US20060168246A1 - Assistant server and path connection control method for service provider's network - Google Patents

Abstract

In a communication network having a communication node connected to a plurality of service providers' networks, a network controller connected to the communication node, and a server for supplying network control information to the network controller, the server stores definition information of communication services provided by the service providers. When a service request specifying a communication path to be assured is received from the user terminal, the server retrieves communication service definition information matched with the service request and notifies the search result to the user terminal. In response to a notification of agreement from the user terminal, the server transmits network control information for setting a communication path to the network controller and the network controller supplies communication path control information generated on the basis of the network control information to the communication node.

Description

• The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/943,511, filed Aug. 31, 2001, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• (1) Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates to an assistant server and a path connection control method for a telecommunication company's network or a service provider's network. More particularly, the invention relates to an assistant server and a path connection control method for receiving a communication service request from a user terminal and connecting the user terminal to a communication path which matches the request in a communication network constructed by a plurality of communication service networks.
• (2) Description of the Related Art
• In recent years, with the rapid spread of the Internet and the emergence of various network applications of E-mail and the like, a network user has come to be able to perform various works such as a settlement work on the communication network. As the number of network users increases, the communication services on the networks required by the users are becoming various.
• For example, there is a demand of a service of transferring a large amount of information such as, not only voice data transferred over a conventional telephone network, but also file data, video data, and data of HDTV (High Definition Television) which is called a television of the next generation. In order to transfer the information over a network, in the case of voice data, a bandwidth (line capacity) of 32 kbps (bits per second) is necessary as an average. In the case of a file transfer, a bandwidth of 1 Mbps is necessary. In the case of video data transfer, a bandwidth of 2 to 10 Mbps is necessary. In the case of HDTV data transfer, a bandwidth of 20 to 100 Mbps is necessary.
• In the case of file transfer, at the time of a request of transferring a file issued from the user to a file server and at the time of transferring file data from a file server to a user terminal, data is transferred in a burst manner. After a file transfer is finished, until the next request is issued, the communication is stopped. Consequently, it is desired to effectively use the communication line resources (bandwidth). When it is desired to assure the reliability of communication, double communication lines or a function of bypassing a failed line is requested so that communication is not stopped immediately even if a failure occurs in a part of a network.
• Conventionally, when a user desires to change the conditions of communication service assured on a network, the user makes a new contract with a telecommunication company or a communication service provider having a network, thereby reconstructing the communication path for the user.
• In the conventional technique, therefore, it takes time to make a new contract with a telecommunication company or a communication service provider, so that various communication services requested by the user cannot be immediately provided. According to the conventional techniques, communication services which are becoming various more and more in future require a significant capital investment, so that it is uneconomical to telecommunication companies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• An object of the invention is to provide a method of processing a communication service request, a communication path control method, and a communication system capable of instantly addressing a communication service requested by the user.
• Another object of the invention is to provide a method of processing a communication service request, a communication path control method, and an assistant server capable of effectively utilizing an existing network of a telecommunication company or a service provider.
• Further another object of the invention is to provide a method of processing a communication service request, a communication path control method, and a communication system capable of effectively utilizing an excessive bandwidth which fluctuates according to the state of a network.
• To achieve the objects, according to the invention, a communication service request for establishing a communication path is received from a user terminal by an assistant server connected to a network controller. When communication service matched with the user request is retrieved, network control information for establishing a communication path designated by the user request is supplied from the assistant server to the network controller, and a node control instruction for establishing the communication path is issued from the network controller to the communication node to which the user terminal is connected.
• More specifically, according to the invention, there is provided a communication path control method in a communication network having a communication equipment or node connected to a plurality of telecommunication companies' networks, a network controller connected to the communication equipment, and a server for supplying network control information to the network controller, the network controller supplying communication path control information generated on the basis of the network control information to the communication equipment, comprising the steps of:
• storing information entries each indicative of definition of communication services provided by each of the telecommunication companies' networks into the server;
• issuing a communication service request, in which specifications of a communication path to be assured for a user terminal connected to the communication equipment are designated, from the user terminal to the server;
• retrieving an information entry of the communication service definition matched with the communication service request and notifying the user terminal of a search result by the server; and
• transmitting network control information generated on the basis of the communication service request and retrieved lo communication service definition from the server to the network controller in response to a notification of agreement from the user terminal to the search result.
• According to the invention, for example, when an information entry of communication service definition matched with the communication service request is not retrieved, the server notifies the user terminal of, as the search result, a combination of communication service definition of a plurality of entries, thereby to satisfy the communication service request with said combination.
• Further, according to the invention, there is provided a communication service request processing method for a communication network including a communication equipment connected to a plurality of telecommunication companies' networks and a network controller connected to the communication equipment, comprising the steps of:
• transmitting information indicative of definition of communication service from a management terminal of each telecommunication company's network to an assistant server connected to the network controller;
• storing communication service definition information received from the management terminal as a supply information entry by the assistant server;
• issuing a communication service request, in which specifications of a communication path to be assured for a user terminal connected to the communication equipment are designated, from the user terminal to the assistant server;
• retrieving an information entry of the communication service definition matched with the communication service request and notifying the user terminal of a search result by the assistant server;
• after receiving a notification of agreement from the user terminal to the search result, transmitting network control information for establishing a communication path designated by the communication service request from the assistant server to the network controller; and
• supplying communication path control information generated on the basis of the network control information from the network controller to the communication equipment.
• According to the invention, there is also provided a server for performing communication with a user terminal via a communication network and supplying network control information to a network controller for controlling a communication node connected to both the user terminal and a plurality of telecommunication companies' networks, comprising:
• memory means for storing information entries each indicative of definition of communication service provided by each of the telecommunication companies' networks;
• first means for receiving a communication service request in which specifications of a communication path to be assured for a user terminal are designated, from the user terminal, searching the memory means for an information entry of communication service definition matched with the communication service request, and notifying the user terminal of a search result; and
• second means for transmitting network control information generated on the basis of the communication service request and the retrieved communication service definition to the network controller in response to a notification of agreement from the user terminal to the search result,
• wherein the network controller instructs the communication node in response to network control information received from the server to establish a communication path so that transmission packets from the user terminal are transferred to a telecommunication company's network which provides communication service definition matched with the communication service request.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the general configuration of a communication network system according to the invention.
• FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a control sequence in the communication network system according to the invention.
• FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a searching step S204 inFIG. 2.
• FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the contents of asupply information database102 of anassistant server30.
• FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the contents of ademand information database103 of theassistant server30.
• FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the contents of a networkcontrol information database104 of theassistant server30.
• FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of acommunication equipment10.
• FIG. 8A toFIG. 8D are diagrams showing the formats of an input packet, internal packets, and an output packet of thecommunication equipment10, respectively.
• FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an entry screen of supply information in a management terminal.
• FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an entry screen of a service request (demand information) at a user terminal.
• FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a search result displayed on the user terminal.
• FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of node control information supplied from anetwork controller32 to thecommunication equipment10.
• FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the control sequence in the communication network system according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• Embodiments of a method of processing a communication service request, a communication path control method, and a communication system according to the invention will be described in detail hereinbelow with reference to the drawings.
• FIG. 1 shows an example of the general configuration of a communication network system to which the invention is applied.
• InFIG. 1, it is assumed that1hto5hdenote terminals located at the headquarters of a company X and1bto5bare terminals located in a branch office of the company X. Theterminals1hto5hat the headquarters are connected to a plurality ofcommunication networks11 to18 of different telecommunication companies including communication common carriers and Internet service providers, via a communication equipment10-1. Theterminals1bto5bat the branch office are connected to the plurality ofcommunication networks11 to18 via a communication equipment10-2. Theterminals1hto5hare connected to, for example, anassistant server30 via acommunication network31 such as the Internet. Theassistant server30 communicates with anetwork controller32 connected to the communication equipments10-1 and10-2 via, for example, asignal network33 according to signaling system No. 7.
• In the invention, the user A of theterminal1hrequests theassistant server30 for communication service (assurance of a communication path) between the headquarters and the branch office. The communication service is requested by designating communication path specifications such as a communication service area, a service term, a communication bandwidth, and quality of service. Users B to E of theother terminals2hto5halso demand theassistant server30 for communication service between the headquarters and the branch office adapted to the needs in a manner similar to the user A.
• According to the invention, as will be described hereinlater, theassistant server30 receives the communication service request from each user and establishes a communication path matching the request between the communication equipments10-1 and10-2 via thenetwork controller32.
• To thecommunication networks11 to18, for example,management terminals21 to28 each for managing the state of the corresponding communication network such as the use state of a bandwidth, and service providers'network controllers41 to48 are connected, respectively. These management terminals are connected to theassistant server30 via thenetwork31. Telecommunication companies “a” to “h” which own thecommunication networks11 to18, respectively, monitor the states of resources in their communication networks, input definition information of communication service (hereinafter called supply information) which can be provided such as a usable line bandwidth from themanagement terminals21 to28 at any time, and transmit the supply information to theassistant server30 via thecommunication network31.
• Theassistant server30 has aprocessor100, aprogram memory101, asupply information database102, ademand information database103, a networkcontrol information database104, acommunication interface105 for performing communication with thenetwork controller32, and aline interface106 for connection to theInternet31.
• Supply information related to communication service notified from the telecommunication companies “a” to “h” is stored in thesupply information database102. The contents of the communication service requests received from the users A to E are stored in thedemand information database103. Network control information necessary to control a communication network is stored in the networkcontrol information database104. Control programs to be executed by theprocessor100 for retrieving supply information matching the request from the user, generating and managing network control information, and the like are stored in theprogram memory101. In the basic operation of the invention, thedemand information database103 is not always necessary.
• As will be stated in detail hereinlater, the communication service business and the communication system according to the invention can provide a combination of a plurality of communication services of different telecommunication companies to a user and transfer transmission packets from the user to a destination apparatus via a plurality of communication paths.
• FIG. 2 shows an example of a control sequence in the communication network system of the invention.
• When information supplied from themanagement terminals21 to28 is received (step S201), theprocessor100 of theassistant server30 stores the received supply information into the supply information database102 (S202).
• When a communication service request is received from one of theterminals1hto5h, for example, from theterminal1h(S203), theprocessor100 searches thesupply information database102 for a communication network (communication path) satisfying the conditions designated by the communication service request (S204). At this time, in consideration of an already used or reserved line bandwidth out of the line bandwidths shown in the supply information from the telecommunication companies by referring to the networkcontrol information database104, a communication network or a communication path satisfying the communication service request is retrieved.
• When new supply information is notified from one of the telecommunication companies, the contents of thesupply information database102 is updated and a communication network (communication path) satisfying the communication service request is retrieved on the basis of the latest line bandwidth indicated by the new supply information.
• After completion of the search, the search result, that is, definition information of an available communication path for the user is presented to therequester terminal1h(S205). When a notification of agreement on the presented communication path is received from therequester terminal1h(S206), theprocessor100 generates network control information for assuring the communication path and transmits it to the network controller32 (S207).
• Thenetwork controller32 manages both configuration information of communication networks under control and configuration information of the communication equipments10 (10-1,10-2, . . . ) under control. When the network control information is received from theassistant server30, thenetwork controller32 generates node control information for establishing the communication path designated by the network control information between the communication equipments10-1 and10-2 and transmits the node control information to the communication equipment10-1 (S208). At this time, as necessary, thenetwork controller32 transmits telecommunication company's network control information including a service identifier or routing identifier to one of the telecommunication company'snetworks controllers41 to48 corresponding to the communication path.
• On receipt of the node control information, the communication equipment10-1 performs a path connection control for transferring received packets from theterminal1hto the designated communication path under the designated conditions (S209). In step S208, alternately, the network control information may be transmitted to any one of themanagement terminals21 to28 connected to the communication network providing the designated communication path to control the communication equipment10-1 via the management terminal.
• FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the detailed procedure of the searching step S204.
• On receipt of the communication service request from theterminal1h, theprocessor100 of theassistant server30 sequentially reads out supply information entries stored in the supply information database102 (S301) and searches an available path matched with the communication path specifications designated by the communication service request (S302). In the case where an available path matched with the request is retrieved, a search result message indicative of definition information of the available communication path is notified to theterminal1h(S303), and the process is terminated.
• In the case where, in step S302, no supply information entry indicative of an available path matched with the request is retrieved in thesupply information database102, theprocessor100 makes a check to see whether or not a communication path matched with the communication service request can be realized by a combination of a plurality of supply information entries (S304). When the request can be satisfied by the combination of the plurality of supply information entries, theprocessor100 transmits the search result message indicative of the definition information of the available communication service by using the plurality of communication paths to theterminal1h(S303), and terminates the process.
• In the case where the request cannot be satisfied even by a combination of the plurality of the supply information entries in step S304, a message indicating that the requested communication service is not acceptable is notified to the requester terminal (S305), and the process is terminated.
• FIG. 4 shows the contents of thesupply information database102 of theassistant server30.
• In thesupply information database102, a plurality of entries indicative of supply information received from themanagement terminals21 to28 are stored. Each supply information entry includes information such as, for example, a service provider name (service provider identifier)400, a service area401, a service term402, a bandwidth403 offered, quality of service (QOS)404, and a service share indication405 indicating whether the communication service can be shared by a plurality of users or not.
• FIG. 5 shows the contents of thedemand information database103 of theassistant server30.
• In thedemand information database103, a plurality of entries indicative of the contents of the communication service requests received from theuser terminals1hto5hare stored. Each entry includes information such as, for example, a user name (user ID)500, aservice area501, aservice term502, a requiredbandwidth503,QOS504, the necessity of abackup route505, acombination service indication506 indicating whether a combination of a plurality of communication services (communication paths) is allowed or not, asource address507 and adestination address508 to be added to transmission packets, and the like.
• In thesupply information database102 and thedemand information database103, for example, thebandwidths403 and503 may be specified in more detail like a guaranteed bandwidth, a peak bandwidth, and the like, thereby providing various types of communication services.
• FIG. 6 shows the contents of the networkcontrol information database104 of theassistant server30.
• In the networkcontrol information database104, network control information generated on the basis of the contents of the communication service request from the user and the search result of thesupply information database102 is stored.
• Each of the entries in the networkcontrol information database104 includes a user name (user ID)600, aservice term601, aservice area602, aservice ID603 assigned to each contracted communication service,first path definition604,second path definition605,QOS610, the necessity of abackup route611, and asource address612 and adestination address613 to be added to transmission packets.
• Thefirst path definition604 includes aservice provider identifier606A, abandwidth607A, and apath ID608A, and thesecond path definition605 includes aservice provider identifier606B, abandwidth607B, and apath ID608B. When the communication service requested by the user is granted by a combination of two communication paths, the two communication paths are defined by thefirst path definition604 and thesecond path definition605. When the requested communication service is satisfied with a single communication path, no data is entered in thesecond path definition605.
• FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the communication equipment10 (each of10-1 and10-2).
• Thecommunication equipment10 includes asignaling network interface700 for connection to thesignaling network33, anode controller701, a plurality of terminal interfaces702-1 to702-nand712-1 to712-nfor connection to user terminals, aswitch unit703, and a plurality of network interfaces704-1 to704-nand714-1 to714-nfor connection to the service providers'networks11 to18. Thenode controller701 includes aprocessor710 and amemory711 and controls the whole function of the communication equipment.
• Thesignaling network interface700 transfers the node control information received from thenetwork controller32 via thesignaling network33 to thenode controller701. Theprocessor710 of thenode controller701 analyzes the node control information received from thesignaling network interface700 and transmits internal control information necessary for a packet transfer control to theswitch unit703 and theterminal interface702 in association with a communication path to be newly set.
• The terminal interface702-i(i=1 to n) for an input line has aservice ID adder720, abuffer memory721, apath controller722, a service ID table723, a routing tag table724, and the other elements. In the service ID table723, in correspondence with a source address and a destination address to be included in the header of input packets, service ID given as internal control information from theprocessor710 is stored. In the routing tag table724, in correspondence with the service ID given as internal control information from theprocessor710, the bandwidth, path ID, and routing tag information given as internal control information from theprocessor710 are stored.
• To theservice ID adder720, as shown inFIG. 8A, apacket740 constructed bydata70 and aheader71 is supplied. When thepacket740 is received from a terminal, theservice ID adder720 reads outservice ID72 corresponding to the source address and the destination address included in theheader71 of the input packet from the service ID table723 and outputs apacket741 obtained by adding the service ID (SID)72 as shown inFIG. 8B to thebuffer memory721.
• Thepath controller722 reads out thepacket741 stored in thebuffer memory721 and refers to the routing tag table724 on the basis of theservice ID72. In the routing tag table724, in correspondence with theservice ID72, a control information entry including bandwidth, path ID, routing tag information, and a counter is stored. Thepath controller722 counts the number of packets for each service ID by the counter, and outputs apacket742 to theswitch unit703. Thepacket742 includes, as shown inFIG. 8C, path ID (PID)73 androuting tag information74 as internal header information.
• Theswitch unit703 switches the packet input from each of the terminal interfaces702-1 to702-nin accordance with therouting tag information74 and outputs the packet to one of the network interfaces704-1 to704-n. Theswitch unit703 has aQOS controller730 and controls the QOS of an input packet from the terminal interface in accordance with the QOS information for each service ID (or routing tag information) previously notified by the internal control information from theprocessor710. For example, when congestion of packets occurs in a specific output line, a priority control in the packet transfer is performed in such a manner that, out of competing packets, packets of voice, image, and the like which are not allowed to be delayed are preferentially transmitted and data packets which are allowed to be re-transmitted are discarded.
• The network interface704-i(i=1 to n) for an output line eliminates theinternal header information72 to74 from thepacket742 received from theswitch unit703, converts thepacket742 into a packet format according to the communication protocol of the telecommunication company's network, and transmits the packet to the telecommunication company's network.
• When the packet transfer is performed according to, for example, MPLS (Multi Protocol Label Switching) over a telecommunication company's network, apacket743 in a format obtained by encapsulating theinput packet740 with anshim header75 as shown inFIG. 8D is transmitted from the network interface704-i. In this case, theservice ID72 and thepath ID73 added as the internal header information may be used for label allocation in the shim header.
• A first embodiment of the communication path control according to the invention will now be described in detail. In the first embodiment, communication services of a plurality of telecommunication companies, for example, communication paths of the telecommunication companies “a” and “b” are combined and provided in response to the request of the user A.
• FIG. 9 shows an example of an entry screen of supply information of the telecommunication company “a” in themanagement terminal21.
• Anentry screen80 of supply information includes data entry areas ofname81 of a service provider, aservice area82, aservice term83,bandwidth84,QOS85, andservice share86, a cancel button B10, and enter button B11.
• The service provider “a” enters, for example, “Tokyo-Osaka” as the service area, “Apr. 1st, 2001 to Mar. 31st, 2003” as the service term, “2 Mbps” as the bandwidth, “guaranteed” as QOS, and “Yes” as the service share, and clicks the enter button B11 by a mouse operation. By the operation, the entry data is transmitted as supply information to theassistant server30. The cancel button B10 is clicked when the provider wish to cancel the transmission of the supply information to the assistant server.
• When the supply information of the service provider “a” entered from themanagement terminal21 is received (S201), theprocessor100 of theassistant server30 stores the received supply information as an entry102ashown inFIG. 4 into the supply information database102 (S202). Supply information of the service providers “b” to “h” entered from themanagement terminals22 to28 is also received by theassistant server30 and stored as entries102bto102hinto thesupply information database102.
• FIG. 10 shows an example of the entry screen of the communication service request information in theterminal1hoperated by the user A.
• Anentry screen90 of communication service request information includes data entry areas of the user name (user ID)91,service area92,service term93,bandwidth94,QOS95,combination service96, the necessity of abackup route97,source address98, anddestination address99, a cancel button B12, and an enter button B13.
• The user A enters, for example, “Tokyo-Osaka” as the service area, “Apr. 1st, 2001 to Mar. 31st, 2003” as the service term, “5 Mbps” as the bandwidth, “guaranteed” as QOS, “Yes” as the combination service, and “No” as a backup route, and clicks the enter button B13. By the operation, the entry data is transmitted as service request information to theassistant server30.
• When the communication service request of the user A is received from theterminal1h(S203), theprocessor100 searches thesupply information database102 for a supply information entry of the communication service satisfying the request (S204 and S302).
• Since there is no supply information entry matched with the request of the user A in thesupply information database102 in the example shown here, theprocessor100 retrieves communication service satisfying the request from combinations of a plurality of supply information entries (S304). In this case, the request of the user A is satisfied by a combination of the supply information entry102aof the service provider “a” and a supply information entry102bof the service provider “b”. Consequently, theprocessor100 transmits a search result indicative of the combination to theterminal1hof the user A (S205).
• FIG. 11 shows an example of the display screen of the search result displayed on theterminal1h.
• Adisplay screen110 of the search result includes adisplay area120 of the contents of a request of the user A, adisplay area130 of the search result, an order button B14, a request change/re-search button B15, and an end button B16. In this example, the bandwidth of 5 Mbps required by the user A is assured by using 2 Mbps of thecommunication network11 of the service provider “a” and 3 Mbps of thecommunication network12 of the service provider “b”.
• When the user A agrees to the combination of the two communication networks and clicks the order button B14, a notification of the agreement is transmitted to theassistant server30. In the case where the user A desires to change the request condition, the user A clicks the request change/re-search button B15.
• When the agreement notification is received from theterminal1h(S206), theprocessor100 generates network control information on the basis of the request contents of the user A and the search result (S207), and transmits it to the network controller32 (S208).
• The network control information generated in correspondence with the request of the user A has, for example, the contents shown by anentry104ainFIG. 6.
• The contents designated by the service request from the user A are entered as theuser name600,service area601,service term602,QOS610,backup route611,source address612, anddestination address613. The data of theservice providers606A and606B and thebandwidths607A and607B are obtained from the search result. Values of theservice ID603 and first andsecond path IDs608A and608B are values assigned to each network control information entry by theprocessor100.
• When the network control information is received, thenetwork controller32 generates, for example,node control information320 shown inFIG. 12 on the basis of the received network control information and transmits it to the communication equipment10-1 (S209). At this time, thenetwork controller32 refers to the configuration information of the communication network and each of communication equipments under control, checks the connection relation between thecommunication network11 of the service provider “a” designated by thefirst path definition604 in the network control information and thecommunication network12 of the service provider “b” designated by thesecond path definition605, and specifies aterminal interface ID321, firstrouting tag information327 for transferring input packets from theterminal1hto thecommunication network11 by the communication equipment10-1, and secondrouting tag information330 for transferring input packets from theterminal1hto thecommunication network12.
• As shown inFIG. 12, thenode control information320 transmitted from thenetwork controller32 to the communication equipment10-1 defines the relations among theID321 of the terminal interface connected to theuser terminal1h, a source address322 (612), a destination address323 (613), service ID324 (603), first path ID325 (608A), first path bandwidth326 (607A), the firstrouting tag information327, second path ID328 (608B), second path bandwidth329 (607B), thesecond routing tag330, and QOS331 (610).
• In the communication equipment10-1, thenode control information320 received by thesignaling network interface700 is stored in thememory711. Theprocessor710 of the communication equipment10-1 analyzes thenode control information320 and transmits first internal control information containing the data of thesource address322 to the secondrouting tag information330 to the terminal interface702-1. Theprocessor710 transmits second internal control information designating the relation between the service ID324 (or the first and secondrouting tag information327 and330) and theQOS information331 to theswitch unit703. The terminal interface702-1 and theswitch unit703 perform a path connection control for transferring input packets from theterminal1hat a predetermined ratio of the bandwidths of thecommunication networks11 and12 in accordance with the internal control information received from theprocessor710, for example, sets parameters in the tables723 and724 and QOS controller730 (S210).
• In the embodiment, on receipt of thepacket740 from theterminal1h, theservice ID adder720 of the terminal interface702-1 refers to the service ID table723, adds service ID “1” to the received packet, and outputs the packet to thebuffer memory721. Thepath controller722 reads out the packet from thebuffer memory721, refers to the tag table724 in accordance with a service ID added to the packet, counts the number of packets, adds the first path ID and first routing tag information to the packets destined for thecommunication network11, adds the second path ID and second routing tag information to the packets destined for thecommunication network12 in order to distribute a train of packets having the service ID “1” entered at a transfer rate of 5 Mbps to thecommunication networks11 and12 at the ratio of 2 Mbps:3 Mbps, and outputs the packets to theswitch unit703.
• Theswitch unit703 transfers a packet to which the first routing tag information is added to the communication network interface704-1 and transfers a packet to which the second routing tag information is added to the communication interface704-2. At this time, by theQOS controller730 in theswitch unit703, a control for assuring the bandwidth is performed. The communication network interfaces704-1 and704-2 eliminate unnecessary header information from packets received from theswitch unit703, convert the packet into a packet format according to the communication protocol, and transmits the packets to thecommunication networks11 and12, respectively.
• By the above control sequence, the user A can communicate with the terminal at a branch office under the conditions designated by the communication service request.
• FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the control sequence in the communication network system of the invention.
• In this embodiment, thedemand information database103 is used. When the supply information is received from themanagement terminals21 to28 (step S1101), theprocessor100 of theassistant server30 stores the received supply information into the supply information database102 (S1102). When a communication service request which is called demand information here is received from one of theterminals1hto5h(S1103), the received demand information is stored in a demand information database1203 (S1104). When a matching request is received from a source terminal of a communication service request (S1105), theprocessor100 reads out demand information to be matched from thedemand information database103 and, in a manner similar to the searching step S204 inFIG. 2, retrieves a communication path satisfying the conditions designated by the demand information or combined communication paths by matching the demand information with supply information read out from the supply information database102 (S1106).
• Theprocessor100 transmits the search result to the terminal of the request source (S1107). When an order request is received from a request source terminal (S1108), a service request including the search result is transmitted to any of themanagement terminals21 to28 corresponding to the supply information (S1109). When the notification of agreement is received from the management terminal (S1110), theprocessor100 generates network control information on the basis of the demand information and the search result and stores the network control information to the network control information database104 (S1111).
• Theprocessor100 checks theservice term602 in the networkcontrol information database104 at predetermined cycles (S1112). If there is an entry to which the communication service is to be started, theprocessor100 generates a message of network control information and transmits it to the network controller32 (S1113). When the network control information is received, as described by referring toFIG. 2, thenetwork controller32 generates node control information and transmits it to the communication equipment10 (S1114). In a manner similar to step S209 inFIG. 2, the communication equipment10-1 executes a path connecting control according to the received node control information (S1115). When there is an entry of which communication service is to be finished in the networkcontrol information database104, theprocessor100 generates a message of network control information for canceling the corresponding communication path and sends it to thenetwork controller32 in step S1113.
• With reference to FIGS.4 to6, further different embodiments of the communication path control according to the invention will be described hereinbelow.
• In the second embodiment of the invention, a combination of a plurality of communication services offered by different telecommunication companies is shared by a plurality of users. When communication service of the telecommunication company “c” indicated by the entry102cand communication service of the telecommunication company “d” shown in the entry102dinFIG. 4 are combined, for example, a communication path of total 5 Mbps is available in the area between Tokyo and Osaka. Therefore, when communication service requests of 4 Mbps and 1 Mbps (total 5 Mbps) are issued from the users B and C in the area between Tokyo and Osaka as shown byentries103band103cinFIG. 5, if the users B and C agree to share the communication paths of the telecommunication companies 'b” and “c”, the bandwidths required by the users B and C are assured.
• Entries104band104cinFIG. 6 show an example of network control information generated in correspondence with the users B and C. Transmission packets of the user B are distributed to the communication paths of the telecommunication companies “c” and “d” at the ratio of 1.6 Mbps:2.4 Mbps. Transmission packets of the user C are distributed to the communication paths of the telecommunication companies “c” and “d” at the ratio of 0.4 Mbps:0.6 Mbps.
• In a third embodiment of the invention, by combining a plurality of communication paths of different service terms, a communication service request of a user or a plurality of users requiring a long service term is satisfied.
• For example, as shown by anentry103dinFIG. 5, when the user D desires communication service of the bandwidth of 1 Mbps in the term from Sep. 1st, 2001 to Aug. 31st, 2003 and the request of the user is satisfied by combining communication services of the telecommunication companies “e” and “f” as shown by entries102eand102finFIG. 4, the assistant server generates the network control information indicated byentries104dand104D shown inFIG. 6. In this case, the user D performs communication with the branch office by using the communication network of the telecommunication company “e” in the term from Sep. 1st, 2001 to Aug. 31st, 2002 and using the communication network of the telecommunication company “f” in the term from Sep. 1st, 2002 to Aug. 31st, 2003.
• The network is switched from telecommunication company “e” to the telecommunication company “f” by, for example, as described by referring toFIG. 11, registering anetwork control entry104D in the networkcontrol information database104, transmitting network control information of theentry104D from theassistant server30 to thenetwork controller32 and, on the day that the communication service of the telecommunication company “f” is started, transmitting the node control information for transferring input packets from the terminal of the user D to the interface to which the communication network of the telecommunication company “f” is connected, from thenetwork controller32 to thecommunication equipment10.
• Since the networkcontrol information entry104D has the same service ID as that of theentry104d, in the terminal interface to which the terminal of the user D is connected, routing tag information destined for the communication network of the telecommunication company “e” set in thepath controller722 is replaced by routing tag information destined for the communication network of the telecommunication company “f” designated by new node control information.
• In a fourth embodiment of the invention, two communication paths each satisfying required bandwidth are assigned to one user. One of the communication paths is used as a working path and the other one is used as a backup path. When a failure occurs in the working communication path, the working communication path is switched to the backup communication path.
• For example, as shown by anentry103einFIG. 5, when a service request from the user E indicates the necessity of a backup line, theprocessor100 of the assistant node searches thesupply information database102 for two supply information entries satisfying the service request from the user E. When supply information indicated by, for example, the entries102gand102hinFIG. 4 is retrieved in response to the request, theprocessor100 generates network control information indicated by theentries104eand104E inFIG. 6 and transmits the network control information to thenetwork controller32.
• In this case, first node control information corresponding to theentry104eand second node control information corresponding to theentry104E is transmitted from thenetwork controller32 to the communication equipment10-1. The communication equipment10-1 performs a connection control in accordance with the first node control information designating the working communication path and stores the second node control information in a spare information area in thememory711 in correspondence with the ID of the working communication path.
• By the operation, the user E can perform communication by using the communication network of the telecommunication company “g” during the service term. In the event where a failure occurs in the communication network of the telecommunication company “g”, in response to a notification of the failure from the interface connected to the failed line, theprocessor100 reads out the second node control information as backup line information corresponding to the failed line from the backup information area of thememory711 and sets it in the terminal interface to which the terminal of the user E is connected.
• Since the networkcontrol information entry104E has the same service ID as that of theentry104e, the routing tag information destined for the communication network of the telecommunication company “g” set in thepath controller722 until then is replaced with routing tag information destined for the communication network of the telecommunication company “h” designated by the second node control information, thereby switching the working line to the backup line.
• In the foregoing embodiments, the assistant server retrieves the telecommunication company network (supply information) matched with the communication service request from the user and automatically sets the communication path. The telecommunication company may request the assistant server to find demand information of the user matched with communication service provided by itself. It is also possible to provide theassistant server30 with, for example, a database for service package information to preliminarily make a package of combination patterns of a plurality of communication services and the user.
• As obvious from the foregoing embodiments, according to the invention, each user can save trouble required to make a contract again with the telecommunication company at the time of extending the term of the communication service or changing the conditions of the communication service. Further, each user can receive desired communication service instantly as necessary by communicating with the assistant server.
• According to the invention, by combining network resources of a plurality of telecommunication companies, the needs of the users can be granted. Thus, each telecommunication company or service provider can effectively use its network resources.

Claims (8)

1. A communication path setting method performed by a network control system for setting a communication path between a first terminal connected to a first communication equipment and a second terminal connected to a second communication equipment, through at least one of communication networks that belong to different telecommunication companies and are connected between said first and second communication equipment, the method comprising the steps of:

storing communication service information indicative of a definition of a communication service provided through each of said communication networks for each of said telecommunication companies;

storing communication demand information indicative of a definition of a communication path to be set between said first and second terminals upon receiving a communication service request from said first terminal;

comparing said communication demand information with said communication service information;

selecting a specific one of said communication networks if the communication path defined with said communication demand information is satisfied by the communication service defined with the communication service information for the specific communication network;

generating control information for setting the communication path between said first and second terminals through the specific communication network; and

controlling said first and second communication equipment in accordance with the control information.

2. The communication path setting method according toclaim 1, wherein a set of communication networks are selected if the communication path defined with said communication demand information is satisfied by a combination of communication service defined with the communication service information for the set of communication networks; and

generating control information for setting a plurality of communication paths equivalent to the communication path defined with said communication demand information between said first and second terminals through the set of communication networks.

3. The communication path setting method according toclaim 2, wherein each of said communication service information and said communication demand information includes information indicative of communication bandwidth, and

wherein said set of communication networks are selected if the total of communication bandwidths defined by the communication service information for the set of communication networks is equal to or more than that of the communication path defined in said communication demand information.

4. The communication path setting method according toclaim 1, wherein said communication demand information includes time information indicative of communication time period for which the communication path should be set between said first and second terminals, and

wherein said control information for setting the communication path is generated at a timing determined in accordance with the time information.

5. The communication path setting method according toclaim 4, wherein said communication service information includes time information indicative of service period available the communication service for each of said communication networks, and

wherein said specific one of said communication networks is selected if the communication time period defined in said communication demand information is satisfied by the service period defined in the communication service information for the specific communication network.

6. The /com path setting method according toclaim 1, further comprising the step of:

notifying said first terminal of a name of a communication company and contents of communication service defined with the communication service information corresponding to said selected communication network.

7. The communication path setting method according toclaim 1, further comprising the step of:

notifying said first terminal that a requested communication service is not available when there is no communication service information that can satisfy the communication path defined with said communication demand information.

8. The communication path setting method according toclaim 1, wherein said network control system comprises a network controller connected to said first and second communication equipment and a control server connected to receive said service request from said first terminal and to communicate with said network controller,

wherein said control server transmits said control information to said network controller, and said network controller controls said first and second communication equipment according to the control information so that data packets transmitted from said first terminal to said second terminal are forwarded from said first communication equipment to said second communication equipment via said selected specific communication network.

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