality information stored in advance on the basis of the header information after reading the header information of the packet and writing the path information for the packet in the header of the packet; Configuration adoption.

A sixth feature of the method of the present invention is that the parallel processing in the fifth feature of the method of the present invention is realized by allocating processor resources corresponding to respective priorities by a weighted cyclic method. The present invention resides in adopting a configuration of a communication control method.

A seventh feature of the method of the present invention is that the control method according to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth feature of the method of the present invention is such that the control method of the packet continues after the control processing of the packet. The present invention resides in the adoption of a configuration of a packet communication control method in which packets are temporarily stored in an output buffer and transmitted in the order of high priority of the packets and in the order of storage.

A first feature of the device of the present invention is a communication control device for performing communication control according to the priority of a received packet, comprising: an input buffer group corresponding to a priority class number for temporarily storing packets; A packet selection means group connected to each of the input buffers and selecting only packets of a predetermined priority; and a header analysis processing means connected to the packet selection means group and analyzing header information of the packet. And a switch connected to the header analysis processing means for recognizing the priority of the packet and outputting it to the switching output buffer corresponding to the priority, and temporarily storing the packet for transmitting the switch output And a configuration of a packet communication control device including an output buffer group.

A second feature of the device of the present invention is that the communication control device according to the first feature of the device of the present invention further includes a received packet copying means for copying the received single packet by a priority class. A plurality of the input buffers and a plurality of the packet sorting means are serially connected one by one individually between the received packet copying means and the header analysis processing means, and are connected in parallel for each priority class number. In the configuration of the packet communication control device.

A third feature of the present invention is that the communication control device according to the first feature of the present invention is characterized in that the communication control unit distributes the received single packet input signal to a priority class number group. Also, between the received packet distribution means and the header analysis processing means, a plurality of the input buffer and a plurality of the packet selection means are serially connected one by one individually, in parallel for each priority class The present invention resides in the configuration adoption of the connected packet communication control device.

A fourth feature of the device of the present invention is that the reception packet distribution means in the third feature of the device of the present invention is characterized in that:
Another aspect of the present invention resides in a configuration of a packet communication control device including a beam splitter for distributing the received single-packet optical input signal to a priority class.

A fifth feature of the device of the present invention is that the packet selecting means in the first, second, third or fourth feature of the above-described device of the present invention is arranged such that the packet priority is determined by a predetermined priority. It is determined whether the packet is applicable, and if applicable, only the packet is output to the header analysis processing means,
If it does not correspond, the configuration of the packet communication control device, which is means for discarding the packet, is adopted.

A sixth feature of the device of the present invention is that the communication control device according to the first feature of the device of the present invention is such that the input buffer and the input buffer have a natural number N, where the predetermined priority class number is a natural number N. The packet sorting means is a first stage input buffer to an Nth stage input buffer and a first stage packet sorting unit to an Nth stage packet sorting unit, respectively. Is configured as a set for each stage, and the packet selecting unit at each stage is connected in parallel to the header analyzing unit so that the packets selected by the packet selecting unit at each stage can be output to the header analyzing unit one by one. At the same time, the packet sorting means at each stage is provided with an input buffer at the next stage so that packets not to be sorted can be stored in an input buffer at the next stage. The received packets are stored in the input buffer of the first stage so as to be freely accumulable, and the packets that are not selected by the packet selecting device of all stages are sent to the header analysis processing device. The present invention resides in adoption of a configuration of a packet communication control device in which a final N-th stage packet selection means is connected to the header analysis processing means so as to be freely output.

A seventh feature of the device of the present invention resides in that the header analysis processing means in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth feature of the device of the present invention is characterized in that A read / write unit, a route control unit connected to the read / write unit for exchanging header information and performing packet route control, and a route information table and a communication quality information table storing information related to the route control. The present invention resides in adopting the configuration of the provided packet communication control.

A first feature of the recording medium of the present invention is a program relating to control of packet communication, in which a priority of a packet is recognized at a stage subsequent to an input buffer for storing the packet, and the recognized priority and the relevant priority are recognized. At the stage of the input buffer, it is determined whether or not the priority matches a predetermined priority. If the priority matches, the packet is output to the header analysis processing means,
If they do not match, the packet discriminating program that sequentially discards the packet or outputs the packet to the input buffer of the next priority level or the header analysis processing means, and analyzes the header information of the packet. Based on the analyzed information, respectively referring to the path information stored in the path information table and the communication quality information stored in the communication quality information table, and determining a path information and performing a writing process on a packet header; , Are executed in series, and the configuration of a recording medium that records a packet communication control program.

[0041]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with respect to an example of an apparatus, an example of a method, and an example of a recording medium. Before that, the principle of the present invention will be described.

(Principle of the Invention) The principle of the present invention is to determine the priority of a packet P prior to processing related to control of the packet P (for example, path control), and to perform control based on the determined priority. (Eg, route control)
As a result, it is possible to achieve both broadband and differentiating the quality of service.

The packet P is composed of header information including information such as path information as a header portion, and is a small unit of data communication. In addition, in order to clarify the difference from the conventional technique, the present invention is implemented using the same means or the same means as possible, and the same reference numerals are given to such means. is there.

(Device Example 1) FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a packet communication control device γ according to an embodiment of the present invention. The packet communication control device γ comprises: a received packet copying means F for copying a received single packet by a priority class number; a plurality of input buffers A1 to A3 corresponding to the priority class number; Packet selection means (packet selection processor) G for outputting and discarding other packets
1 to G3, a header analysis processing means H, a switching means such as a switch C ', and a plurality of output buffers D1 to D3 corresponding to the priority class numbers.

External means input port IN and output port O
Connected by UT. Although FIG. 1 shows one input and one output for explanation, it is actually a multiple input and multiple output (FIGS. 2 and 5).
The same).

Also, according to the present invention, as described above, the packet P
Prior to the control of the packet P, the priority class of the packet P is determined, and the control of the packet P is performed based on the determination. Therefore, in the configuration of the packet communication control device γ, the header analysis processing is performed from the input port IN. The configuration up to the input to the means H is the main configuration of the invention, and the other components, that is, the configuration of the header analysis processing means H, the switch C ', and the output buffers D1 to D3 are not limited to those shown in the figure. However, it can be changed as needed.

The header analysis processing means H includes a header reading / writing means 1 for reading / writing header information, a path control means (path control processor) 2 connected to the header reading / writing means 1 for performing path control, and a path control means 2 And a communication quality information table 4 for storing communication quality information referred to by the path control means 2.

With the above configuration, the packet communication control device γ
Then, the received packet P (input signal) is copied by the received packet copying means F, and the same plurality of packets P
Are input to the input buffers A1 to A3, and the packets are sorted by the packet sorting means G1 to G3 according to a predetermined priority.

The switches C 'from the input buffers A1 to A3
Are processed in parallel, even if a high-priority packet P is received after a large number of low-priority packets P are received, without waiting for the processing of the low-priority packet P, It becomes possible to immediately process a packet P having a high priority.

Further, in the header information analysis processing performed by the header analysis processing means H, more detailed path information / communication quality information is stored in the path information table 3 / communication quality information table 4, and the processing of the packet P is weighted. By the cyclic method, weighting is performed according to the priority of the packet P, and processor resources for the analysis processing can be allocated.

That is, conventionally, the path control is processed in the order of reception. However, according to the above configuration, more processor resources are allocated to the processing of the path information of the packet P having a high priority. Even in a high-speed broadband network environment, it is possible to sufficiently differentiate service quality.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a packet communication control device δ obtained by partially modifying the packet communication control device γ.

In the packet communication control device δ, when the input signal is an optical input signal, the received packet distribution means I is used instead of the received packet copying means F. It comprises a beam splitter 6 and optical / electrical conversion (O / E) means 7.

Here, the received packet distribution means I is not limited to the case shown in the figure, and a half mirror or the like may be used. The use of the optical amplifier 5 is not essential because it is used to reduce the intensity of the optical input signal due to the distribution of the priority classes, and the use of the optical amplifier 5 also depends on the number of priorities.

With the above configuration, an optical signal of 10 Gbpsb is directly input to the network interface of the packet communication control device, and the input optical input signal is first amplified by the optical amplifier 5, and the priority class is selected by the 1: 3 beam splitter 6. The number is branched into three. Then, the split optical signal is converted into an electrical signal by the optical / electrical conversion means 7,
The data is accumulated in the input buffers A1 to A3.

Thereafter, similarly to the packet communication control device γ, the packets P stored in the input buffers A1 to A3 are
Are sorted according to the priority by parallel processing, and processing related to the route information is performed according to the priority of the packet P.
The data is accumulated in the output buffers D1 to D3 via the switch C 'and transmitted.

(Method Example 1) The method example 1 is the same as the apparatus example 1 described above.
The implementation of the method example 1 will be described while explaining the flow of packets in the device example 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the process in the packet communication control device γ. When the packet communication control device γ receives the packet P (S1), the input buffers A1 to A3
Is determined (S2). In S2, if the input buffers A1 to A3 are available, the packet P received in S1 is subjected to priority class copying by the receiving packet copying means F, and the copied packets P are input buffers A1 to A3.
3 (S31).

After S31, the individual input buffers A1
At A3 to A3, each of the corresponding packet selecting means G1 to G3 receives the stored packet P and receives a predetermined high / medium / predetermined value.
It is determined whether each of the low-priority classes corresponds to the priority (S32, S33, S34), and the header of the packet P of the priority specified in the input buffers A1 to A3 is analyzed and processed. (S41, S42, S4
3).

The above is the main flow of the present invention.
Subsequently, the switch C 'is set to S41, S42, S4.
Output port OU based on the result analyzed and processed in 3.
T is selected (S5), the priority class of the packet P is determined (S61), and stored in one of the output buffers D1 to D3 according to the priority class of the packet P (S62), and the output buffer D1 is stored. The transmission is performed in the order of priority of D3 to D3 and in the order of accumulation (S71).

If there is no free space in the input buffers A1 to A3 in S2, and if the packets P have a priority other than the high, medium and low priorities defined by the packet selecting means G1 to G3, the packet P is Discard (S8). Note that S
The processing of the packet in the order of 5 → S61 → S62 → S71 is not limited to the illustrated processing, and based on the header analysis and processing (S41, S42, S43) performed for each priority, the priority of the packet P from the output port OUT is determined. There is no problem with any method as long as the method is performed in order of transmission in the order received and for each priority.

FIG. 3 shows a processing procedure in the packet communication control device γ. In the case of the packet communication control device δ, S31 is “distributed and stored in a plurality of input buffers of different priority classes”. The only difference is that the overall flow of the process is exactly the same. That is, in S2, when the input buffers A1 to A3 are available, the packet P received in S1 is distributed by the received packet distribution means I, and the distributed packets P are stored in all the input buffers A1 to A3. Become.

Here, the result when the above-described method example 1 in the packet communication control device δ is used will be described. FIG.
Compares the manner in which the delay time (Normalized Average Packet Delay) of a priority packet changes with respect to the link speed (Link Bandwidth) between the method example 1 in the packet communication control device δ and the control method in the conventional router. It is shown.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, when the link speed is low, the difference from the conventional one is small, but the link speed is 20
When it exceeds 0 Mbps, a difference gradually starts to occur, and 1 Gbps
In s, a difference of about 2 times occurs at 10 Gbps, and a difference of about 10 times occurs. Therefore, in a high-speed broadband network, service quality can be more fully differentiated than in the past.

The packet communication control device γ copies the input signal in a plurality of input buffers A1 to A3 in real time.
Although it can be considered that the point of copying is one point, as shown in FIG. 2, the optical input signal is easily copied in real time using the optical amplifier 5 and the beam splitter 6 without performing optical / electrical conversion. Will be possible.

Therefore, even when a high-speed broadband optical signal is an input signal, this point does not become a bottleneck. In other words, the configuration of the packet communication control device δ is suitable for use in a network configuration that directly accommodates a high-speed broadband optical signal, and provides service differentiation even in a situation where a high-speed broadband network is to be developed in the future. realizable.

(Device Example 2) FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the packet communication control device ε. In the packet communication control device ε, a packet sorting unit G4 is connected to an input buffer A1 for storing received packets P, and a priority class (high priority in FIG. 5) defined by the packet sorting unit G4 by the packet sorting unit G4. The packet selection means G4 is connected to the header analysis means H so that only the packet P of (1) can be output to the header analysis processing means H.

The packets P other than the priority class defined by the packet selecting means G4 are stored in the input buffer A2 so that the packet selecting means G4 and the input buffer A2 are branched and connected.

The same applies to the input buffer A2. The input buffer A2 is connected to the packet selecting means G5, and the packet selecting means G5 (in FIG. 5, means for selecting the packets P having the middle priority in the class) has a header. It is branched and connected to the analysis processing means H and the input buffer A3.

Further, the input buffer A3 is branched and connected to the packet selecting means G6, and the packet selecting means G6 (FIG. 5)
Means for selecting low-priority packets P) separates the packets P selected by the packet selection means G6 and the non-selected packets P, and outputs them to the header analysis processing means H freely. The branch connection is configured. Otherwise, the configuration is the same as that of the packet communication control devices γ and δ, but the output buffers are D1 to D4.

(Method Example 2) In the same manner as in Method Example 1, the apparatus example 2
The implementation of method example 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the packet processing in the packet communication control device ε.

As in FIG. 3, through S1 and S2, only the packets P having the higher priority are selected from the packets P stored in the input buffer A1 by the packet selecting means G4 (S32).

The high-priority packet P selected in S32 is subjected to header analysis and processing by the header analysis processing means H (S41), and at the same time, the packet selection means G
In step S4, the packet P of the medium-priority class is selected from the non-selection target packets P by the packet selecting means G5 (S33).

The header P of the selected medium-priority packets P is analyzed and processed by the header analysis processing means H (S42). At the same time, the packet P is selected from the packets P not to be selected by the packet selection means G6. The sorting means G6 sorts out the packets P having the low-grade class (S34).

The selected low-priority packet P is subjected to header analysis processing by the header analysis processing means H (S4).
3) The header of the packet P that is not to be sorted by the packet sorting unit G6, that is, the packet P for which the priority is not specified, is analyzed by the header analyzing unit H (S4).
4). Grading process of high, middle and low grades is performed step by step with a time difference. Hereinafter, packet processing similar to that in FIG. 4 is performed.

Thus, a large number of packets P
, Processor resources can be preferentially allocated to a high-priority packet P, the delay of the packet P can be suppressed, and the same as the method example 1 can be realized.

(Example of Recording Medium) The recording medium of the present invention is a packet communication control program obtained by programming a packet communication control method adapted by the packet communication control devices γ, δ, ε, and records the program on a recording medium. It was done.

The program determines that the packet P has been received, determines whether there is a free space in the input buffers A1 to A3, discards the packet P if there is no free space, and discriminates the packet if there is a free space. Run the program,
Next, a route control program is executed for each packet P, an output port OUT is selected, a priority class of the packet P is determined, and output buffers D1 to D according to the priority class are determined.
4 are stored in the output buffer D1 to D4 in order of priority and transmitted in the order of storage for each priority.

Here, the packet selection program is used in the packet selection means G1 to G6, and the path control program is used in the header analysis processing means H.

The packet sorting program recognizes the priority class of the packet P at the subsequent stage of the input buffers A1 to A3 for storing the packet P, and preliminarily determines the recognized priority class and the stage of the input buffer A1 to A3. It is determined whether or not the specified priority class matches, and if so, the packet P is output to the header analysis processing means H. If not, the packet P is discarded, or This is a program for performing either the input buffer A2 to A3 or the header analysis processing means H in the next-ordered stage to be accumulated in order to determine the priority class.

The path control program reads and analyzes the header information of the packet P, and, based on the analyzed information,
The program is a program that determines the route information by referring to the route information stored in the route information table 3 and the communication quality information stored in the communication quality information table 4 and performs the procedure of the writing process in the header of the packet P.

In the description of the embodiment of the present invention, priority 3
However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this, and is determined according to packet communication, the scale of a communication network, an adaptation scene, and the like, and may be an arbitrary natural number N (1 or more).

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the example of the apparatus, the example of the method, and the example of the recording medium, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned items. The present invention can be appropriately changed and implemented within a range in which the effect described above is obtained. Note that, since the packet communication control device is usually arranged at the place of the router, the device name of the router is naturally included.

[0084]

The present invention enables priority control of a packet in an input buffer, which cannot be realized by a conventional router, and further realizes sufficient differentiation of service quality even in a high-speed broadband network. And has an excellent effect of providing a fine-grained communication service in the advanced communication information society.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a packet communication control device γ according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a packet communication control device δ which is another embodiment of the present invention and is different from FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a packet communication control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between link speed and priority packet delay time.

5 is a configuration diagram of another embodiment of the present invention, a packet communication control device ε different from FIGS. 1 and 2; FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of another packet communication control method different from FIG. 3, which is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a conventional router α.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of processing in a conventional router α.

9 is a configuration diagram of a conventional router β different from FIG.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a process in a router β of FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

α, β ... router γ, δ, ε ... packet communication control device A, A1, A2, A3 ... input buffer B, E ... header control processing means C, C '... switch D, D1, D2, D3, D4 ... output Buffer F: Received packet copying means G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6: Packet selection means H: Header analysis processing means I: Received packet distribution means IN: Input port OUT: Output port P: Packet 1: Header read / write Means 2: Path control means 3: Path information table 4: Communication quality information table 5: Optical amplifier 6: Beam splitter 7: Optical / electrical conversion means

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Takuo Hirono 2-3-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F-term within Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (reference) 5K030 GA02 HB00 HB17 HB19 HC01 HD03 JA07 KA02 KA05 KX12 KX13 LB05 LC18 LE04 LE05

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A method for controlling packet communication, comprising: first determining a priority of a received packet; and subsequently performing control processing of the packet in accordance with the determined priority. A packet communication control method, characterized in that: 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: after copying the received packet and accumulating it in all input buffers corresponding to the respective priorities; Outputting the stored packet,
2. The packet communication control method according to claim 1, wherein the determination is performed based on whether or not the priority corresponds to a predetermined priority individually for each of the packet selection units. 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: distributing an input signal of the received packet, accumulating the input signal in all input buffers corresponding to the respective priorities, and then connecting individual packets connected to the input buffers of the respective priorities. Outputting the stored packets to the sorting means,
2. The packet communication control method according to claim 1, wherein the determination is performed based on whether or not the priority corresponds to a predetermined priority individually for each of the packet selection units. 4. The determination is made by accumulating the received packets in a first-stage input buffer having the highest priority, and then performing a multi-stage process in ascending order of priority with a time lag therebetween. For the packets stored in the input buffer of a certain priority level, a determination is made as to whether or not the stored priority of the input buffer corresponds to the priority specified in advance in the relevant step. The packet control processing is performed, and if not applicable, the step processing of storing the data in the input buffer of the next lower priority step is performed in order from the first step processing to the last step processing of a predetermined priority class number in order. The packet communication control method according to claim 1, wherein the packet communication control method is a process. 5. The packet control process is performed in parallel each time the priority is determined, and after reading header information of a packet, refers to route information and communication quality information stored in advance based on the header information. 5. The packet communication control method according to claim 1, wherein the packet information is written in a header of the packet. 6. The packet communication control method according to claim 5, wherein said parallel processing is realized by allocating processor resources corresponding to each priority by a weighted cyclic method. 7. The control method according to claim 1, wherein, following the control processing of the packet, the packet is temporarily stored in an output buffer, and the packet is transmitted in the order of high priority of the packet and in the order of storage. 7. The packet communication control method according to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. 8. A communication control device for controlling communication according to the priority of a received packet, comprising: an input buffer group corresponding to a priority class number for temporarily storing packets; A packet selection means group connected to select only packets having a predetermined priority; a header analysis processing means connected to the packet selection means group for analyzing header information of the packet; A switch that is connected and recognizes the priority of the packet and switches and outputs the packet in accordance with the priority; and an output buffer group that temporarily stores the packet to transmit the switch output. Packet communication control device. 9. The communication control apparatus further comprises: a received packet copying unit for copying the received single packet by a priority class, wherein a plurality of packets are provided between the received packet copying unit and the header analysis processing unit. 9. The packet communication control device according to claim 8, wherein the input buffer and the plurality of packet selection units are individually connected in series one by one, and connected in parallel for each priority class. 10. 10. The communication control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a received packet distributing means for distributing the received single packet input signal in a priority class sequence, between the received packet distributing means and the header analysis processing means. 9. The packet communication control according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of said input buffers and a plurality of said packet selecting means are individually connected in series and one by one, and connected in parallel for each priority class. apparatus. 11. The packet communication control device according to claim 10, wherein said received packet distribution means includes a beam splitter for distributing the received single-packet optical input signal by a priority class. 12. The packet selecting means determines whether or not the priority of the packet corresponds to a predetermined priority, and if so, outputs only the packet to the header analysis processing means. 12. The packet communication control device according to claim 8, wherein the packet communication control unit is means for discarding the packet if the packet communication is not performed. 13. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the class number of the predetermined priority is a natural number N, and the input buffer and the packet selecting means respectively include a first stage input buffer to an Nth stage input buffer. A buffer and a first stage packet sorting unit to an N-th stage packet sorting unit, each of which comprises an input buffer and a packet sorting unit for each stage of a class as a set for each stage, and a packet sorting unit for each stage. The packets selected by the packet selecting means at each stage are connected to the header analyzing means so as to be freely output one by one to the header analyzing means, and the packet selecting means at each stage is set to Is connected in a stepwise manner to the next-stage input buffer so that the received packet can be accumulated in the next-stage input buffer, and the received packet is The N-th stage packet sorting means is constructed so as to be freely accumulable in a one-stage input buffer, and is capable of outputting the packets excluded from the sorting target by the packet sorting means at all stages to the header analysis processing means. The packet communication control device according to claim 8, wherein the packet communication control device is configured to be connected to: 14. The header analysis processing means comprises: a packet header information read / write means; a path control means connected to the packet read / write means for exchanging header information and controlling a path of the packet; 14. The packet communication control device according to claim 8, further comprising: a route information table and a communication quality information table storing information related to control. 15. A program relating to control of packet communication, wherein a priority of a packet is recognized at a stage subsequent to an input buffer for storing the packet, and the priority is determined in advance at the stage of the recognized priority and the input buffer. It is determined whether or not the priority matches, and if they do match, the packet is output to the header analysis processing means. If they do not match, the packet is discarded, or the input buffer or the header of the next priority level is used. A packet selection program for sequentially outputting any of the packet information to the analysis processing means; and analyzing the header information of the packet. Based on the analyzed information, the packet information is stored in the path information stored in the path information table and stored in the communication quality information table. A path control program that determines path information and performs a write process on a packet header by referring to the communication quality information, Series to run processing, recording medium recording a packet communication control program, characterized in that.