JP7572249B2 - NETWORK CONFIGURATION SYSTEM AND NETWORK CONFIGURATION METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a network configuration system that automatically configures communication paths according to requirements.

With the development of IoT (Internet of Things), services that provide high added-value solutions by analyzing data collected from devices such as sensors are emerging. Traditionally, in the OT (Operational Technology) field, even in the industrial field that was closed off to the field, services that aim to improve efficiency and added value by utilizing IoT are emerging, and there is a growing need to acquire data from devices installed at industrial sites. When collecting data from devices installed at industrial sites, not only wired networks are used, but also local or public wireless networks such as Wi-Fi, LTE, 5G, Private LTE, and Local 5G, taking into account ease of handling.

In today's industry, high-mix, low-volume production is becoming more common, and manufacturing operations involve changing the setup of production lines as necessary. When applying IoT, continuous operation is required, changing devices in accordance with changes to the setup of the production line and allocating networks appropriate for the changed devices. However, the task of allocating networks each time the setup of the production line is changed requires consideration of various aspects, such as the post-change communication requirements and the current communication situation in terms of resources and security, which requires a lot of man-hours. Therefore, it is desirable to allocate and set up appropriate communication paths in accordance with the communication requirements requested from the field.

One of the known techniques for selecting a communication path according to communication requirements is JP 2020-28043 A (Patent Document 1). JP 2020-28043 A describes a network control device having a communication quality requirement derivation unit that derives communication quality requirements to be satisfied between a server and a terminal for a specific service session between the server and the terminal based on the required quality of experience of the specific service session, a monitoring unit that monitors the communication quality of the specific service session between the server and the terminal, a determination unit that determines whether the communication quality of the specific service session satisfies the communication quality requirements derived for the specific service session, and a control unit that controls a communication path used for the specific service session between the server and the terminal so as to satisfy the communication quality requirements when the communication quality of the specific service session does not satisfy the communication quality requirements derived for the specific service session.

JP 2020-28043 A

However, the method described in Patent Document 1 requires the preparation in advance of E2E routes and bypass routes between on-site devices and the server. In IoT for the industrial field, in order to connect devices with different communication requirements and continue operation each time a manufacturing line setup is changed, it is necessary to flexibly allocate communication routes by using multiple types of networks such as wired, WiFi, LTE, 5G, Private LTE, and Local 5G and combining technologies such as communication slicing, which virtually divides communication paths, rather than preparing multiple networks in advance and switching between them.

In response to a communication allocation request from the field, the present invention determines the E2E communication path between the field device and the server, and clarifies the settings required for each device, making it possible to determine and set the communication path between the field device and the server without labor.

A representative example of the invention disclosed in the present application is as follows: That is, a network configuration system that combines a plurality of logical networks in accordance with communication requirements and allocates a communication path, the communication requirements including a location where the logical network is to be constructed, a gateway, a server, and a device connected to the logical network, and a type of data transferred through the logical network, the network configuration system holds logical network information including communication characteristics and connection availability information of each of the logical networks, and application destination information including settings for network devices corresponding to settings for each of the logical networks, and upon receiving a new communication requirement for constructing a new logical network , refers to the logical network information , calculates evaluation values for the communication path to be assigned to the new communication requirement and the logical network in one or more of evaluation items including bandwidth, burst characteristics, responsiveness, and confidentiality, and evaluates the calculated evaluation values. The method selects a candidate communication path that satisfies a value, updates the weights of incompatible evaluation items among the selected communication paths to be smaller, assigns a communication path according to the weighted evaluation items , converts the settings of the assigned communication path to settings of the network device by referring to the application destination information, and applies the converted settings to the network device , wherein the bandwidth is calculated by the sum of the bandwidth scores of the logical networks included in the communication path, the burst characteristic is calculated to have a higher evaluation value the more bursty communications share the same logical network, the responsiveness is calculated to have a higher evaluation value the more communications requiring high response and broadband communications share the same logical network, and the confidentiality is calculated to have a higher evaluation value the more communications requiring high confidentiality share the same logical network as different communications .

According to one aspect of the present invention, a communication path between a device installed on-site and a server can be determined and set without any labor. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be made clear by the explanation of the following embodiment.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of a network system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an IoT communication setting device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication requirement map table according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a physical device table according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a logical network table according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an E2E communication path table according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a Config application destination table according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI into which communication requirements are input according to the first embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of an E2E communication path determination process executed by an E2E communication path determination unit according to the first embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of an E2E communication path determination process executed by an E2E communication path determination unit according to the first embodiment. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI that presents communication path candidates and inputs feedback in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating, in table form, example information of a notification indicating a newly allocated E2E communication path in the first embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of a Config application process executed by a Config application unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of Config to be input in a table format according to the first embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of a network information update process executed by a NW information update unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a GUI that presents alternative communication path candidates and allows feedback to be input in the second embodiment.

Example 1
In this embodiment, the communication requirements specified from the field, the communication of existing communication paths, and the capacity of the network are scored and abstracted from the viewpoints of broadband, burstiness, high responsiveness, confidentiality, etc., and an appropriate new communication path allocation is determined, thereby determining the network between the device installed on-site and the server without labor, and applying the settings. In this way, the communication path connecting the field device and the server in the IoT or the like is automatically set according to the requirements.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a network system in Example 1.

The network system of the first embodiment is configured by connecting an IoT communication setting device 101 and an IoT system 150 so that they can communicate with each other via a management network 170.

The IoT communication setting device 101 is configured by a computer having an arithmetic unit such as a CPU that executes a predetermined process, and a storage device connected to the CPU. The IoT communication setting device 101 has a GUI 103, an E2E communication path determination unit 104, a NW information update unit 105, a Config application unit 106, a communication requirement map table 111, a physical device table 112, a logical network table 113, an E2E communication path table 114, and a Config application destination table 115.

The IoT system 150 includes one or more IoT servers 151, an integrated switch 153, a WiFi switch 154, a LAN switch 156, a core network switch 157, a WiFi base station 155, a mobile base station 158, and an IoT gateway 159. The IoT gateway 159 is connected to one or more mobile communication devices 160.

The integrated switch 153, the WiFi switch 154, and the LAN switch 156 are connected to VLANs 171, 172, 173, and 174, which are one or more logical network units. The core network switch 157 and the mobile base station 158 hold a logical network 175, which is one or more communication slices. The WiFi base station 155 holds one or more logical network SSIDs 178.

The IoT gateway 159 is connected to one or more WiFi communication devices or mobile communication devices 160.

The IoT gateway 159 relays communications from the mobile communication device 160 and communicates with the IoT server 151 through a communication path that combines each of the logical networks 171 to 175.

The IoT server 151, IoT gateway 159, and mobile communication device 160 included in the IoT system 150 are changed as appropriate according to on-site requirements. When making changes, the on-site operator 102 inputs communication requirements into the GUI 103 (see FIG. 2) of the IoT communication setting device 101, and the IoT communication setting device 101 assigns communication paths via each logical network 171-175 according to the input communication requirements, connecting the IoT gateway 159 and the IoT server 151. Hereinafter, the communication path between the IoT gateway 159 and the IoT server 151 is referred to as an "E2E (End to End) communication path."

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the IoT communication setting device 101 in Example 1.

The IoT communication setting device 101 has a GUI 103, an E2E communication path determination unit 104, a network information update unit 105, a config application unit 106, a communication requirements map table 111, a physical device table 112, a logical network table 113, an E2E communication path table 114, and a config application destination table 115.

First, the field operator 102 sends a new communication allocation request 201 to the E2E communication path determination unit 104 via the GUI 103.

The E2E communication path determination unit 104 refers to the communication requirements map table 111, the physical equipment table 112, the logical network table 113, and the E2E communication path table 114 to determine candidates for the E2E communication path for the new communication allocation request 201, and sends the determined E2E communication path candidates 202 to the field operator 102 via the GUI 103.

The field operator 102 selects a desired communication path from the E2E communication path candidates and sends feedback 204 of the E2E communication path candidates to the E2E communication path determination unit 104 via the GUI 103.

When the E2E communication path determination unit 104 is able to determine an E2E communication path according to the received E2E communication path candidate feedback 204, it updates the E2E communication path table 114, updates the communication requirements map table 111 as necessary, and transmits an E2E communication path allocation notification 205 to the Config application unit 106. Also, when the E2E communication path determination unit 104 is unable to determine an E2E communication path according to the E2E communication path candidate feedback 204, it updates the communication requirements map table 111, determines E2E communication path candidates again, and transmits the determined E2E communication path candidates 202 to the field operator 102 via the GUI 103.

The Config application unit 106 receives the E2E communication path allocation notification 205 from the E2E communication path determination unit 104, and references the Config application destination table 115 to form Config 206. Config 206 includes the destination to which the settings are to be input and APIs for configuring each device in the IoT system 150.

The network information update unit 105 reads the settings and current status from the IoT system 150, and updates the physical device table 112, logical network table 113, E2E communication path table 114, and Config application destination table 115 as necessary to keep each table up to date.

Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of the communication requirements map table 111.

The communication requirement map table 111 is configured, for example, in a table format, and each of the rows 321 to 328 manages a communication requirement score 311 for the GUI inputs 301 to 303, respectively. The GUI input includes columns such as connected device type 301, data type 302, device 303, etc. as device attributes, and may include other device attributes. In this implementation example, the communication requirement score 311 is configured from four evaluation items: broadband, burst, high response, and confidentiality, and the degree to which each communication requirement is required for each item is predetermined. Note that some of the four evaluation items described above may be used, or other evaluation items may be added.

Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of the physical equipment table 112.

The physical device table 112 is, for example, in a table format, and includes columns for a physical device ID 401 and a connected device 402. Each of the rows 411 to 416 represents information about a physical device.

Figure 5 shows an example of the configuration of the logical network table 113.

The logical network table 113 is, for example, in a tabular format, and includes columns for network ID 501, physical device ID 502, connectable server 503, connectable GW 504, and capacity score 505. Each of rows 511 to 517 represents information about a logical network.

Like the communication requirement score 311, the capacity score 505 is composed of four items in this implementation: broadband, burst, high response, and confidentiality, and indicates the capacity for each item that each logical network can accommodate.

Figure 6 shows an example of the configuration of the E2E communication path table 114.

The E2E communication path table 114 is configured, for example, in a table format, and includes columns for a GW 601, a communication path 602, a server 603, an existing communication list 604, and an existing communication score 605. Each row 611 to 614 indicates the status of an existing E2E communication path. In this implementation example, the existing communication score 605, like the communication requirement score 311 and the capacity score 505, is configured from four evaluation items: broadband, burst, high response, and confidentiality, and indicates the consumption of requirements for each evaluation item by existing communication of the E2E communication path. The existing communication score 605 is repeatedly acquired at a predetermined timing (for example, periodically at a predetermined time interval) by the NW information update unit 105, and is dynamically updated.

Figure 7 shows an example of the configuration of the Config Application Destination Table 115 in which E2E communication path allocations are converted into actual settings and recorded.

The Config application destination table 115 is, for example, in a table format, and includes columns for network ID 701, physical device ID 702, setting destination information 703, communication path setting information 704, and option setting information 705. Each row 711 to 725 holds information for converting the allocation of the E2E communication path for each network ID 701 or physical device ID 702 into the actual device setting.

The setting destination information 703 is the destination of the setting or the API for applying the setting. The communication path setting information 704 is information required to convert the allocation of the E2E communication path into the actual routing of the network device. The option setting information 705 is an option that can be selected depending on the score and constraints of the communication requirements.

Figure 8 shows an example of GUI 103 where communication requirements are entered.

The field operator 102 requests a new communication allocation via the GUI 103. When requesting a new communication allocation, the GUI 103 includes input fields such as a location input field 801, a gateway ID input field 802, a server ID input field 803, a connected device type input field 804, a data type input field 805, and a device input field 806, as well as an allocation execution button 810. The data entered into the connected device type input field 804, the data type input field 805, and the device input field 806 are stored in the connected device type 301, the data type 302, and the device 303 of the communication requirement map table 111, respectively.

Figure 8 shows an example of determining an E2E communication path when a new industrial camera #1 is connected to the IoT gateway #2 to which the industrial device CNC #1 is currently connected, as shown in row 613 of Figure 6, and an image is transmitted.

The information entered into the GUI 103 is sent to the E2E communication path determination unit 104 as a new communication allocation request 201.

Figures 9A and 9B are flowcharts of the E2E communication path determination process executed by the E2E communication path determination unit 104.

First, the E2E communication path determination unit 104 receives a new communication allocation request 201 and starts the E2E communication path determination process (901).

After receiving the new communication allocation request 201, the E2E communication path determination unit 104 refers to the communication requirement map table 111 and searches for an entry that matches the contents of the new communication allocation request 201 (902). If a matching entry is found, the communication requirement score 311 of that entry is extracted (903).

If there is no matching entry, the communication requirement map table 111 is referenced to rows with partially matching columns, and the communication requirement score is provisionally set by calculating the average value, median value, etc. For example, when an unknown industrial camera #2 transmits data by streaming, there is no corresponding entry in the communication requirement map table 111 (FIG. 3). Therefore, first, entry 321, in which the connected device type 301 is a camera and the device 303 is an industrial camera, is selected as the first reference candidate. Next, entries 321 to 324, in which the connected device type 301 is a camera, are compared to search for a device 303 whose communication requirements are closest to those of entry 321 whose device 303 is an industrial camera, and the norm value of the communication requirement score 311 of 321 and 322 is the smallest. Therefore, it can be said that the IoT camera, which is the device 303 of entry 322, is close to the communication requirements of the industrial camera. Therefore, entry 323, in which connected device type 301 is camera, data type 302 is streaming, and device 303 is IoT camera, is selected as the second reference candidate. Finally, the median of the broadband, burst, high response, and confidentiality scores of the communication requirement scores of the two reference candidate entries 321 and 323 is set as the provisional score (904).

After obtaining the communication requirement score, the E2E communication path determination unit 104 obtains the existing communication score 605 of the existing E2E communication path from the E2E communication path table 114, and obtains the capacity score 505 of the logical network from the logical network table 113 (905).

After obtaining the score, the E2E communication path determination unit 104 evaluates the existing communication score 605 of the existing communication for each logical network in each existing E2E communication path, taking into account the score of the communication requirements of the new communication, and determines whether it falls within the capacity score of the logical network (906).

Specifically, in this embodiment, there is an existing E2E communication path including IoT GW#2, APN#1, VLAN#02, VLAN#1, and IoT Server#1. When new communication requirements are assigned to these, for example, the following communication will flow between APN#1 175-1 and VLAN#02 173-1.
Industrial equipment/numerical/CNC#1 (communication requirements mapping #6); 613 in FIG. 6
Industrial equipment/numerical value/PLC#1 (communication requirement mapping#5); 611 in FIG. 6
Sensor/Value/Temperature and Humidity Sensor #1 (Communication Requirement Mapping #7); 611 in FIG. 6
Camera/Image transmission/Industrial camera #1 (Communication requirements mapping #1); 321 in FIG. 3

The scores of these communications are calculated for each of the items of broadband, burst, high response, and confidentiality to obtain an evaluation value that indicates the strictness required for the logical network. The calculation method differs depending on the item, and in this embodiment, the calculation can be performed using the following method.
Broadband: The larger the sum of the scores for the same communications, the higher the evaluation value. For example, the evaluation value indicating the broadband nature of APN #1 in the current state is calculated by adding up the broadband scores of the entries 611 and 613 for existing communications in which APN #1 is included in the communication path in the E2E communication path table 114, and is calculated as 1.20 + 1.00 = 2.20.
Burst: The more bursty communications share the same logical network, the higher the evaluation value. For example, the evaluation value indicating the current burstiness of APN #1 is 3.74, calculated by taking the norm of 3.10 and 2.10 of the burst scores of the entries 611 and 613 of the existing communications in the E2E communication path table 114, whose communication paths include APN #1.
High responsiveness: The evaluation value increases as the communication requiring high responsiveness and the broadband communication share the same logical network. For example, the evaluation value indicating the high responsiveness of APN #1 in the current situation is calculated as 13.05 by calculating the norm of the highest high responsiveness score 13.00 and the broadband score 1.2 of the entries 611 and 613 of the existing communication in the E2E communication path table 114, in which APN #1 is included in the communication path.
Confidentiality: The evaluation value increases the more a communication that requires high confidentiality shares the same logical network with a communication that includes a different IoT gateway or IoT server. The evaluation value indicating the confidentiality of APN #1 in the current situation is 17.69, calculated by calculating the norm of the confidentiality scores of both, 12.00 and 13.00, because the entries 611 and 613 of existing communications in the E2E communication path table 114, whose communication paths include APN #1, are communications from different GWs 601.

In the above example, the evaluation value was calculated based only on existing communications listed in the E2E communication path table 114, but in the flow, the evaluation value is calculated including new communications.

The calculated evaluation value is compared with the capacity score 505 of APN #1 (row 516) and the capacity score 505 of VLAN #02 (row 513) to evaluate whether the requirements are met. For example, the comparison is made by comparing the magnitude of each value for each of the items of broadband, burstiness, high responsiveness, and confidentiality. A similar calculation is performed for other logical networks (e.g., VLAN #1) to evaluate the corresponding E2E communication paths. A similar calculation is performed for other E2E communication paths to which the IoT GW of the new communication allocation request 201 can be connected, and it is determined whether there are any E2E communication paths that satisfy the capacity score 505 of each of the rows 511 to 517 (906).

If the result of the determination in step 906 is Yes, the E2E communication paths that satisfy the capacity scores 505 of each row 511 to 517 are selected as candidates (907).

If the result of the judgment in step 906 is No, or if the result of the judgment is Yes, when searching for and allocating a more suitable E2E communication path, a candidate E2E communication path is determined by using other existing logical networks or creating new logical networks for the logical networks that do not fall within the capacity scores of each row 511 to 517. For example, if none of the existing E2E communication paths in the E2E communication path table 114 meets the conditions, if an E2E with a capacity score that can accommodate an evaluation value including new communication can be constructed using an unused NW (e.g., VLAN #04 515, APN #3 518) in the logical network table 113, the communication path is selected as a candidate. Also, if there is no capacity score that can accommodate an evaluation value including new communication in all E2E communication paths, a new logical network (e.g., non-existent VLAN #05, APN #4, etc.) is created. When a new logical network is created, the physical device table 112 is referenced and information on the destination device 402 is stored in the connection availability information 503, 504 of the logical network table 113. The connection availability information 503, 504 can be used to determine whether or not a connection can be made to an existing logical network. If a new appropriate logical network cannot be created, an existing E2E communication path is selected in order of smallest difference in evaluation value, for example, in order of fewest capacity scores below the evaluation values for each of the items of broadband, burstiness, high responsiveness, and confidentiality (908).

Next, the E2E communication path candidates 202 are presented to the field operator 102 via the GUI 103 (909), and feedback 204 of the E2E communication path candidates is received via the GUI 103 (910). Details of the presented content and feedback will be described later.

Next, it is determined whether there is an approved E2E communication path in the feedback 204 (911). If there is an approved E2E communication path, the E2E communication path is confirmed. If there is no approved E2E communication path, the communication requirement map table 111 is updated according to the feedback, the communication requirement scores assigned in steps 903 and 904 are updated according to the feedback, and an attempt is made to determine the E2E communication path again (912).

Next, if there is no corresponding entry in the communication requirement map table 111 in step 902 and therefore the communication requirement score is provisionally set in step 904, or if the communication requirement score is updated in step 912 (913), the provisionally set score in the communication requirement map table 111 is updated (914).

Finally, the E2E communication path table 114 and the Config application destination table 115 are updated, and an E2E communication path allocation notification 205 is sent to the Config application unit 106 (915).

Figure 10 shows an example of GUI 103 that presents potential communication paths and allows feedback to be entered.

In the first embodiment, the GUI 103 for presenting the E2E communication path candidates 202 and inputting feedback in step 909 presents information in a table format. The table includes columns for a selection field 1001, a communication path 1002, communication path information 1003, a shared communication list 1004, and a NG reason 1005. Each row 1011-1012 displays information on the E2E communication path candidates. If the existing communication scores are displayed in the table in descending order, the field operator 102 can easily select an appropriate E2E communication path. The score that determines the display order may be calculated as the sum of values obtained by multiplying the evaluation items of the existing communication scores by a predetermined weighting coefficient. For example, the predetermined weighting may be a value proportional to the communication requirement score of row 311 corresponding to the GUI inputs 301-303 in the communication requirement map table of FIG. 3.

The field operator 102 checks the information of the candidate E2E communication paths, selects the communication paths to be approved in the selection field 1001, selects the NG reason 1005 for the communication paths not to be selected, operates the send button 1021, and transmits the feedback 204 of the E2E communication path candidates. In the first embodiment, the NG reason 1005 allows selection of one or more reasons for each score evaluation item (broadband, burst, high response, confidentiality). The E2E communication path determination unit 104 may update the weighting factor of the evaluation item selected as the NG reason so that it becomes smaller. The weighting factor of the evaluation item may be updated, for example, by updating the communication requirement score in row 311 of the communication requirement map table in FIG. 3, or a separate row may be provided for the weighting factor.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing, in table format, information of an example of an E2E communication path allocation notification 205 indicating a newly allocated E2E communication path.

The E2E communication path allocation notification 205 sent from the E2E communication path determination unit 104 to the Config application unit 106 includes a classification 1101, details 1102, and a score 1103. Line 1111 indicates the processing content in the E2E communication path allocation.

In this embodiment, APN #3 and VLAN #04 are newly generated as an E2E communication path to connect IoG GW #2 to IoT Server #1, and a communication path is formed from IoT GW #2, APN #3, VLAN #04, VLAN #1, to IoT Server #1.

Figure 12 is a flowchart of the Config application process executed by the Config application unit 106.

The config application unit 106 receives the E2E communication path allocation notification 205 and starts the config application process (1201).

Next, the setting destination information 703, communication path setting information 704, and option setting information 705 are obtained from the Config application destination table 115 (1202).

If the E2E communication path allocation notification 205 includes the creation of a new logical network (YES in 1203), a Config for creating a new logical network is generated according to the communication path setting information 704 (1204), and a Config for setting option setting information 705 such as QoS, buffer size, and bandwidth is generated according to the logical network score 1103 in the E2E communication path allocation notification 205. For example, the higher the broadband score, the higher the maximum bandwidth setting; the higher the burstiness score, the larger the communication buffer size; if the responsiveness score is high, a minimum guaranteed bandwidth with a high QoS is applied; and if confidentiality is high, the setting level of security monitoring software such as SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) is increased (1205).

Next, the communication path setting information 704 is referenced to generate a routing config for connecting the logical network according to the E2E communication path in the E2E communication path allocation notification 205 (1206).

Finally, the generated Config 206 is applied to each setting destination information 703 of the acquired IoT system 150 (1207).

Figure 13 shows an example of the Config206 to be entered in table format.

The Config 206 generated by the Config application unit 106 includes a classification 1301, a setting destination 1302, communication path setting contents 1303, and option setting information 1304. Each line 1311-1315 indicates the contents to be entered into the setting destination 1302.

Figure 14 is a flowchart of the network information update process executed by the NW information update unit 105.

In the first embodiment, the network information update unit 105 starts processing repeatedly at a predetermined timing (e.g., periodically at a predetermined time interval) using the timing of polling or the like as a trigger (1401).

First, the NW information update unit 105 detects a change in the configuration of each physical device in the IoT system 150 (1402). For example, if switches 153, 154, 156, and 157 are added as physical devices to increase network resources, the addition of the switches is detected by this process, and each table is updated, which can be used to assign new E2E communication paths.

As a result of the check, it is determined whether the information in the physical device table 112, logical network table 113, and Config application destination table 115 needs to be changed (1403), and if the Config change is related to the network configuration, the information in the physical device table 112, logical network table 113, and Config application destination table 115 is updated (1404).

In addition, information such as the average bandwidth, peak conditions, and QoS guarantee rate of traffic for each logical network is obtained, and the broadband, burstiness, and high responsiveness scores of the existing communication paths in the E2E communication path table 114 are updated and stored in the existing communication score 605. For example, if the average bandwidth per hour or the maximum bandwidth excluding peaks (maximum bandwidth for the time excluding 10% of the peak time) has changed from the previous measured value, the broadbandiness score is updated according to the proportion. In addition, for example, if the bandwidth used for 1% of the peak time has changed from the previous measured value, the burstiness score is updated according to the proportion. In addition, for example, if there is a time during which QoS or minimum bandwidth allocation cannot be guaranteed, the high responsiveness score is updated according to the length of time (1405).

Example 2
In this embodiment, when an appropriate E2E communication path cannot be allocated in the IoT gateway 159 specified by the field operator 102, a connection from another IoT gateway 159 is presented from the GUI 103. In the second embodiment, only the differences from the first embodiment described above will be described, and the description of the same configuration and functions as the first embodiment will be omitted.

Figure 15 shows an example of GUI 103 that presents alternative communication path candidates and allows feedback to be entered.

In the second embodiment, in step 909, the GUI 103 for presenting E2E communication path candidates 202 and inputting feedback presents information on alternative communication path candidates in table format. The table includes columns for selection field 1501, alternative connection candidates 1502, communication path column 1503, communication path information 1504, shared communication list 1505, and NG reason 1506. Each row 1511 displays information on the alternative communication path candidates. Also, even if the GW ID 802 is not entered in the GUI 103 (FIG. 8) where communication requirements are entered, the GUI 103 shown in FIG. 15 may be presented to present alternative communication path candidates.

Candidates for the IoT gateway 159 to change the connection are displayed in alternative connection candidates 1502. The field operator 102 selects the alternative connection candidate to be selected in the selection field 1501, operates the send button 1521, and transmits feedback 204 of the alternative communication path candidate. The IoT communication setting device 101 then changes the connection of the IoT gateway 159 according to the selection of the field operator 102. The rest is the same as in FIG. 10.

According to the second embodiment, it is possible to set an E2E communication path by relaxing the constraints without fixing the gateway. For example, even if the gateway installed near the device is under capacity, another gateway can be selected. This eliminates location constraints and allows communication to be performed using a gateway that can provide good communication from a network perspective.

As described above, when the network setting system (IoT communication setting device 101) of this embodiment receives new communication requirements, it refers to the logical network information (logical network table 113) to allocate a communication path according to the new communication requirements, refers to the application destination information (Config application destination table 115) to convert the settings of the allocated communication path to settings for each network device, and applies the converted settings to the network devices, so that the network between the devices and servers installed on-site can be determined and set without labor. In other words, the labor required to respond to changes in connected devices and communication requirements can be reduced during operation after the factory IoT system has been introduced.

In addition, the communication characteristics of the new communication requirements, the communication characteristics of the existing communication, and the communication characteristics of the logical network are evaluated using one or more evaluation items for evaluating communication characteristics, and a communication path whose evaluation satisfies predetermined conditions is assigned, so that an appropriate communication path can be assigned without hassle.

The new communication requirements, the existing communications, and the logical networks are quantitatively evaluated based on one or more of the evaluation items: bandwidth, burst characteristics, responsiveness, and confidentiality, and communication paths are allocated based on the results of the evaluation. Therefore, based on the vague communication requirements received from the field, the existing communications and the communication characteristics of each logical network can be evaluated on multiple abstract axes, and an appropriate communication path can be allocated without hassle in response to the requirements.

In addition, the system receives a selection of candidates for the communication paths to be assigned and updates the weights of the evaluation items based on the selection, so it can receive feedback from field operators about the candidate communication paths and update the evaluation method.

In addition, if the evaluation results of a communication path combining existing logical networks do not match the evaluation results of new communication requirements, a new logical network is created, making it easy to build a communication path that meets the requirements.

In addition, the system uses information about the connection destinations of the network devices that make up a newly created logical network to determine whether the newly created logical network can be connected to an existing logical network. This makes it possible to determine whether logical networks can be combined even if you do not have sufficient knowledge about networks, and to build a communication path that takes into account connections to existing networks.

In addition, if some of the new communication requirements are not specified, similar existing communication requirements are extracted and the evaluation results of the tentative communication requirements are determined, so that an appropriate communication path can be selected even if the new communication requirements are ambiguous.

In addition, the communication characteristics of existing communication paths are repeatedly acquired at a specified timing, and the evaluation of the existing communication paths is dynamically updated, so that a communication path can be selected in accordance with the real-time situation of the network.

In addition, if no gateway is specified in the received new communication requirements, a gateway that is a candidate for connection is selected and presented, so that an appropriate communication path can be selected even if knowledge about networks is insufficient or the new communication requirements are vague. In addition, gateways can be set flexibly, and communication paths can be set with relaxed constraints.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modified examples and equivalent configurations within the spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. Furthermore, part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations.

Furthermore, each of the configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. described above may be realized in part or in whole in hardware, for example by designing them as integrated circuits, or may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function.

Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a storage device such as a memory, hard disk, or SSD (Solid State Drive), or in a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily represent all control lines and information lines necessary for implementation. In reality, it is safe to assume that almost all components are interconnected.

101 IoT communication setting device 102 Field operator 104 E2E communication path determination unit 105 NW information update unit 106 Application unit 111 Communication requirement map table 112 Physical equipment table 113 Logical network table 114 E2E communication path table 115 Application destination table 150 IoT system 151 IoT server 153 Integrated switch 154 WiFi switch 155 WiFi base station 156 LAN switch 157 Core network switch 158 Mobile base station 159 IoT gateway 160 Mobile communication device 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175 Logical network 201 New communication allocation request 202 E2E communication path candidate 204 Feedback of E2E communication path candidate 205 E2E communication path allocation notification

Claims (6)

A network configuration system that combines a plurality of logical networks according to communication requirements and assigns communication paths,
The communication requirements include a location where the logical network is to be built, a gateway, a server, and a device connected to the logical network, and a type of data to be transferred in the logical network;
The network configuration system includes:
holding logical network information including communication characteristics and connection availability information of each of the logical networks, and application destination information including settings for network devices corresponding to the settings for each of the logical networks;
When a new communication requirement for constructing a new logical network is received, the logical network information is referred to,
Calculating an evaluation value for the communication path allocated to the new communication requirement and the logical network in one or more of the following evaluation items: bandwidth, burst characteristics, responsiveness, and confidentiality;
receiving a selection of candidates for communication paths that satisfy the calculated evaluation value;
updating the weight of the incompatible evaluation item among the selected communication paths to a smaller value;
Allocating communication paths according to the weighted evaluation items ;
converting the settings of the assigned communication path into settings of the network device by referring to the application destination information;
applying the converted configuration to the network device,
The bandwidth is calculated by the sum of the bandwidth scores of the logical networks included in the communication path,
The burst characteristic is calculated such that a higher evaluation value is calculated as more bursty communications share the same logical network,
The responsiveness is calculated as a higher evaluation value when a communication requiring a high response and a broadband communication share the same logical network,
A network configuration system , characterized in that a higher evaluation value is calculated for the confidentiality when a communication requiring high confidentiality shares the same logical network with a different communication . 2. The network configuration system of claim 1,
A network configuration system that creates a new logical network when an evaluation result of a communication path combining existing logical networks does not match an evaluation result of a new communication requirement. 3. A network configuration system according to claim 2, comprising:
A network configuration system characterized by using information on the connection destinations of network devices that make up a newly created logical network to determine whether the newly created logical network can be connected to an existing logical network. 2. The network configuration system of claim 1,
A network configuration system comprising: a network configuration unit that repeatedly acquires communication characteristics of existing communication paths at a predetermined timing, and dynamically updates an evaluation of the existing communication paths. 2. The network configuration system of claim 1,
a network setting system which, if a gateway is not specified in the received new communication requirements, selects and presents gateways as connection candidates. A network configuration method executed by a network configuration system that combines a plurality of logical networks in accordance with communication requirements and assigns communication paths, comprising the steps of:
the network setting system is configured by a computer having an arithmetic unit for executing a predetermined process and a storage device connected to the arithmetic unit;
The communication requirements include a location where the logical network is to be built, a gateway, a server, and a device connected to the logical network, and a type of data to be transferred in the logical network;
the storage device holds logical network information including communication characteristics and connection availability information of each of the logical networks, and application destination information including settings for network devices corresponding to settings for each of the logical networks;
The network setting method includes:
When the computing device receives a new communication requirement for constructing a new logical network, the computing device refers to the logical network information and
the computing device calculates an evaluation value of the communication path assigned to the new communication requirement and the logical network in one or more of the following evaluation items: bandwidth, burst characteristics, responsiveness, and confidentiality;
the computing device receives a selection of candidate communication paths that satisfy the calculated evaluation value;
The calculation device updates the weight of an unsuitable evaluation item in the selected communication path to a smaller value;
The computing device assigns communication paths according to the weighted evaluation items;
The computing device converts the settings of the assigned communication path into settings of the network device by referring to the application destination information;
The computing device applies the converted configuration to the network device,
The bandwidth is calculated by the sum of the bandwidth scores of the logical networks included in the communication path,
The burst characteristic is calculated such that a higher evaluation value is calculated as the more bursty communications share the same logical network,
The responsiveness is calculated as a higher evaluation value when a communication requiring a high response and a broadband communication share the same logical network,
The network setting method is characterized in that a higher evaluation value is calculated for the confidentiality when a communication requiring high confidentiality shares the same logical network with a different communication.

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