JP7680228B2 - Network configuration verification device and method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a network configuration verification technology for verifying the connection configuration of various connected devices, such as communication control devices and terminal devices, connected to an IP network.

As a conventional technology for visualizing network configuration, Patent Document 1 proposes a technology for obtaining MAC address table information from network devices having a MAC address table, such as an L2 switch, using, for example, ARP (Address Resolution Protocol), and identifying the physical connection form, i.e., the network configuration, for each connected device from the obtained MAC address table information. This makes it possible to remotely identify the network configuration from any information processing terminal connected to an IP network, and makes it easy to identify the network configuration even for large-scale networks built in large buildings such as commercial buildings, office buildings, hospitals, schools, and factories.

JP 2016-032226 A

Such network configuration identification technology may be used to understand the network configuration during expansion, reconstruction, or maintenance work on IP networks. In such cases, it is important to verify, prior to starting work, whether the newly identified actual network configuration matches or differs from the design network configuration managed in drawings and documents.

However, verifying such network configuration requires visual and manual comparison of the newly identified and obtained actual configuration information showing the actual network configuration with drawings and documents showing the designed network configuration. This poses the problem of an extremely large workload and even costs in the case of large-scale networks consisting of many connected devices.

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and aims to provide a network configuration verification technology that can easily verify the differences between the actual network configuration and the designed network configuration, even in large-scale networks.

To achieve this objective, the network configuration verification device of the present invention comprises a memory circuit that stores design configuration information indicating the design contents related to the network configuration of a target IP network, and a control circuit that verifies the network configuration of the IP network based on the design configuration information, and the control circuit is configured to obtain actual configuration information obtained by actually identifying the network configuration of the IP network, and to verify the network configuration of the IP network by comparing the actual configuration information with the design configuration information.

In one example configuration of the network configuration verification device according to the present invention, the control circuit is configured to compare, during the comparison, the IP addresses of the connected devices connected to the ports of each switch among the network devices constituting the IP network, between the actual configuration information and the design configuration information.

In addition, one configuration example of the network configuration verification device according to the present invention is configured such that the control circuit generates a connection status of each connected device to the network device based on the result of the comparison, and outputs the connection status as a verification result related to the verification.

In addition, one configuration example of the network configuration verification device according to the present invention is configured such that the control circuit outputs, based on the result of the comparison, advice indicating the work required to restore the IP network from the network configuration of the actual configuration information to the network configuration of the design configuration information, as a verification result for the IP network.

The network configuration verification method according to the present invention is a method for verifying a network configuration used in a network configuration verification device that includes a memory circuit that stores design configuration information indicating design contents related to the network configuration of a target IP network, and a control circuit that verifies the network configuration of the IP network based on the design configuration information, and includes a first step in which the control circuit acquires actual configuration information obtained by actually identifying the network configuration of the IP network, and a second step in which the control circuit verifies the network configuration of the IP network by comparing the actual configuration information with the design configuration information.

In one configuration example of the network configuration verification method according to the present invention, the second step includes a third step in which the control circuit, during the comparison, checks the connection status of each port by comparing the IP address of a connected device connected to each port of a switch among the network devices constituting the IP network with the actual configuration information and the design configuration information.

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily verify the difference between the actual network configuration and the designed network configuration, even in a large-scale network consisting of many connected devices.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network configuration verification device. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the design configuration information. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a network configuration corresponding to the design configuration information of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing actual configuration information. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a network configuration corresponding to the actual configuration information of FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a verification result.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Network configuration verification device]
First, a network configuration verification device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the network configuration verification device.

This network configuration verification device 10 is composed of information processing devices such as a PC or a server device as a whole, and is configured to compare the network configuration of an IP network NW such as a LAN identified by the network configuration identification device 20 with the designed network configuration managed by drawings and documents.

[Network Configuration Identification Device]
The network configuration identification device 20 is generally composed of information processing devices such as a PC or a server device, and is connected to an IP network NW such as a LAN to be identified. The network configuration identification device 20 is configured to identify and visualize a network configuration indicating the connection form of the connected devices, such as network devices and terminal devices, connected to the IP network NW, by performing data communication based on a publicly known network configuration identification technology such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1.

In the following, an example will be described in which the network configuration identification device 20 is configured as a device separate from the network configuration verification device 10, but the network configuration identification device 20 may also be implemented as part of the network configuration verification device 10.

In this embodiment, devices that control packet forwarding, such as L2 (Layer 2) switches, L3 (Layer 3) switches, hubs, routers, and gateways, are called network devices (communication control devices). Among network devices, devices that have their own IP addresses and can externally obtain MAC address table information used to control packet forwarding, such as L2 (Layer 2) switches and L3 (Layer 3) switches, are called switches (SW). Devices that do not have their own IP addresses and cannot externally obtain MAC address table information used to control packet forwarding are called hubs (HUB).

In addition to information processing terminals such as PCs, various devices such as sensors, field devices, and controllers used in the Internet of Things (IoT) are also referred to as terminal devices.

[Configuration of network configuration verification device]
Next, the configuration of the network configuration verification device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the network configuration verification device 10 has, as its main circuit sections, a communication I/F 11, an operation input circuit 12, a display circuit 13, a memory circuit 14, and a control circuit 15.

[Communication I/F]
The communication I/F 11 is connected to the network configuration identification device 20 via a communication line L, and is configured to acquire network configuration information obtained by identifying the network configuration of the IP network NW to be verified by performing data communication with the network configuration identification device 20.
[Operation input circuit]
The operation input circuit 12 is made up of operation input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel, and is configured to detect operations by an operator and output the operations to the control circuit 15 .

[Display circuit]
The display circuit 13 is made up of a screen display device such as an LCD, and is configured to display various types of screen information output from the control circuit 15, such as a menu screen, a setting screen, and a network configuration verification result screen.

[Memory circuit]
The memory circuit 14 is made up of a storage device such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory, and is configured to store various processing data and programs 14P used in the network configuration verification process in the control circuit 15.

[program]
The program 14P is a program for implementing various processing units used for the network configuration verification process in the control circuit 15 by cooperating with the CPU of the control circuit 15. This program 14P is stored in advance in the memory circuit 14 from an external device or a recording medium (neither of which is shown) connected to the network configuration verification device 10 via the communication line L.

The main processing data stored in the memory circuit 14 include design configuration information 14A and actual configuration information 14B.

[Design configuration information]
The design configuration information 14A is data showing design contents related to the network configuration of the target IP network NW. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the design configuration information. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a network configuration corresponding to the design configuration information of Fig. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the design configuration information 14A registers, for each port (connection port) of a network device, the IP address of the connection device connected to that port.

In the configuration example of FIG. 3, two switches, SW#0 (IP address "192.168.1.100") and SW#1 (IP address "192.168.1.101"), and one hub, HUB#X (no IP address), are connected to the IP network NW. The design configuration information 14A of FIG. 2 shows that terminal device PC#1 (IP address "192.168.1.1") is connected to port P1 (port number 1) of SW#0 as a connected device. The design configuration information 14A can be generated in advance using a PC or the like from the design data of the IP network NW managed in drawings and documents.

[Actual composition information]
The actual configuration information 14B is data indicating the actual contents of the network configuration of the target IP network NW, which is specified by the network configuration specifying device 20. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the actual configuration information. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a network configuration corresponding to the actual configuration information of Fig. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the actual configuration information 14B registers, for each port of a network device, the IP address of the connected device that is connected to that port.

As shown in FIG. 5, two switches, SW#0 (IP address "192.168.1.100") and SW#1 (IP address "192.168.1.101"), and one hub, HUB#X (no IP address), are connected to the IP network NW. The actual configuration information 14B in FIG. 4 shows that terminal device PC#1 (IP address "192.168.1.1") is connected as a connected device to port P2 (port number 2) of SW#0.

[Control circuit]
The control circuit 15 has a CPU and its peripheral circuits, and is configured to implement a processing unit for executing a network configuration verification process by reading out the program 14P from the memory circuit 14 and cooperating with the CPU.

The main processing units realized by the control circuit 15 are a data acquisition unit 15A, a verification unit 15B, and a verification result generation unit 15C.

[Data acquisition section]
The data acquisition unit 15A is configured to acquire design configuration information 14A indicating the network configuration of the IP network NW from an external device (not shown) via the communication I/F 11 and the communication line L, and store it in the memory circuit 14.

The data acquisition unit 15A is also configured to acquire actual configuration information 14B indicating the network configuration of the IP network NW from the network configuration identification device 20 via the communication I/F 11 and the communication line L, and store the information in the memory circuit 14. Regarding the actual configuration information 14B, a request to acquire configuration information may be notified from the data acquisition unit 15A, and the latest actual configuration information 14B may be acquired by the network configuration identification device 20.

[Verification Department]
The verification unit 15B is configured to verify the network configuration of the IP network NW by comparing the actual configuration information 14B acquired by the data acquisition unit 15A with the design configuration information 14A pre-stored in the memory circuit 14.

In addition, when making the comparison, the verification unit 15B is configured to compare the IP addresses of the connected devices connected to each port of each switch SW among the network devices that make up the IP network NW between the actual configuration information 14B and the design configuration information 14A, and to compare the IP addresses of the connected devices connected to each hub HUB among the network devices that make up the IP network NW between the actual configuration information 14B and the design configuration information 14A.

[Verification result generation unit]
The verification result generation unit 15C is configured to generate a connection status of connected devices to the network devices based on the comparison results obtained by the verification unit 15B, generate advice indicating the work content for restoring the IP network NW from the network configuration of the actual configuration information 14B to the network configuration of the design configuration information 14A based on the comparison results obtained by the verification unit 15B, and output the connection status and/or advice as verification results for the IP network NW.

[Operation of this embodiment]
Next, the operation of the network configuration verification method of the network configuration verification device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

The control circuit 15 starts verification of the network configuration of the target IP network NW in response to an operator operation indicating the start of verification. At this time, it is assumed that the design configuration information 14A and the actual configuration information 14B have been stored in advance in the memory circuit 14 by the data acquisition unit 15A prior to the start of verification.

First, the verification unit 15B reads out the design configuration information 14A and the actual configuration information 14B from the memory circuit 14 (first step), and for each port of each switch SW among the network devices that make up the IP network NW, compares the IP addresses of the connected devices connected to that port between the actual configuration information 14B and the design configuration information 14A (second and third steps).

The verification unit 15B also compares the IP addresses of the connected devices connected to each hub HUB among the network devices that make up the IP network NW between the actual configuration information 14B and the design configuration information 14A.

Next, the verification result generation unit 15C generates the connection status of the connected device to the network device based on the comparison result obtained by the verification unit 15B.

In addition, the verification result generating unit 15C generates advice indicating the work content for restoring the IP network NW from the network configuration of the actual configuration information 14B to the network configuration of the design configuration information 14A based on the comparison results obtained by the verification unit 15B.

Then, the verification result generating unit 15C outputs the connection status and/or advice as the verification result for the IP network NW. The verification result thus obtained is displayed on the display circuit 13 by the verification result generating unit 15C, or is output to an external device (not shown) via the communication I/F 11 and the communication line L.

Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the verification result. In Figure 6, for each entry related to the port of the switch SW and the hub HUB among the network devices, the IP addresses of the connected devices are listed in the design configuration information 14A and the actual configuration information 14B. In addition, for each entry, the connection status of the connected devices and advice indicating the work content for restoring the IP network NW from the network configuration of the actual configuration information 14B to the network configuration of the design configuration information 14A are registered.

For example, in FIG. 6, according to design configuration information 14A, PC1 (IP address "192.168.1.1") is connected to P1 (port number 1) of SW#0 (IP address "192.168.1.100"), but according to actual configuration information 14B, it is clear that nothing is connected. On the other hand, according to design configuration information 14A, nothing is connected to P2 (port number 2) of SW#0 (IP address "192.168.1.100"), but according to actual configuration information 14B, it is clear that PC1 (IP address "192.168.1.1") is connected.

These comparison results generate a connection status in which, in the actual IP network NW, PC1 is not connected to P1 of SW#0, but PC1 is connected to another port, namely P2 of SW#0. Also, in the actual IP network NW, a connection status is generated in which PC1 is connected to P2 of SW#0, but according to the design, PC1 should be connected to P1 of SW#0.

In addition, based on these comparison results, advice is generated to reconnect PC1 from P2 of SW#0 to P1 of SW#0 as the work to restore the network configuration of the actual IP network NW to the designed network configuration.

[Effects of this embodiment]
In this manner, in the network configuration verification device 10 of the present embodiment, the control circuit 15 acquires actual configuration information 14B obtained by actually identifying the network configuration of the target IP network NW from the network configuration identification device 20, and compares the actual configuration information 14B with the design configuration information 14A stored in advance in the memory circuit 14, thereby verifying the network configuration of the IP network NW.

More specifically, when making the comparison, for each port of each switch SW among the network devices that make up the IP network NW, the IP addresses of the connected devices connected to that port are compared between the actual configuration information 14B and the design configuration information 14A.

This allows the differences between the actual network configuration and the designed network configuration of the IP network NW to be automatically verified. Therefore, even in a large-scale network consisting of many connected devices, it becomes possible to easily verify the differences between the actual network configuration and the designed network configuration.

[Extended embodiments]
Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

10...Network configuration verification device, 11...Communication I/F, 12...Operation input circuit, 13...Display circuit, 14...Memory circuit, 14A...Design configuration information, 14B...Actual configuration information, 14P...Program, 15...Control circuit, 15A...Data acquisition unit, 15B...Verification unit, 15C...Verification result generation unit, 20...Network configuration identification device, NW...IP network, L...Communication line.

Claims (6)

A storage circuit for storing design configuration information indicating design contents related to a network configuration of a target IP network;
a control circuit for verifying a network configuration of the IP network based on the design configuration information;
the control circuit acquires actual configuration information obtained by actually identifying a network configuration of the IP network, and verifies the network configuration of the IP network by comparing the actual configuration information with the designed configuration information ;
the IP network includes a hub that does not have its own IP address and cannot externally acquire MAC address table information used for packet forwarding control;
The control circuit is a network configuration verification device characterized in that, for each hub among the network devices that make up the IP network, which does not have its own IP address and cannot obtain MAC address table information used for packet forwarding control from the outside, the control circuit compares the IP addresses of the connected devices connected to the hub with the actual configuration information and the designed configuration information . 2. The network configuration verification device according to claim 1,
The control circuit is a network configuration verification device characterized in that, during the comparison, the control circuit compares the IP addresses of the connected devices connected to the ports of each switch among the network devices that make up the IP network, between the actual configuration information and the design configuration information. 3. The network configuration verification device according to claim 2,
The network configuration verification device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit generates a connection status of each connected device to the network device based on a result of the comparison, and outputs the connection status as a verification result regarding the verification. 4. The network configuration verification device according to claim 2, further comprising:
The control circuit outputs advice indicating the work required to restore the IP network from the network configuration of the actual configuration information to the network configuration of the design configuration information based on the result of the comparison as a verification result for the IP network. A network configuration verification method for use in a network configuration verification device including a storage circuit for storing design configuration information indicating design contents related to a network configuration of a target IP network, and a control circuit for verifying a network configuration of the IP network based on the design configuration information, the method comprising:
A first step in which the control circuit acquires actual configuration information obtained by actually identifying a network configuration of the IP network;
a second step of the control circuit verifying a network configuration of the IP network by comparing the actual configuration information with the designed configuration information ;
the IP network includes a hub that does not have its own IP address and cannot externally acquire MAC address table information used for packet forwarding control;
The control circuit compares the actual configuration information with the designed configuration information for each hub that does not have its own IP address and cannot externally acquire MAC address table information used for packet forwarding control among the network devices that make up the IP network, for the IP addresses of the devices connected to the hub.
A network configuration verification method comprising: 6. The network configuration verification method according to claim 5,
The second step includes a third step in which the control circuit, during the comparison, checks the connection status of each port of a switch among the network devices that make up the IP network by comparing the IP address of the connected device connected to that port with the actual configuration information and the designed configuration information.

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