JP6500777B2 - Communication apparatus and method in communication system, control apparatus and method for communication path - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system for communicating between communication apparatuses via a communication path, and more particularly to control of the communication path.

  In a mobile communication system, a communication terminal such as a mobile phone can communicate with a base station and can access the Internet via a core network. A communication terminal communicates via a communication path (for example, a bearer) established between devices (for example, a gateway) provided in the core network.

  When the communication path is established, a core network node (for example, a gateway) for relaying the communication path is assigned to the communication path. The communication path establishment procedure is described, for example, in section 5.3.2 of Non-Patent Document 1.

3GPP TS 23.401 V12.1.0 “Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) enhancement for Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Access”, [searched on August 26, 2013] Internet <http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/html-info/23401.htm>

  As described above, a core network node such as a gateway is assigned to the established communication path. Therefore, when switching the communication path, it is assumed that the communication path re-establishment procedure is performed to reassign the core network node to the new communication path. When the communication path re-establishment procedure is executed, various influences on the communication service are assumed, for example, the communication performed in the communication path before switching is interrupted.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication technology and communication path control technology capable of suppressing the influence on communication services when switching the communication path route.

A communication device according to the present invention establishes a first communication path with a first gateway, and establishes a communication path establishing means for establishing a second communication path with a second gateway, and a communication path used for packet transfer to a destination Transfer means for transferring a packet according to a processing rule including: and a processing rule including the first communication path as a communication path used for packet transfer to the destination according to an instruction from the control device; look including a communication path to be used from the first communication path and changing means for changing said second communication path, the transfer means, receives a packet to be processed in accordance with the modified processing rule by said changing means In the case, the second communication path is used to transfer the packet to the destination .
The control device of the present invention establishes a first communication path with the first gateway, establishes a second communication path with the second gateway, and follows the processing rules including the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination. A control device for controlling a communication device for transferring a packet, the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination among setting means for setting the processing rule in the communication device and the processing rule set in the communication device Instructing means for instructing the communication apparatus to change the communication path used for packet transfer from the first communication path to the second communication path, in accordance with the processing rule including the first communication path as , And is characterized.
A communication method according to the present invention includes a communication path used for packet transfer to a destination in a communication device that establishes a first communication path with a first gateway and establishes a second communication path with a second gateway. A communication method for transferring a packet according to a processing rule, wherein the packet is transferred according to a processing rule including the first communication path as a communication path used for packet transfer to the destination according to an instruction from a control device. Changing the communication path to be used from the first communication path to the second communication path, and receiving the packet to be processed in accordance with the changed processing rule, the destination using the second communication path Forwarding the packet to
The control method of the present invention establishes a first communication path with the first gateway, establishes a second communication path with the second gateway, and follows the processing rules including the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination. A control method for controlling a communication device for transferring a packet to the destination using the communication path , wherein the processing rule is set in the communication device, and the destination among the processing rules set in the communication device. To the processing rule including the first communication path as the communication path used for packet transfer to the second communication path to change the communication path used for packet transfer from the first communication path to the second communication path It is characterized by instructing an apparatus .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION By this invention, when switching a communication path, the influence with respect to communication service can be suppressed and the technique in which various communication quality control is possible can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a communication system to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of a communication path in the communication system shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a first example of a communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a second example of the communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a third example of the communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an operation example of the communication apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the route information DB in the control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a communication apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a functional configuration of the communication device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram showing a first example of a communication system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a system configuration diagram showing a second example of the communication system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a system configuration diagram showing a third example of the communication system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a first example of the route information DB in the control device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a first example of the route information DB in the communication apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a schematic system configuration diagram for explaining a first operation example of the communication system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a configuration diagram showing a second example of the route information DB in the control device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a second example of the route information DB in the communication apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a schematic system configuration diagram for explaining a second operation example of the communication system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a schematic system configuration diagram for explaining a third operation example of the communication system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram showing a first operation example of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram showing a second operation example of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram showing a third operation example of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24 is a sequence diagram showing a fourth operation example of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 25 is a sequence diagram showing a fifth operation example of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing a seventh operation example of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 27 is a sequence diagram showing an eighth operation example of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 28 is a sequence diagram showing a ninth operation example of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 29 is a sequence diagram showing a tenth operation example of the communication system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 30 is a system configuration diagram showing a first example of a communication system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 32 is a block diagram showing an example of the flow entry DB in the control device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 33 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a communication apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 34 is a schematic system configuration diagram for illustrating the operation of the communication system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 35 is a block diagram showing a first example of the route information DB in the control apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 36 is a block diagram showing a second example of the route information DB in the control device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 37 is a block diagram showing a third example of the route information DB in the control device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 38 is a block diagram showing a fourth example of the route information DB in the control device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 39 is a block diagram showing a fifth example of the route information DB in the control device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 40 is a schematic system configuration diagram for describing a first example of the operation of the communication system according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 41 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 42 is a block diagram showing an example of a policy DB of the control device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 43 is a schematic system configuration diagram for describing a second example of the operation of the communication system according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 44 is a block diagram showing an example of a policy DB of the control device in the communication system shown in FIG. FIG. 45 is a schematic system configuration diagram for describing a third example of the operation of the communication system according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 46 is a block diagram showing an example of a policy DB of the control device in the communication system shown in FIG. FIG. 47 is a block diagram showing a first example of a management apparatus according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 48 is a block diagram showing a second example of the management apparatus according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 49 is a schematic view showing an example of the user interface of the management device according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 50 is a block diagram showing a third example of the management device according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 51 is a schematic view showing a first example of the user interface of the management device according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 52 is a block diagram showing a first example of the route information DB in the management device according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 53 is a schematic view showing a second example of the user interface of the management device according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 54 is a block diagram showing a second example of the route information DB in the management device according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 55 is a schematic view showing a third example of the user interface of the management device according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 56 is a block diagram showing a third example of the route information DB in the management device according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. Each embodiment is an illustration, and the present invention is not limited to each embodiment.

1. First Embodiment 1.1) System Hereinafter, an example of a communication system according to the present embodiment will be an LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication system. However, the communication system to which the present invention is applied is not limited to LTE. For example, the present invention is also applicable to GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System).

  In FIG. 1, the communication system according to the present embodiment includes a terminal (Mobile Terminal) 1 such as a mobile phone, a PC (Personal Computer), and a mobile router, a base station (eNB) 2, and a gateway 3. The base station 2 provides the terminal 1 with a radio access function. The gateway 3 is, for example, a network node such as an S-GW (Serving Gateway) or a P-GW (Packet Data Network Gateway). The gateway 3 may be an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) or a GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node). The gateway 3 provides, for example, a function of terminating a communication path (for example, a bearer) set in the network, and a function as a connection point with an external network (for example, the Internet).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 1 transmits and receives data via a communication path (for example, a bearer) established between the terminal 1 and the gateway 3. The communication path is constituted by, for example, a radio channel established between the terminal 1 and the base station, and a GTP (GPRS Tunneling Protocol) tunnel terminated by the gateway 3 (end point).

  In the communication system according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1, for example, a communication device 4 capable of switching communication path paths between the base station 2 and the gateway 3 or between the S-GW and the P-GW. Is placed. For example, when switching the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path, the communication device 4 can switch the transfer path of the packet such that the packet belonging to the communication path passes through the gateway 3 after the switching. The switching of the gateway can be concealed from the terminal 1 by switching the packet transfer path on the communication path. Therefore, even if the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path is switched, the communication system can avoid the execution of the communication path re-establishment procedure.

1.2) Communication Device Although the communication device 4 according to the present embodiment can switch between a plurality of gateways, a case where three gateways are switched will be described as an example, in order to avoid the complication of the following description.

  As exemplified in FIG. 3, the communication device 4 includes the communication path identification unit 40 and the switching unit 41, and can switch the gateways 3 (a), 3 (b) and 3 (c) according to the communication path. I assume.

  The communication path identification unit 40 identifies the communication path to which the received packet belongs. For example, the communication path identification unit 40 identifies a communication path to which the received packet belongs based on a communication path identifier such as a TEID (Tunnel Endpoint Identifier) or a GRE (Generic Routing Encapsulation) key.

  The switching unit 41 transfers the received packet to the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path identified by the communication path identifier. The switching unit 41 has, for example, a function of managing the correspondence between the communication path and the gateway 3, and transfers the received packet to the corresponding gateway 3 based on the correspondence. In the example of FIG. 3, the switching unit 41 respectively receives the received packet (A) as the gateway 3 (a), the received packet (B) as the gateway 3 (b), and the received packet (C) as the gateway (c). Forward.

  As exemplified in FIG. 4, it is also possible to configure the gateway 3A (virtual gateway) on the server 33 by software such as virtual machine (VM: Virtual Machine) and transfer the received packet to the gateway 3A by the communication device 4 is there. The server 33 can construct a plurality of virtual gateways 3A according to, for example, the load of the communication system. The switching unit 41 transfers the received packet to the corresponding virtual gateway based on, for example, the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual gateway.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the above-described function of the communication device 4 can also be realized by the virtual switch 4A built on the server 33. That is, in the example of FIG. 5, the server 33 can operate as the communication device 4. That is, the virtual switch 4A and the virtual gateway (gateway 3A) can be configured by software such as VM on the control unit (not shown) of the server 33. The communication path identification unit 40 of the virtual switch 4A identifies the communication path to which the received packet belongs, and the switching unit 41 of the virtual switch 4A transfers the received packet to the virtual gateway 3A corresponding to the identified communication path.

  Although only one communication device 4 (virtual switch 4A) is described in FIGS. 3 to 5, a plurality of communication devices 4 may be used. Also, the communication device 4 and the virtual switch 4A may be used in combination.

1.3) Communication Path Control In FIG. 6, when the communication device 4 receives a packet (Operation S1), the communication path identification unit 40 identifies the communication path to which the received packet belongs (Operation S2). For example, the communication path identification unit 40 identifies the communication path to which the received packet belongs based on the communication path identifier such as TEID or GRE Key.

  The switching unit 41 of the communication device 4 transfers the received packet to the gateway 3 corresponding to the identified communication path (Operation S3).

1.4) Effect By the above operation, the communication system 4 hides the switching of the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path to the terminal 1 by switching the packet transfer route on the communication path route. It becomes possible. Therefore, even if the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path is switched, the communication system can avoid the execution of the communication path re-establishment procedure.

2. Second Embodiment The second embodiment of the present invention is applicable to the communication system illustrated in FIG.

  The communication device 4 in the communication system according to the second embodiment can execute path switching of the communication path in accordance with the instruction notified from the control device 5 as in the first embodiment described above. Since the control device 5 can centrally control the operation of the communication device 4, the operation efficiency of the system is improved.

As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 5 includes a route information DB (database) 50, a control unit 51 and a communication interface 52.
The communication interface 52 has a function of communicating with the communication device 4. The communication interface 52 can communicate with the communication device 4 using a protocol such as, for example, OpenFlow, Forwarding and Control Element Separation (ForCES), or Interface to Routing System (I2RS).

  The route information DB 50 is a database for managing the correspondence between the communication path and the gateway 3. The control unit 51 has a function of generating information to be stored in the path information DB 50 and a function of controlling the communication device 4 via the communication interface 52 based on the information stored in the path information DB 50.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, the route information DB 50 stores correspondence information between each communication path and the corresponding gateway. As information for identifying the communication path, communication path identifiers such as TEID and GRE Key can be used, and the corresponding gateway 3 can be managed based on each communication path identifier.

  The control unit 51 controls the communication device 4 based on the information managed by the route information DB 50. For example, the control unit 51 notifies the switching unit 41 of the communication device 4 of the correspondence between the communication path and the gateway 3 based on the route information DB 50.

  As illustrated in FIG. 9, the communication device 4 may be provided with a route information DB 42, and the route information notified from the control device 5 may be stored. In this case, the communication path identification unit 40 and the switching unit 41 of the communication device 4 refer to the path information DB 42 and transfer the packet to the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path to which the packet belongs.

  For example, when a change in the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path occurs, the control unit 51 of the control device 5 notifies the communication device 4 of the information on the changed correspondence. The communication device 4 stores the notified information in the route information DB 42.

  The control unit 51 of the control device 5 can also operate the gateway 3A (illustrated in FIG. 5), which is a virtual gateway, on the server 33 illustrated in FIG. 5 according to, for example, a start instruction. That is, in response to the start instruction from the control unit 51, the server 33 starts an application having a function corresponding to the gateway 3 on the virtual machine.

  The control device 5 can be configured using, for example, a Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF), a Mobility Management Entity (MME), or the like of an LTE communication system, or a Network Management System (NMS), or the like. The MME has a function of controlling establishment and deletion of a bearer, a function of movement control such as handover of the terminal 1, and a function of user authentication of the terminal 1. The PCRF has functions such as policy control such as QoS and charge control for data transfer. The gateway performs policy control based on notification information from the PCRF. The NMS has functions such as monitoring of network traffic and alive monitoring of network devices.

3. Third Embodiment The third embodiment of the present invention is applicable to any of the techniques disclosed in the first embodiment or the second embodiment described above. In the third embodiment, the function of the gateway 3 is virtually configured by software such as a VM.

  Current communication systems use dedicated appliances, which are hardware devices, to perform various network functions. The establishment of a communication system requires such a dedicated appliance, and thus, when newly launching a network service, the network operator is forced to introduce a new dedicated appliance. That is, in order to introduce a dedicated appliance, the network operator pays a great deal of cost such as the purchase cost and installation space of the dedicated appliance.

  Also, communication systems are typically designed to have the ability to withstand peak loads. Therefore, a dedicated appliance (for example, a gateway device or the like) configuring the communication system may become surplus with respect to the non-peak communication amount. One solution to this problem is to configure the function of a dedicated appliance such as a gateway device with software such as a virtual machine. For example, by adding a virtual machine having the function of a dedicated appliance according to the amount of communication of the communication system, it is possible to construct a system according to the state of the communication system.

  In the third embodiment of the present invention, when the function of the gateway 3 is dynamically scaled out, it is possible to switch the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path. When the communication device 4 switches the transfer path of packets on the path of the communication path, the communication device 4 can hide the switching of the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path from the terminal 1. Therefore, even if the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path is switched, the communication system can avoid the execution of the communication path re-establishment procedure. Hereinafter, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the examples of FIGS.

3.1) Gateway Configuration As shown on the left side of FIG. 10, the gateway 3 has a control plane (C-Plane) and a user plane (U-Plane). C-Plane has a function of processing control signals transmitted in the communication system. U-Plane has a function of processing data transmitted by the communication system. The C-Plane and the U-Plane can also communicate via different interfaces 32, respectively. In the gateway 3, for example, IP addresses are assigned to the respective interfaces.

  Since the terminal 1 communicates with an external network such as the Internet, a communication path (for example, a bearer) is established between the gateway 3 and the terminal 1. In the communication path, the gateway 3 communicates, for example, using an IP address assigned to the interface 32. The gateway 3 constructs a tunnel (for example, a GTP tunnel or a GRE tunnel) for establishing a communication path.

  As shown on the right side of FIG. 10, the above-described gateway 3 is configured as a virtual gateway 3A by software such as a VM. The virtual gateway 3A is constructed, for example, on the server 33. In the virtual gateway 3A, C-Plane and U-Plane are configured by software such as VM. In FIG. 10, the functions corresponding to C-Plane and U-Plane are respectively marked as "Virtual C-plane 30" and "Virtual U-plane 31". The virtual C-plane 30 and the virtual U-plane 31 can communicate with each other by the internal interface. The operator of the communication system can add the virtual C-plane 30 and the virtual U-plane 31 according to, for example, the load of the communication system. Since the virtual C-plane 30 and the virtual U-plane 31 are configured by software, the operator can add gateways more easily and at lower cost than adding the gateway 3 of the hardware device.

  Each of the virtual C-Plane 30 and the virtual U-Plane 31 operates as a network node that provides a function of terminating a communication path and a function of a connection point with an external network.

  As described in the section of the problem to be solved by the present invention, when an IP address is assigned to each interface 32 as in the gateway 3 in the virtual gateway 3A, a virtual C-plane or virtual U-plane is added. It is assumed that communication path reconstruction will occur. For example, when the virtual U-plane 31 is added, a new IP address is assigned to the interface 32 of the added virtual U-plane 31. When switching the communication path set in the existing virtual U-plane 31 to the added virtual U-plane 31, the IP address corresponding to the communication path is changed to the IP address assigned to the added virtual U-plane 31. Therefore, communication path rebuilding occurs. In order to reconstruct the communication path, each function constituting the communication system such as eNB, SGW, PGW executes a communication path reconstruction procedure. Therefore, it is assumed that the communication path is rebuilt each time the virtual C-plane 30 or the virtual U-plane 31 is added, and the influence on the performance of the communication system becomes large.

  Therefore, in the third embodiment of the present invention, instead of assigning an IP address to each interface 32 of the virtual C-plane 30 and the virtual U-plane 31, for example, common to the virtual U-plane and the virtual C-plane. Assign an IP address. That is, a common IP address is assigned to a plurality of virtual C-planes and a plurality of virtual U-planes. Therefore, for example, even if the virtual U-planes 31 constituting the U-plane are added, a common IP address is assigned to each virtual U-plane 31, so that the communication path is switched between the virtual U-planes 31 Also, the occurrence of communication path reconstruction can be avoided. The address commonly assigned to the plurality of virtual C-planes and the plurality of virtual U-planes is not limited to the IP address, and may be, for example, a MAC address.

3.2) System In FIG. 11, the first example of the communication system according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes the virtual gateway 3A, the communication device 4 and the control device 5.

  The virtual gateway 3A can configure the virtual C-plane 30 and the virtual U-plane 31 by software such as a VM. For example, the virtual C-Plane 30 and the virtual U-Plane 31 are configured on the server by software such as VM.

  The control device 5 manages the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual gateway 3A. For example, the control device 5 has a function of managing the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual U-plane 31. Also, for example, the control device 5 has a function of managing the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual C-Plane 30.

  The control device 5 has a function of controlling the operation of the communication device 4. As described above, the control device 5 identifies the communication path to which the received packet belongs, and instructs the communication device 4 to transfer the received packet to the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the identified communication path.

  The control device 5 can also operate the virtual gateway 3A (or the virtual C-Plane 30 or the virtual U-Plane 31) on the server 33. For example, the control device 5 can instruct the server 33 to activate the virtual gateway 3A. The server 33 activates an application having a function corresponding to the gateway 3 on the virtual machine in response to the activation instruction from the control device 5.

  The control device 5 can also control the virtual U-Plane 31 in parallel with the communication device 4. For example, in order to perform switching of the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the communication path, the control device 5 controls the communication device 4 to switch the packet transfer path on the path of the communication path, and -Control to terminate the corresponding communication path in Plane 31 is performed. For example, the control unit 51 of the control device 5 notifies the virtual U-Plane 31 of information (for example, a communication path identifier) related to a communication path which the virtual U-Plane 31 newly terminates by path switching.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in the second example of the communication system according to the third embodiment, the function of the communication apparatus 4 is configured on the server 33 by software such as VM. That is, in the example of FIG. 12, the server 33 can operate as the communication device 4. The server 33 includes, for example, a control unit (not shown in FIG. 12) capable of activating the virtual gateway 3A on the server 33. In the virtual gateway 3A, virtual C-Plane 30, virtual U-Plane 31 and virtual switch 4A are built on the server 33, and the function of the communication device 4 is built on the server 33 as the virtual switch 4A.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the third example of the communication system according to the third embodiment, the server 33 includes the virtual switch 4A operable as the communication device 4 as in the example of FIG. Is configured on the server 33 by software such as VM. In the example of FIG. 13, the function of the control device 5 is built on the server 33 as a virtual controller 5A. The server 33 includes, for example, a control unit (not shown in FIG. 13) capable of activating at least one of the virtual switch 4A, the virtual gateway 3A, and the virtual controller 5A on the server 33. In the example of FIG. 13, the virtual gateway 3A is configured of a virtual C-Plane 30, a virtual U-Plane 31, a virtual switch 4A, and a virtual controller 5A. In the example of FIG. 13, the server 33 is operable as the control device 5 having at least one function of the virtual switch 4A or the virtual gateway 3A.

  The following description of the third embodiment will be made on the basis of the system configuration illustrated in FIG. 11, but the present embodiment is not limited to the system configuration of FIG. 11, and FIGS. It also includes forms by changing, replacing, or adjusting the system configuration.

3.3) Management information of control device (first example)
As exemplified in FIG. 14, the management information stored in the route information DB 50 of the control device 5 is information managed by the control device 5 for the virtual gateway 3A functioning as a P-GW here.

  The control device 5 manages, for example, communication path information and information on a virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the communication path identified by the communication path information ("Virtual U-Plane" in FIG. 14). The communication path information is, for example, an IP address ("GW IP addr" in FIG. 14) assigned to the virtual U-plane and a communication path identifier (TEID in FIG. 14). Note that “GW IP addr” in FIG. 14 is an IP address commonly assigned to each virtual U-Plane 31.

  The control device 5 manages the above-described GW IP addr and TEID as communication path information for uplink communication (communication directed from the terminal 1 to an external network such as the Internet). The communication path information may include information related to the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the communication path (for example, identification information of the virtual U-plane; information indicated as “virtual U-Plane” in FIG. 14). In FIG. 14, for example, it is shown that the communication path in which “GW IP addr” is GW-U and “TEID” is TEID # A corresponds to virtual U-Plane # 1.

  The control device 5 uses, for example, information including the IP address of the terminal 1 ("UE IP addr" in FIG. 14) as communication path information for downlink communication (communication directed from the external network to the terminal 1). to manage. The control device 5 acquires, for example, communication path information from the virtual C-plane 30.

  As illustrated in FIG. 14, an IP address is not assigned to each virtual U-plane 31, but a common IP address (“GW IP addr”) is assigned to each virtual U-plane. “In addition to such an allocation method, a plurality of IP addresses (for example,“ GW-U # 1 ”and“ GW-U # 2 ”) may be allocated to the virtual U-plane. For example, virtual It is also possible to adopt an assignment method in which “GW-U # 1” is assigned to U-Plane # 1- # n and “GW-U # 2” is assigned to virtual U-Plane # m- # x. .

3.4) Control information of communication apparatus (first example)
As exemplified in FIG. 15, the control device 5 can set control information in the communication device 4.

  The control device 5 notifies, for example, the communication device 4 that processes the Uplink communication, as control information, an instruction for processing the received packet. The communication device 4 processes the received packet in accordance with the notified control information. The control information notified by the control device 5 identifies, for example, the bearer to which the received packet belongs based on the IP address ("GW IP addr") assigned to the virtual U-plane and the TEID, and corresponds to the identified bearer. The communication device 4 is instructed to transfer the received packet to the virtual U-plane 31.

  In FIG. 15, the control information notified to the communication apparatus 4 for uplink communication includes, for example, "Matching Key" (identification condition) and "Instruction" (instruction). “Matching Key” indicates a condition for identifying a packet based on the U-plane IP address (“GW IP addr”) which is the destination address of the packet and the TEID. Also, “Instruction” indicates a method of processing a packet that matches the condition of “Matching Key”. For example, when a packet whose destination address (Dst Addr) is "GW-U" and whose TEID is "#A" is identified, the packet is instructed to be transferred to "virtual U-plane # 1". .

  The control device 5 notifies, for example, the communication device 4 that processes the Downlink communication, as control information, an instruction for processing the received packet. The communication device 4 processes the received packet in accordance with the notified control information. The control information notified by the control device 5 identifies, for example, the bearer to which the received packet belongs based on the IP address (“UE IP addr”) of the terminal 1 which is the destination of the packet, and the virtual U corresponding to the identified bearer -Instruct the plane 31 to forward the received packet.

  In FIG. 15, the control information notified to the communication device 4 for downlink communication includes, for example, "Matching Key" and "Instruction". “Matching Key” indicates a condition for identifying a packet based on the IP address (“UE IP addr”) of the terminal 1 which is the destination address of the packet. Also, “Instruction” indicates a method of processing a packet that matches the condition of “Matching Key”. For example, when a packet whose destination address (Dst Addr) is "UE # A '" is identified, the packet is instructed to be transferred to "virtual U-plane # 1".

3.5) Communication path control operation (first example)
In FIG. 16, the communication device 4 transfers the received packet to the virtual U-plane 31 in accordance with the control information illustrated in FIG. 15. More specifically, the communication device 4 searches for the “Matching Key” corresponding to the received packet, and when the matching “Matching Key” is searched, the received packet is determined according to the “Instruction” corresponding to the “Matching Key”. Is transferred to the virtual U-plane 31.

  For example, in the communication apparatus 4 on the Uplink side, a packet addressed to the virtual gateway 3 (a packet in which Dst Addr is “GW-U”) is transferred to the virtual U-plane 31 according to the TEID. In the example of FIG. 16, the packet with TEID "#A" is virtual U-plane # 1, the packet with TEID "#B" is virtual U-plane # 2, and the packet with TEID "#C" is virtual Each is transferred to U-plane # 3.

  Further, in the communication apparatus 4 on the Downlink side, the received packet is transferred to the virtual U-plane 31 according to the destination IP address. In the example of FIG. 16, the packet with the destination IP address “UE # A ′” is virtual U-plane # 1, the packet with the destination IP address “UE # B ′” is virtual U-plane # 2, the destination IP The packet with the address "UE # C '" is transferred to the virtual U-plane # 3.

3.6) Control information of control device (second example)
As exemplified in FIG. 17, the management information stored in the route information DB 50 of the control device 5 is information managed by the control device 5 for the virtual gateway 3A functioning as an S-GW.

  The control device 5 manages, for example, communication path information and information on the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the communication path identified by the communication path information. The communication path information is, for example, an IP address ("GW IP addr" in FIG. 17) assigned to the virtual U-plane and a communication path identifier (TEID in FIG. 17). The control device 5 manages, for example, the above-mentioned GW IP addr and TEID as communication path information for uplink communication. The communication path information may include information on the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the communication path (for example, identification information of the virtual U-plane; information indicated as “virtual U-Plane” in FIG. 17).

  The control device 5 manages, for example, the above-mentioned GW IP addr and TEID as communication path information for Downlink communication. The communication path information may include information on the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the communication path (for example, identification information of the virtual U-plane; information indicated as “virtual U-Plane” in FIG. 17). The control device 5 acquires, for example, communication path information from the virtual C-plane 30.

  As illustrated in FIG. 17, an IP address is not assigned to each virtual U-plane 31, but a common IP address ("GW IP addr") is assigned to the virtual U-plane. In the example of FIG. 17, the IP address for uplink “GW-U” and the IP address for downlink “GW-U ′” are assigned to the virtual U-plane. A plurality of IP addresses (for example, “GW-U # 1”, “GW-U # 2”, “GW-U ′ # 1”, “GW-U ′ # 2”) for virtual U-planes May be assigned. For example, “GW-U # 1” and “GW-U ′ # 1” are allocated to the virtual U-Plane # 1- # n, and “GW-U # 2” is allocated to the virtual U-Plane # m- # x. “GW-U ′ # 2” is assigned.

3.7) Control information of communication device (second example)
As illustrated in FIG. 18, the control device 5 can set control information in the communication device 4.

  The control device 5 notifies, for example, the communication device 4 that processes the Uplink communication, as control information, an instruction for processing the received packet. The communication device 4 processes the received packet in accordance with the notified control information. The control information notified by the control device 5 identifies the communication path to which the received packet belongs based on, for example, the IP address ("GW IP addr") assigned to the virtual U-plane and the TEID, and the identified communication path The communication device 4 is instructed to transfer the received packet to the virtual U-plane 31 corresponding to

  In FIG. 18, control information notified to the communication apparatus 4 for uplink communication includes, for example, “Matching Key” and “Instruction”. “Matching Key” indicates a condition for identifying a packet based on the U-plane IP address (“GW IP addr”) which is the destination address of the packet and the TEID. Also, “Instruction” indicates a method of processing a packet that matches the condition of “Matching Key”. For example, when a packet whose destination address is "GW-U" and whose TEID is "#A" is identified, the packet is instructed to be transferred to "virtual U-plane # 1".

  The control device 5 notifies, for example, the communication device 4 that processes the Downlink communication, as control information, an instruction for processing the received packet. The communication device 4 processes the received packet in accordance with the notified control information. The control information notified by the control device 5 identifies, for example, the communication path to which the received packet belongs based on the IP address ("GW IP addr") assigned to the U-plane and the TEID, and identifies the identified communication path. The communication device 4 is instructed to transfer the received packet to the corresponding virtual U-plane 31.

  In FIG. 18, the control information notified to the communication device 4 for downlink communication includes, for example, “Matching Key” and “Instruction”. “Matching Key” indicates a condition for identifying a packet based on the U-plane IP address (“GW IP addr”) which is the destination address of the packet and the TEID. Also, “Instruction” indicates a method of processing a packet that matches the condition of “Matching Key”. For example, when a packet whose destination address is "GW-U" and whose TEID is "#A" is identified, the packet is instructed to be transferred to "virtual U-plane # 1".

3.8) Communication path control operation (second example)
In FIG. 19, the communication device 4 transfers the received packet to the virtual U-plane 31 in accordance with the control information illustrated in FIG. 18. More specifically, the communication device 4 searches for the “Matching Key” corresponding to the received packet, and when the matching “Matching Key” is searched, the received packet is determined according to the “Instruction” corresponding to the “Matching Key”. Transfer to virtual U-planes 31.

  In the communication apparatus 4 on the Uplink side, a packet addressed to the gateway 3 (a packet in which Dst Addr is “GW-U”) is transferred to the virtual U-plane 31 according to the TEID. In the example of FIG. 19, the packet with TEID "#A" is virtual U-plane # 1, the packet with TEID "#B" is virtual U-plane # 2, and the packet with TEID "#C" is virtual Each is transferred to U-plane # 3.

  In the communication apparatus 4 on the Downlink side, a packet addressed to the gateway 3 (a packet in which Dst Addr is “GW-U ′”) is transferred to the virtual U-plane 31 according to the TEID. In the example of FIG. 19, the packet with TEID "#A '" is virtual U-plane # 1, the packet with TEID "#B'" is virtual U-plane # 2, and the TEID is "#C '". The packets are respectively transferred to the virtual U-plane # 3.

  In the examples of FIGS. 14 to 19 described above, an example of a virtual U-plane is shown, but the present invention is also applicable to a virtual C-plane.

  In the third embodiment, the packet control in the direction toward the virtual U-plane has been described, but the control device 5 may also control a packet that has passed through the virtual U-plane. For example, control based on a destination IP address may be considered for control of a packet that has passed through the virtual U-plane.

  In the third embodiment, the communication path is allocated to the virtual C-Plane and the virtual U-Plane. However, the communication path may be allocated to the virtual gateway 3A.

  Moreover, in the third embodiment, an example in which the P-GW and the S-GW operate independently is described, but the functions of both the P-GW and the S-GW coexist on one virtual U-plane. Also good.

3.9) Communication path control operation (third example)
In the above-mentioned example, although the example to which a common IP address is assigned to each virtual U-Plane which constitutes virtual gateway 3A was shown, the present invention is not limited to these examples. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 20, the present invention can also be implemented in an example using NAT (Network Address Translation).

  In FIG. 20, an IP address "vGW" is assigned to the virtual gateway 3A, and different IP addresses (for example, "IP # 1") are assigned to each virtual U-Plane.

  When the communication device 4 receives a packet whose destination address is "vGW", the communication device 4 converts the destination address according to the TEID of the packet. For example, when the TEID is "#A", the communication device 4 converts the destination address "vGW" into the IP address "IP # 1" of the virtual U-Plane # 1 corresponding to the TEID "#A".

  When the communication device 4 receives a packet whose source address is the IP address of the virtual U-Plane, it converts the source address into the IP address “vGW” of the virtual gateway 3A.

When NAT is performed, MAC address conversion may be performed along with the IP address. In this case, the MAC address "vGW_MAC" is assigned to the virtual gateway 3A, and different MAC addresses (for example, "MAC # 1") are assigned to each virtual U-Plane.

  Even if the virtual U-Plane corresponding to the communication path is changed by concealing the IP address of the virtual U-Plane by NAT as in the example of FIG. Can be avoided.

3.10) Effects According to the third embodiment of the present invention, as in the first embodiment, since a common IP address is assigned to the virtual U-plane and the virtual C-plane, for example, the U-plane Even when the virtual U-plane 31 to be configured is added, switching of the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path can be concealed from the terminal 1, and the occurrence of communication path reconstruction can be avoided.

4. Fourth Embodiment According to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the packet transfer policy of the communication device 4 or the virtual switch 4A is updated. The present embodiment is applicable to any of the techniques disclosed in the first, second or third embodiments described above. Hereinafter, various examples of updating the packet transfer policy of the communication device 4 or the virtual switch 4A will be shown.

4.1) Transfer policy update (first example)
The transfer policy update sequence illustrated in FIG. 21 is for updating the packet transfer policy in the sequence (attach procedure “Attach Procedure”) disclosed in the standard specification (3GPP TS 23.401 V 12.1.0) related to LTE. It is a procedure. The “Attach Procedure” is disclosed in section 5.3.2 of the above standard specification. The attach procedure in FIG. 21 shows a part related to the present embodiment among the sequences described in the above standard specification, and the details of the other sequences are omitted. When the attach procedure is completed, the communication path for the terminal 1 to communicate is set.

  In FIG. 21, the control device 5 operates as an MME of the LTE system. Alternatively, the functions of the control device 5 exemplified in the above embodiment are added to the MME of the LTE system. Hereinafter, an MME to which such a function of the control device 5 is added is referred to as “MME 5”.

  When the MME 5 receives an attach request (Attach Request) from the terminal 1 via the eNB (base station 2) (Operation S10), an attach procedure is performed in the system. For example, in response to the start of the attach procedure, the MME 5 selects a virtual U-Plane to be assigned to the communication path set by the attach procedure (Operation S11).

  The MME 5 transmits a “Create Session Request” message to the gateway 3 (S-GW) (Operation S12). “Create Session Request” is a message for the MME 5 to request the S-GW to set a communication path. In this example, the MME 5 selects the S-GW and the P-GW, assigns an ID (for example, EPS bearer ID) corresponding to the communication path of the terminal 1, and assigns the gateway information and the ID to the communication path, communication path The S-GW is notified of information (QCI etc.) related to the QoS corresponding to the “Create Session Request” message.

  The S-GW notifies the gateway 3 (P-GW) of the communication path ID and information (QCI etc.) related to the QoS corresponding to the communication path by the “Create Session Request” message (Operation S13). The P-GW that has received the "Create Session Request" message returns a "Create Session Response" message to the S-GW (Operation S14).

  The S-GW transmits a "Create Session Response" message to the MME 5 in response to the "Create Session Response" message received from the P-GW (Operation S15). For example, the S-GW TEID for the S1-U interface and the S-GW TEID for the S5 / S8 interface are notified to the MME 5 by this “Create Session Response” message, and the S-GW used in the communication path Address is notified to the MME 5. The address of the S-GW used in the communication path is, for example, an IP address common to each virtual U-Plane configuring the S-GW.

  The MME 5 sets the packet transfer policy ("Routing Policy" in FIG. 21) of the communication device 4 based on the TE ID of the S-GW notified by the S-GW and the address of the S-GW, and sends the packet to the communication device 4. Send (operation S16). The packet transfer policy is, for example, the control information exemplified in the above-described third embodiment (that is, control information set in the communication device 4 by the control device 5). The MME 5 sets, for example, the packet transfer policy illustrated in FIG. 18 in the communication device 4 based on the information notified from the S-GW. For example, a packet transfer policy based on TEID for S1-U interface is set for communication apparatus 4 on the Uplink side, and packet transfer based on TEID for S5 / S8 interface for communication apparatus 4 on the Downlink side. A policy is set.

  Although the gateway 3 and the communication device 4 are illustrated as different devices in the example of FIG. 21, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the communication device 4 including the virtual switch 4A and the virtual gateway 3A as in the example of FIG. However, it is also possible to operate according to the packet transfer policy notified from the control device 5.

4.2) Transfer policy update (second example)
In the transfer policy update sequence illustrated in FIG. 22, the operation (S13a) in which the S-GW notifies the MME 5 of the S-GW TEID for the S5 / S8 interface is different from the sequence operation (S13) illustrated in FIG.

  In FIG. 22, the S-GW notifies the P-GW of a “Create Session Request” message, and notifies the MME 5 of the S-GW TEID for the S5 / S8 interface (Operation S13 a). As another method, in response to the “Create Session Request” message received from the S-GW, the P-GW may notify the MME 5 of an S-GW TEID for the S5 / S8 interface.

  Although the gateway 3 and the communication device 4 are illustrated as different devices in the example of FIG. 22, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the communication device 4 including the virtual switch 4A and the virtual gateway 3A as in the example of FIG. It is also possible to operate according to the packet transfer policy notified from the control device 5.

4.3) Transfer policy update (third example)
In the transfer policy update sequence illustrated in FIG. 23, the packet transfer policy of the communication device 4 is updated according to the configuration change of the virtual U-Plane 31 of the virtual gateway 3A. The configuration change of the virtual U-Plane 31 means, for example, installation of the virtual U-Plane 31 by newly activating a VM, and uninstallation of the virtual U-Plane 31 by stopping the VM.

  When the MME 5 detects a configuration change of the virtual U-Plane 31 (Operation S20), the MME 5 changes the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 (Operation S21). For example, the MME 5 determines a communication path to be assigned to the virtual U-Plane 31 newly installed in the virtual gateway 3A. Also, for example, the MME 5 assigns the communication path allocated to the virtual U-Plane 31 uninstalled from the virtual gateway 3A to the other virtual U-Plane 31.

  As a factor for updating the packet transfer policy of the communication apparatus 4 or the virtual switch 4A, not the configuration change of the virtual U-Plane 31 of the virtual gateway 3A but using, for example, the load status of the virtual U-Plane 31 configuring the virtual gateway 3A You can also. For example, control of switching the communication path from the highly loaded virtual U-Plane 31 to the low loaded virtual U-Plane 31 can be mentioned. The MME 5 updates the packet transfer policy of the communication device 4 based on the change in the correspondence relationship between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 (Operation S22).

4.4) Transfer policy update (fourth example)
In the packet transfer policy update sequence illustrated in FIG. 24, the MME 5 acquires information from the gateway 3 (S-GW) in order to update the packet transfer policy.

  In FIG. 24, the MME 5 requests, for example, the TEID of the communication path established in the attach procedure of the above-mentioned standard specification (TS 23.401) to the S-GW (Operation S30).

  In response to the TEID request, the S-GW notifies the MME 5 of the TEID by the TEID response (Operation S31). For example, the MME 5 is notified of the S-GW TEID for the S1-U interface and the S-GW TEID for the S5 / S8 interface. At that time, the S-GW notifies, for example, the TEID of the communication path established in the attach procedure of the above-mentioned standard specification (TS23.401).

  The MME 5 determines the virtual U-Plane 31 to be assigned to the TEID notified from the S-GW, and updates the packet transfer policy of the communication device 4 by notifying the communication device 4 (Operation S32). That is, the MME 5 updates the packet transfer policy of the communication device 4 so that the packet corresponding to the TEID notified from the S-GW is transferred to the virtual U-Plane 31 assigned to the TEID.

  Although the gateway 3 and the communication device 4 are illustrated as different devices in the example of FIG. 24, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the communication device 4 including the virtual switch 4A and the virtual gateway 3A as in the example of FIG. However, it is also possible to operate according to the packet transfer policy notified from the control device 5.

4.5) Transfer policy update (fifth example)
The transfer policy update sequence illustrated in FIG. 25 is a packet transfer policy update procedure in the case where the virtual gateway 3A has the functions of the communication device 4 and the control device 5 (for example, the configuration illustrated in FIG. 13). That is, the gateway 3 (S-GW) shown in FIG. 25 includes the virtual switch 4A and the virtual controller 5A.

  In FIG. 25, the virtual controller 5A of the S-GW changes the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 (Operation S40). For example, the path of the communication path #A is switched from the virtual U-Plane 31 (# 1) to the virtual U-Plane 31 (# 2).

  The virtual controller 5A updates the packet transfer policy of the virtual switch 4A according to the change in the correspondence relationship between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 (Operation S41). For example, the virtual controller 5A instructs the virtual switch 4A to switch the path of the communication path #A corresponding to the virtual U-Plane 31 (# 1) to a path passing through the virtual U-Plane 31 (# 2).

4.6) Transfer policy update (sixth example)
FIG. 26 shows a procedure for updating a packet transfer policy in the sequence (“Attach Procedure”) disclosed in the standard specification (3GPP TS 23.401 V12.1.0) related to LTE. The “Attach Procedure” is disclosed in section 5.3.2 of the above standard specification.

  The control device 5 illustrated in FIG. 26 operates as a PCRF of the LTE system. That is, the functions of the control device 5 exemplified in the above embodiment are added to the PCRF of the LTE system. That is, in the attach procedure of the terminal 1 (the procedure disclosed in TS 23.401), the control device 5 (PCRF) sets a packet transfer policy for the communication device 4. The PCRF to which the function of the control device 5 is added is hereinafter referred to as "PCRF5".

  The PCRF 5 and the gateway 3 (P-GW) execute “IP-CAN (IP Connectivity) Session Establishment / Modification” as necessary in the attach procedure (Operation S51). “IP-CAN (IP Connectivity) Session Establishment / Modification” is a procedure for establishing an IP connection with an external network (for example, IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem)).

  The PCRF 5 selects, for example, in the “IP-CAN (IP Connectivity) Session Establishment / Modification” procedure, the virtual U-Plane 31 assigned to the communication path established in the attach procedure (Operation S52).

  The PCRF 5 sets a packet transfer policy in the communication apparatus 4 such that a packet belonging to the communication path established in the attach procedure is transferred to the virtual U-Plane 31 assigned to the communication path (Operation S53). In addition, PCRF5 assumes that TEID regarding P-GW is acquired.

  Although the gateway 3 and the communication device 4 are illustrated as different devices in the example of FIG. 26, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as in the example of FIG. 5, the communication device 4 includes the virtual switch 4A and the virtual gateway 3A. It is also possible to operate according to the packet transfer policy notified from the control device 5.

4.7) Transfer policy update (seventh example)
The gateway 3 in FIG. 27 is configured as a virtual gateway 3A on the server. Further, in FIG. 27 as well as in the example of FIG. 26, since the functions of the control device 5 exemplified in the above embodiment are added to the PCRF of the LTE system as in the example of FIG. It is written.

  In FIG. 27, in accordance with the configuration change of the virtual U-Plane 31 of the virtual gateway 3A, the packet transfer policy of the communication device 4 or the virtual switch 4A is updated. The configuration change of the virtual U-Plane 31 means, for example, installation of the virtual U-Plane 31 by newly activating a VM, and uninstallation of the virtual U-Plane 31 by stopping the VM.

As a factor for updating the packet transfer policy of the communication apparatus 4 or the virtual switch 4A, not only the configuration change of the virtual U-Plane 31 of the virtual gateway 3A but also the load status of the virtual U-Plane 31 configuring the virtual gateway 3A, for example It can also be done. In this case, the communication path is switched from the high load virtual U-Plane 31 to the low load virtual U-Plane 31.

  When detecting the configuration change of the virtual U-Plane 31 (Operation S60), the PCRF 5 changes the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 (Operation S61). For example, when the virtual U-Plane 31 is newly installed in the virtual gateway 3A, the PCRF 5 determines a communication path to be assigned to the virtual U-Plane 31. Also, for example, when the virtual U-Plane 31 is uninstalled from the virtual gateway 3A, the PCRF allocates the communication path allocated to the virtual U-Plane 31 to another virtual U-Plane 31. The PCRF 5 updates the packet transfer policy of the communication device 4 or the virtual switch 4A based on the change in the correspondence relationship between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 (Operation S62).

4.8) Transfer policy update (eighth example)
In the example shown in FIG. 28, the PCRF 5 acquires information from the gateway 3 (P-GW) to update the packet transfer policy.

  First, the PCRF 5 requests the P-GW for the TEID of the communication path (Operation S70). For example, the TEID of the communication path established in the attach procedure of the above-mentioned standard specification (TS 23.401) is required.

  The P-GW that has received the TEID request of the communication path notifies the PCRF 5 of the TEID of the communication path by the TEID response (Operation S71). For example, the P-GW notifies the PCRF of the P-GW TEID of the communication path established in the attach procedure of the above-mentioned standard specification (TS23.401).

  The PCRF 5 determines the virtual U-Plane 31 to be assigned to the TEID notified from the P-GW, and updates the packet transfer policy of the communication device 4 or the virtual switch 4A (Operation S72). The packet transfer policy is updated, for example, so that the packet corresponding to the TEID notified from the P-GW is transferred to the virtual U-Plane 31 assigned to the TEID.

  In the example of FIG. 28, although the gateway 3 and the communication apparatus 4 were illustrated as different apparatuses, it is not limited to this, For example, like the example of FIG. 5, the communication apparatus 4 containing virtual switch 4A and virtual gateway 3A. However, it is also possible to operate according to the packet transfer policy notified from the control device 5.

4.9) Transfer policy update (ninth example)
FIG. 29 shows an example of the packet transfer policy update procedure in the case where the gateway 3 has the functions of the communication device 4 or the virtual switch 4A and the control device 5 (for example, the configuration of the virtual gateway 3A illustrated in FIG. 13). . In the example of FIG. 29, the gateway 3 (P-GW) includes a virtual switch 4A and a virtual controller 5A.

  For example, the virtual controller 5A of the P-GW changes the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 (Operation S80). For example, the virtual controller 5A switches the path of the communication path #A from the virtual U-Plane 31 (# 1) to the virtual U-Plane 31 (# 2).

  The virtual controller 5A updates the packet transfer policy of the virtual switch 4A according to the change in the correspondence relationship between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 (Operation S81). For example, the virtual controller 5A instructs the virtual switch 4A to switch the path of the communication path #A corresponding to the virtual U-Plane 31 (# 1) to a path passing through the virtual U-Plane 31 (# 2).

4.10) Effects According to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, even if there is a change in the configuration of the virtual U-plane, this can be coped with by updating the route policy of the communication device or virtual switch. At that time, as in the first embodiment, since a common IP address is assigned to the virtual U-plane and the virtual C-plane, the switching of the gateway 3 corresponding to the communication path can be hidden from the terminal 1 It is possible to avoid the occurrence of communication path reconstruction.

  In the fourth embodiment, an example of the packet transfer policy update procedure related to the virtual U-plane is shown, but the present invention is also applicable to the packet transfer policy update procedure related to the virtual C-plane.

  In the fourth embodiment, an example in which a communication path is assigned to a virtual C-Plane or a virtual U-Plane is shown, but a communication path may be assigned to the virtual gateway 3A.

5. Fifth Embodiment According to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the control device controls the communication device in accordance with a control protocol called OpenFlow. The fifth embodiment is applicable to any of the techniques disclosed in the first to fourth embodiments described above.

  OpenFlow recognizes communication as an end-to-end flow, and can perform path control and the like on a flow-by-flow basis. Therefore, by using OpenFlow in the present invention, control of the communication path can be executed more flexibly. Here, the flow refers to a series of communication packets having a predetermined attribute that is identified based on information (information such as the destination address of the packet and the source address of the packet) included in the packet.

5.1) System FIG. 30 illustrates a system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention using OpenFlow technology. The communication device 4B is a network switch adopting the OpenFlow technology, and is centrally controlled by the control device 5A.

  A control channel is set between the communication device 4B and the control device 5A, and the control device 5A controls the operation of the communication device 4B via the control channel. The control channel is a communication path on which a process for preventing eavesdropping or tampering of communication is performed.

  The control device 5A controls the operation of the communication device 4B by setting the process rule (flow entry) in the flow table of the communication device 4B. The flow entry is an instruction that defines a matching rule for matching information (for example, destination IP address, VLAN ID, etc.) included in the header of the packet received by the communication device 4B, and a processing rule of the packet matching the matching rule. And (Instruction).

<Control device>
In FIG. 31, the control device 5A includes a communication interface 52, a control unit 51, and a flow entry DB 53. The communication interface 52 is an interface for communicating with the communication device 4B according to the OpenFlow protocol. The control unit 51 has a function of generating information to be stored in the flow entry DB 53, and a function of controlling the communication device 4B based on the information stored in the flow entry DB 53. The control device 5A can set a communication path identifier (for example, TEID or GRE Key) as a matching rule in the communication device 4B. In the OpenFlow protocol, the communication path identifier is not defined as identifiable information as a matching rule, but in the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the control device 5A can set the communication path identifier as a matching rule.

As illustrated in the third embodiment, the flow entry DB 53 illustrated in FIG. 32 is a matching rule (Matching Rule) based on an IP address commonly assigned to a plurality of virtual U-Planes 31 and a communication path identifier. It shall consist of an instruction (Instruction).
<Communication device>
As illustrated in FIG. 33, the communication device 4B includes a control unit 43 and a flow entry DB 46 (that is, a flow table). The control unit 43 includes a search unit 44 and a processing unit 45. The flow entry DB 46 stores the flow entry notified from the control device 5A.

  When receiving the packet, the search unit 44 searches the flow entry DB 46 for a flow entry corresponding to the received packet. The search unit 44 of the communication device 4B can extend the OpenFlow protocol and search the flow table using the communication path identifier included in the received packet as a key. Therefore, the search unit 44 searches for a flow entry corresponding to the communication path identifier of the received packet. That is, an entry whose identifier corresponding to the communication path identifier of the received packet is defined as a matching rule is searched.

  In a communication system such as LTE, in order to attach information such as a communication path identifier to a packet, the packet is encapsulated, whereby an outer header is attached. Therefore, the search unit 44 can search the flow entry DB 46 for the flow entry corresponding to the received packet based on the information included in the outer header of the received packet. If the flow entry corresponding to the received packet is not set in the entry DB 46, the search unit 44 can inquire the control device 5A about the flow entry corresponding to the received packet.

  The processing unit 45 processes the received packet in accordance with "Instruction" of the flow entry searched by the search unit 44. As shown in FIG. 32, here, the packet is transferred to the virtual U-Plane corresponding to the communication path identifier in accordance with "Instruction". The processing unit 45 can also NAT the destination address according to the processing rule, as in the example of FIG. 20, for example.

6. Sixth Embodiment According to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the control device 5 groups communication paths, and assigns a group configured of a plurality of communication paths to the virtual U-Plane 31. The sixth embodiment is applicable to any of the techniques disclosed in the above first to fifth embodiments.

6.1) System Outline An outline of the sixth embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. In the system illustrated in FIG. 34, the control device 5 assigns communication paths to different virtual U-planes in group units. For example, communication path group (1) is assigned to a virtual U-plane (# 1).

  The control device 5 manages communication paths in units of groups, so management of the correspondence between the virtual U-Plane 31 and the communication paths becomes easy. The control device 5 can manage, for example, in the path information DB 50, the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the communication path in units of communication path groups. The control device 5 can also manage the virtual U-Plane 31 exemplified in the first and second embodiments in units of groups.

6.2) Grouping of Communication Paths The control device 5 groups communication paths, for example, according to the attribute of the terminal 1 corresponding to each communication path. An example of the attributes of the terminal 1 is shown below.
-Stay area of terminal 1 (E-UTRAN Cell ID etc.)
-Charging characteristics for terminal 1 (normal charging, prepaid charging, flat rate, etc.)
・ Communication state of terminal 1 (whether or not communication of a fixed amount or more was performed in a fixed period)
-Operator ID (ID of the operator of the core network to which the terminal 1 is connected)
・ Packet Data Network (PDN) to which terminal 1 is connected
-Service type requiring chaining after leaving communication path-Status of terminal 1 (IDLE state, CONNECTED state): The IDLE state is, for example, session management and mobility between the terminal 1 and the core network. It means that the continuous exchange of control signals for management is not performed or the wireless connection with the base station is released. The CONNECTED state means, for example, a state in which the terminal 1 is continuously exchanging control signals for session management and mobility management with the core network, and a state in which the terminal 1 is wirelessly connected to a base station.

  The above-mentioned attribute of the terminal 1 is an example, and the control device 5 can also group communication paths according to other attributes. For example, the control device 5 groups communication paths based on information on UE (User Equipment) among “EPS Bearer Context” disclosed in Chapter 5.7 of the standard specification (3GPP TS 23.401). It is possible.

  The control device 5 can also group communication paths according to the contract content between the user of the terminal 1 and the communication carrier. For example, the control device 5 groups communication paths for users (for example, "Premium Subscribers") who conclude a contract with a carrier with a contract that is higher than other users, and / or relates to a subscriber of a regular contract. It is possible to group communication paths.

  The control device 5 can also group communication paths based on information on the position of the terminal 1 (for example, GSP information, base station information to which the terminal 1 is attached). For example, it is possible to group communication paths of terminals close to each other from information on location.

  Furthermore, the control device 5 can also group communication paths according to QoS (Quality of Service) information of the communication paths. For example, the control device 5 can group communication paths according to QCI (Quality Class Indicator) corresponding to each communication path. For example, communication paths corresponding to QCIs whose priorities are lower than a predetermined value are grouped, and when a virtual U-plane 31 is newly installed, communication paths belonging to the group are assigned to the new virtual U-plane 31. In this case, it is assumed that the path switching causes a delay or the like in the communication related to the communication path and the QoE (Quality of Experience) of the user is degraded, but low priority communication paths are grouped to form a new virtual U- By assigning to the plane, it is possible to stop the communication path in which QoE is lowered to the communication path with low priority.

  The TEIDs of the communication paths may be assigned so that the TEIDs of the plurality of communication paths belonging to the group can be identified collectively. For example, the TEID is assigned such that the upper 24 bits of the TEID configured with the 32-bit information are identical to each of the plurality of communication paths belonging to the group. By assigning TEIDs in this way, the control device 5 can collectively identify a plurality of communication paths belonging to a group by the information of the upper 24 bits of the TEID.

  In addition, when the virtual U-Plane 31 is a P-GW, the IP address of the terminal 1 is assigned to each of the plurality of terminals 1 belonging to the group so that the IP address of each terminal 1 can be identified collectively. May be For example, the IP address of the terminal 1 is assigned to the plurality of terminals 1 belonging to the group such that the upper 24 bits of the IP address configured with information of 32 bits are the same. By assigning the IP address of the terminal 1 in this manner, the control device 5 can collectively identify the traffic related to a plurality of communication paths belonging to the group by the upper 24 bits of the IP address of the terminal 1.

6.3) Grouped Route Information As illustrated in FIG. 35, in the route information DB 42 of the communication device 4, a group of communication paths is identified by a group ID, and for each ID, a corresponding virtual U- Plane 31 is assigned. The route information DB 50 of the control device 5 also has the same configuration as that of the example of FIG.

  The communication device 4 searches the route information DB 42 using the communication path identifier of the received packet as a key, and transfers the received packet to the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the communication path identifier of the received packet.

  As illustrated in FIG. 36, the control device 5 can switch the corresponding gateway for each group of communication paths. For example, the control device 5 can switch the gateway corresponding to the group to which the communication paths of the communication path identifiers (A) to (C) belong from the gateway (a) to the gateway (e).

  The control device 5 can significantly reduce the amount of information of control signals to the communication device 4 by switching the corresponding gateway for each group of communication paths. As shown in FIG. 36, the control device 5 can transmit a switching instruction of the corresponding gateway to the communication device 4 using the group ID as a key.

  It is assumed that the route information DB 42 of the communication device 4 has a configuration as shown in FIG. In this case, when the control device 5 switches the corresponding gateway of group (1) from gateway (a) to (e) as shown in FIG. 36, the control device 5 transmits a communication path identifier (A For each of (C), it is necessary to transmit a control signal to change the corresponding gateway. However, if the control device 5 transmits a control signal using the group ID as a key as in the sixth embodiment, the control signal is reduced to one third in the example of FIG. That is, according to the sixth embodiment, the control device 5 has an advantage that the reduction amount of the control signal increases as the number of communication paths to be grouped increases, and achieves faster gateway switching of the communication path. It is possible to

  FIG. 37 shows another configuration example of the route information DB 42. The route information DB 50 of the control device 5 has the same configuration as the example of FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 37, the communication path identifier is set so as to be able to collectively identify each identifier of the communication paths belonging to the group. For example, the communication path identifier is set such that a part of the identifiers of communication paths belonging to the same group is common. In the example of FIG. 37, the identifiers of the communication paths belonging to the same group are set so that the upper 24 bits have the same value, and the upper 24 bits of the communication path identifiers (A)-(B) have the same value (see FIG. In the example of 37, "X" is set.

  By commonly setting the upper predetermined bits of the identifiers of the communication paths belonging to the same group in this manner, the number of entries in the path information DB 42 is reduced. As a comparative example, referring to FIG. 8, an entry of the route information DB 42 is set for each communication path identifier. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 37, the entries relating to the communication paths belonging to the same group can be consolidated into one entry, and the number of entries in the route information DB 42 is reduced.

  Further, in the example of FIG. 37, when changing the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the communication path, the control signal transmitted from the control device 5 to the communication device 4 can be reduced. That is, the control device 5 can instruct switching of the corresponding gateway using the upper 24 bits of the communication path identifier as a key. For example, in the example of FIG. 37, when the gateway corresponding to the communication path identifier (A) to (C) is switched, the control device 5 switches the gateway corresponding to the upper 24 bits "X" of the communication path identifier. To indicate. That is, the control device 5 may not instruct switching of the gateway to each of the communication path identifiers (A) to (C). Therefore, when switching the gateway, the control signal transmitted from the control device 5 to the communication device 4 is reduced. The reduction of control signals speeds up the gateway switching.

  FIG. 38 shows an example of the flow entry DB 46 of the communication device 4 in the case of using the OpenFlow flow table in the sixth embodiment. The route information DB 50 of the control device 5 has the same configuration as that of the example of FIG.

  OpenFlow has a function to regard multiple packet processing as one group. Grouped packet processing is handled in a group table. In the example of FIG. 38, the communication device 4 has a flow entry DB 46 functioning as a normal flow table, and a group table 46a of the flow entry DB 46.

  In the example of FIG. 38, the communication path identifiers (A) to (C) belong to the same communication path group. The same processing group ID is set to “Instruction” corresponding to each flow entry whose matching rule is communication path identifier (A)-(C). In the group table 46a, "Instruction" that defines grouped packet processing is set for each processing group ID. The control device 5 sets the flow entry DB 46 and the group table 46 a of the example of FIG. 38 to the communication device 4.

  The communication device 4 searches the flow entry DB 46 using the communication path identifier of the received packet as a key. In the example of FIG. 38, when the communication apparatus 4 receives the packet of the communication path identifier (A), the communication apparatus 4 searches for an entry in which “processing group ID (1)” is set as “Instruction”. Subsequently, the group table 46a is searched using the processing group ID as a key. In the example of FIG. 38, when the communication apparatus 4 receives the packet of the communication path identifier (A), the communication apparatus 4 searches the group table 46a using “processing group ID (1)” as a key, and “processing group ID (1)”. Forward the received packet to the gateway (a) according to the “Instruction” corresponding to

  When switching the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the group of communication paths, the control device 5 transmits to the communication device 4 a control signal for changing the entry of the group table based on the processing group ID. For example, in the example of FIG. 38, when the gateway corresponding to the communication path identifier (A) to (C) is changed from (a) to (e), the control device 5 identifies the identifier (A) − in the group table 46a. Change “Instruction” of the entry of “processing group ID (1)” corresponding to (C). That is, the control device 5 only needs to change the entry of the group table, and does not need to change the entry of the normal flow table. In the example of FIG. 38, the control device 5 does not need to change the respective entries corresponding to the identifiers (A) to (C), and in the group table 46a, the entry corresponding to “processing group ID (1)” Change it. Therefore, when switching the gateway, the control signal transmitted from the control device 5 to the communication device 4 is reduced. The reduction of control signals speeds up the gateway switching.

  FIG. 39 shows another example of the flow entry DB 46 when using the OpenFlow flow table in the sixth embodiment. The route information DB 50 of the control device 5 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG.

  An OpenFlow switch can have multiple flow tables. In the example of FIG. 39, the communication device 4 has a plurality of flow entry DBs 46 (flow table 46-1 and flow table 46-2). For example, when receiving a packet, the communication device 4 searches a plurality of flow tables in a predetermined order. For example, in the example of FIG. 39, the communication device 4 searches the flow table 46-1 and then searches the flow table 46-2.

  In the example of FIG. 39, the communication path identifiers (A) to (C) belong to the same communication path group. In “Instruction” corresponding to each flow entry whose matching rule is communication path identifier (A)-(C) in the flow table 46-1, there is a packet processing that assigns “ID (1)” to the header of the packet. It is set. The ID given to the packet is set for each group of communication paths.

  In the flow table 46-2, “Instruction” that defines packet processing corresponding to the grouped communication paths is set for each ID assigned to the packet. In the example of FIG. 39, packet processing indicating that “ID (1)” is deleted from the header of the packet as “Instruction” corresponding to “ID (1)” is set to indicate transfer to the gateway (a) .

  The control device 5 is assumed to set the flow entry DB 46 of the example of FIG. 39 to the communication device 4. In this case, the communication device 4 searches the flow entry DB 46 (flow table 46-1) using the communication path identifier of the received packet as a key. Specifically, when the communication apparatus 4 receives the packet of the communication path identifier (A), the communication apparatus 4 searches for an entry in which “Instruction” indicating that “ID (1)” is to be added is set in the header of the packet. . Next, the communication device 4 searches the flow entry DB 46 (flow table 46-2) using “ID (1)” added to the packet as a key, and according to “Instruction” corresponding to “ID (1)”. , Remove the ID from the header, and forward the received packet to the gateway (a).

  When switching the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the group of communication paths, the control device 5 transmits to the communication device 4 a control signal for changing the entry based on the ID corresponding to the group of communication paths. For example, when the gateway corresponding to the communication path identifier (A) to (C) is changed from (a) to (e), the control device 5 determines the identifier (A) in the flow entry DB 46 (flow table 46-2). Change “Instruction” of the entry of “ID (1)” corresponding to (C). That is, the control device 5 may change the entry corresponding to the ID of the communication path group, and does not need to change the entry corresponding to each of the communication path identifiers. In the example of FIG. 39, the control device 5 does not have to change each entry corresponding to the identifiers (A) to (C), and “ID (1)” in the flow entry DB 46 (flow table 46-2). Change the corresponding entry. Therefore, when switching the gateway, the control signal transmitted from the control device 5 to the communication device 4 is reduced. The reduction of control signals speeds up the gateway switching.

  In the examples of FIG. 35 to FIG. 39 described above, an example is shown in which the communication device 4 identifies a group of communication paths based on the communication path identifier, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the control device 5 can group communication paths based on other information (for example, an IP address or PDN), and the communication device 4 can use other information (for example, an IP address or the like). , PDN), it is possible to identify groups of communication paths.

7. Seventh Embodiment Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the examples shown in FIGS. The seventh embodiment is applicable to any of the techniques disclosed in the first to sixth embodiments described above.

7.1) System (first example)
As illustrated in FIG. 40, the control device 5 selects the virtual U-Plane 31 to be assigned to the communication path in accordance with the policy for selecting the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path. For example, in accordance with the installation / uninstallation of the virtual U-Plane 31, it is possible to dynamically select the virtual U-Plane 31 associated with the communication path according to the policy. Further, the control device 5 can dynamically change the virtual U-Plane 31 assigned to the communication path according to the change of the condition regarding the policy. Although the seventh embodiment shows an example of a policy for selecting the virtual U-Plane 31, this policy may also be used to select the gateway 3 exemplified in the first and second embodiments. It is possible.

  In FIG. 41, the control device 5 has a policy DB 54 in addition to the configuration example of the control device 5 illustrated in FIG. 7. The control unit 51 can select the virtual U-Plane 31 associated with the communication path by referring to the policy DB 54. The policy stored in the policy DB 54 is configured such that, for example, the virtual U-Plane 31 is selected according to the communication quality request regarding the communication path. The policy stored in the policy DB 54 may be configured such that, for example, the virtual U-Plane 31 is selected for each group of communication paths in accordance with the communication quality request regarding the communication paths. For example, in response to the virtual U-Plane 31 being added, the control unit 51 refers to the policy DB 54 and selects the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path. The control unit 51 selects the virtual U-Plane 31 associated with the communication path, and adds an entry to the route information DB 50. The control unit 51 notifies the communication device 4 of the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 based on the route information DB 50.

  In the policy DB 54 illustrated in FIG. 42, the control device 5 determines a virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path based on the policy on the QCI corresponding to the communication path. The control device 5 can obtain, for example, the QCI of the communication path from the MME.

  In the example of FIG. 42, the priority is set to the communication path corresponding to each QCI according to the value of QCI. The control device 5 selects the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path in accordance with the priority which is the condition for selecting the virtual U-Plane 31. For example, when the virtual U-Plane 31 is newly installed in the communication system, the control device 5 sequentially installs the newly installed virtual U-Plane 31 from the communication path corresponding to the QCI whose priority is set to “Low”. Associate with That is, the control device 5 determines the correspondence between the newly installed virtual U-Plane 31 and the communication path in the priority order of QCI. By switching the virtual U-Plane 31 corresponding to the communication path, there is a possibility that a communication delay or the like may occur due to the switching, but the virtual U-Plane 31 associated with the communication path in the descending order of priority of QCI. By switching, the degradation of the communication quality of the communication path with high priority of QCI is suppressed. Thereby, the control device 5 can select the virtual U-Plane 31 according to the quality request corresponding to the QCI.

  In the example of FIG. 42, the priorities for the QCI are “High”, “Mid”, and “Low”, but the method of giving the priorities is not limited to the example of FIG. For example, each QCI may be assigned a value indicating priority. The control device 5 can determine the gateway to be associated with the communication path according to the priority of each QCI. For example, the control device 5 can associate the communication path corresponding to the QCI whose priority is a predetermined value or more with the virtual U-Plane 31 whose communication band can be secured. Further, for example, the control device 5 can associate the communication path corresponding to the QCI having the priority equal to or more than the predetermined value with the virtual U-Plane 31 whose operation load is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

  The control device 5 can determine, for each QCI, a gateway to be associated with the communication path. For example, the control device 5 determines a communication path to be associated with a certain gateway according to the QCI. In this case, QCIs of a plurality of communication paths assigned to a certain gateway are the same.

7.2) System (second example)
As illustrated in FIG. 43, the control device 5 can also determine the virtual U-Plane 31 associated with the communication path according to the communication amount and communication time by the communication path. The control device 5 can monitor the virtual U-Plane 31 and acquire the communication amount and communication time by the communication path.

  In the policy DB 54 illustrated in FIG. 44, thresholds regarding the amount of communication and the communication time are set according to the communication path identifier. In the policy DB 54 of FIG. 44, as in the sixth embodiment, a threshold may be set for each group of communication paths. The control device 5 selects the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path according to the amount of communication as a condition for selecting the virtual U-Plane 31 and the threshold value regarding the communication time. Here, the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path is determined based on the policy regarding the communication amount and communication time by the communication path.

  For example, when the user of the terminal 1 concludes a contract for prepaid charging with a telecommunications carrier, communication is possible up to the amount of communication corresponding to the prepaid charge (that is, the threshold of the amount of communication). In the control device 5, information on a contract between the user of the terminal 1 and the communication carrier is set. When switching the communication path according to the installation or uninstallation of the virtual U-Plane 31, the control device 5 preferentially switches the communication path having a leeway with respect to the threshold value set in the policy DB 54. In the example of FIG. 44, in the policy DB 54, a communication amount (“X” byte) is set as a threshold value of the communication path of the communication path identifier “A”. The control device 5 monitors, for example, the communication amount of the communication path with the identifier "A" from the virtual U-Plane 31 functioning as a P-GW, and the difference between the communication amount and the threshold ("X" byte) is less than a predetermined value. If there is, the communication path is excluded from switching targets.

  As described above, by switching the communication path, the communication amount exceeds the threshold during switching of the communication path, and the possibility that a charge management management error occurs is suppressed, and the control device 5 requests the quality of the communication service. The virtual U-Plane 31 can be selected according to.

  For example, when the user of the terminal 1 enters into a two-step charge contract with a telecommunications carrier, the user pays a communication charge according to the amount of communication until the amount of communication exceeds a specific threshold, and when the threshold is exceeded It will be flat-rate (flat) communication charge regardless of the amount. If the threshold value is exceeded, accurate monitoring of the amount of communication is not necessary, so when switching the communication path according to installation or uninstallation of the virtual U-Plane 31, the amount of communication exceeds the threshold value. Switch priority communication paths.

  In the example of FIG. 44, it is assumed that the terminal 1 corresponding to the communication path of the communication path identifier "D" has concluded a two-step charging contract with the communication carrier. In the control device 5, information on a contract between the user of the terminal 1 and the communication carrier is set. When switching the communication path according to the installation or uninstallation of the virtual U-Plane 31, the control device 5 preferentially switches the communication path whose communication amount has exceeded the threshold set in the policy DB 54. For example, in the example of FIG. 44, in the policy DB 54, the communication amount (“Y” byte) is set as the threshold value of the communication path of the communication path identifier “D”. The control device 5 monitors, for example, the communication amount of the communication path with the identifier “D” from the virtual U-Plane 31 functioning as the P-GW, and the communication amount exceeds the threshold (“Y” byte). Switches the communication path.

  As described above, by switching the communication path that does not require management of the communication amount related to charging, the possibility that a mistake in charging management may occur during switching of the communication path is suppressed, and the control device 5 The virtual U-Plane 31 can be selected according to the request.

  For example, when the user of the terminal 1 concludes a time-limited communication contract with a communication carrier, communication can be performed within a time limit (for example, within 24 hours) defined by the contract. When switching the communication path according to installation or uninstallation of virtual U-Plane 31, the control device 5 has a bearer with a margin for the time limit determined by the contract (for example, a bearer having a margin for one or more hours for the time limit) Switch in favor of). By switching the bearer in this manner, it is possible to suppress the possibility of occurrence of communication exceeding the contractual deadline due to the expiration date being exceeded during bearer switching.

  In the example of FIG. 44, it is assumed that the terminal 1 corresponding to the communication path with the communication path identifier "B" has concluded a 24-hour contract (does not allow communication when it exceeds 24 hours) with the communication carrier. In the control device 5, information on a contract between the user of the terminal 1 and the communication carrier is set. When switching the communication path according to the installation or uninstallation of the virtual U-Plane 31, the control device 5 excludes the communication path whose communication time exceeds the threshold set in the policy DB 54 from the switching target. In the example of FIG. 44, communication time (“23H”) is set in the policy DB 54 as the threshold value of the communication path of the communication path identifier “B”. The control device 5 monitors, for example, the communication time of the identifier "B" communication path from the virtual U-Plane 31 functioning as the P-GW, and when the communication time exceeds the threshold ("23H"), Exclude the communication path from switching targets.

  As described above, by switching the communication path, the communication time may exceed the contract time limit during switching of the communication path, and the possibility of an error in the charge management may be suppressed.

7.3) System (third example)
The control device 5 can select the virtual U-Plane 31 associated with the communication path according to the frequency of activating the virtual U-Plane 31.

  As illustrated in FIG. 45, the control device 5 selects the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path according to the frequency of installation or uninstallation of the virtual U-Plane 31 (or the frequency of activation or deactivation). It is possible. The control device 5 selects the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path according to the installation / uninstallation frequency which is the condition for selecting the virtual U-Plane 31. The control device 5 can monitor the virtual U-Plane 31 and acquire the frequency of installation / uninstallation.

  In the policy DB 54 illustrated in FIG. 46, the priority for each communication path identifier is set. In the policy DB 54 of FIG. 46, priority may be set for each group of communication paths as in the sixth embodiment. The control device 5 selects the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path in accordance with the threshold related to the priority which is a condition for selecting the virtual U-Plane 31. In the example of FIG. 46, the control device 5 determines a virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path based on the policy regarding the priority of the communication path identifier.

  The control device 5 monitors, for example, the frequency of installation / uninstallation of the virtual U-plane 31. For example, the control device 5 associates a communication path with a low priority (for example, a communication path with a priority “Low” in the policy DB 54) with the virtual U-plane 31 to be installed / uninstalled with high frequency. The communication path allocated to the virtual U-plane 31 in which installation / uninstallation frequently occurs frequently switches the connection with the virtual U-plane 31 at high frequency, and the communication quality is likely to deteriorate. Therefore, the control device 5 can suppress the deterioration of the communication quality of the communication path with high priority by associating the communication path with low priority with the virtual U-plane 31 in which the installation / uninstallation occurs frequently. .

  The control device 5 can also determine a virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path, using a policy based on an SLA (Service Level Agreement) required for a service related to the communication path. For example, the control device 5 confirms the communication band requested by the SLA based on the policy, and selects a virtual U-Plane 31 capable of securing the communication band corresponding to the SLA. The control device 5 can manage, for example, the communication band used by each virtual U-Plane 31 and the maximum communication band that can be secured by each virtual U-Plane 31, and the free band of each virtual U-Plane 31 It is possible to select a gateway that meets the SLA requirements. Further, the control device 5 can associate the communication path whose SLA is equal to or more than a predetermined value with the virtual U-Plane 31 whose operation load is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

  In the seventh embodiment, the policy DB 54 can store a plurality of types of policies. For example, the policy DB 54 can store the policy illustrated in FIG. 42 and the policy illustrated in FIG. The control device 5 can select the virtual U-Plane 31 based on a plurality of types of policies stored in the policy DB 54.

8. Eighth Embodiment Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the examples shown in FIGS. The eighth embodiment is applicable to any of the techniques disclosed in the first to seventh embodiments described above.

  A management system 6 is provided in the communication system according to the eighth embodiment, and the control system generates control information used to select a virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path. The operator of the communication system manages the control device via the management device 6. Depending on the size of the communication system, it is assumed that a plurality of control devices are distributed in the communication system. In such a case, by managing the control device via the management device 6, the operator of the communication system can efficiently manage the communication system. Further, by notifying the control device 5 of control information by the management device 6, the control device 5 refers to the control information and responds to the fact that the virtual U-Plane 31 is dynamically added. A communication path corresponding to Plane 31 can be determined.

  In the eighth embodiment, an example of the management apparatus 6 for controlling the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 is shown. However, the management apparatus 6 is a gateway exemplified in the first and second embodiments. It can also be used to control the correspondence between 3 and the communication path.

8.1) Management device (first example)
In FIG. 47, the management device 6 includes a policy generation unit 60 and an interface 61, and communicates with the control device 5 (or control device 5A) via the interface 61.

  The policy generation unit 60 can generate control information for the control device 5 to select a virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path. The policy generation unit 60 generates control information so that, for example, the virtual U-Plane 31 is selected according to the communication quality request regarding the communication path. For example, a policy to be stored in the policy DB 54 exemplified in the seventh embodiment is generated as control information. Furthermore, the policy generation unit 60 can generate the information (for example, the information illustrated in FIGS. 42, 44, and 46) stored in the policy DB 54 according to the operation of the operator of the communication system. Also, the policy generation unit 60 can generate a plurality of types of policies. The policy generation unit 60 notifies the control device 5 of the generated information via the interface 61. The control device 5 stores the policy notified from the management device 6 in the policy DB 54, and controls the communication device 4 based on the policy DB 54.

  The policy generation unit 60 can also generate control information for the control device 5 to select the virtual U-Plane 31 associated with the communication path for each group of communication paths. For example, the policy generation unit 60 can generate the information illustrated in FIGS. 42, 44, and 46 for each group of communication paths. The policy generation unit 60 can generate, for example, a policy (policy illustrated in FIG. 42) configured with a priority according to the QCI for each group of communication paths. The policy generation unit 60 can generate, for example, the threshold illustrated in FIG. 44 for each group of communication paths. The policy generation unit 60 can generate, for example, the priority illustrated in FIG. 46 for each group of communication paths.

  The policy generation unit 60 may generate a policy for associating the communication path newly constructed by the attach procedure disclosed in the fourth embodiment with the virtual U-Plane 31. An example of a policy for associating a communication path newly constructed by the attach procedure with the virtual U-Plane 31 is shown below.

  (1) Round robin: From the virtual U-Plane 31 activated in the communication system, the policy generation unit 60 generates a policy for determining the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path in round robin. The policy generation unit 60 generates a policy for determining the virtual U-Plane 31 associated with the communication path in round robin, for example, according to the load of each virtual U-Plane 31.

(2) Position of Terminal 1: The policy generation unit 60 generates a policy based on information on the position where the terminal 1 stays, such as E-UTRAN Cell ID. The policy generation unit 60 generates a policy for determining the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path, for example, based on at least one of the conditions exemplified below.
A communication path corresponding to a predetermined Cell ID A communication path corresponding to any of a plurality of Cell IDs (for example, a communication path corresponding to any of a plurality of adjacent cells)
A communication path corresponding to a predetermined base station A communication path corresponding to any one of a plurality of base stations (for example, a communication path corresponding to any one of a plurality of adjacent base stations)

  For example, the policy generation unit 60 generates a policy indicating that the communication path corresponding to the Cell ID “a” is associated with the virtual gateway “A”. Also, for example, the policy generation unit 60 generates a policy indicating that the communication path corresponding to the Cell ID “b” or “c” is associated with the virtual gateway “B”. Also, for example, the policy generation unit 60 indicates that the policy indicating that the communication path corresponding to the Cell ID “d” is associated with the gateway selected in round robin from the virtual gateways “C”, “D”, and “E”. Generate

(3) QoS Characteristic of Communication Path: The policy generation unit 60 generates a policy based on the information on the QoS characteristic of the communication path. The policy generation unit 60 generates a policy for determining the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path, for example, based on at least one of the conditions exemplified below.
-Communication path corresponding to a predetermined QCI value-Communication path corresponding to any of a plurality of QCI values

  For example, the policy generation unit 60 generates a policy indicating that the communication path with the QCI value of “5” is associated with the virtual gateway “A”. Also, for example, the policy generation unit 60 generates a policy indicating that the communication path corresponding to the QCI value of “1” or “3” is associated with the virtual gateway “B”. Also, for example, the policy generation unit 60 indicates that the communication path corresponding to the QCI value of “4” is associated with the gateway selected in the round robin from the virtual gateways “C”, “D”, and “E”. Generate

(4) Combination of Position of Terminal 1 and QoS Characteristic of Communication Path: The policy generation unit 60 determines the communication path based on the conditions (for example, the conditions exemplified below) combining the above (2) and (3). A policy may be generated to determine a virtual U-Plane 31 to associate with.
A predetermined QCI value, a communication path corresponding to a predetermined Cell ID (or a predetermined base station), a predetermined QCI value, and any of a plurality of Cell IDs (or any of a plurality of base stations) A plurality of communication paths corresponding to any of a plurality of QCI values and corresponding to any of a communication path corresponding to a predetermined Cell ID (or a predetermined base station) and a plurality of QCI values One of Cell IDs (or one of multiple base stations)

(5) Communication Path Group: The policy generation unit 60 may generate a policy for determining the virtual U-Plane 31 to be associated with the communication path group based on the attributes of the communication path group exemplified in the sixth embodiment. . Examples of communication path group attributes are shown below.
Communication status of group / terminal 1 according to charging characteristics (normal charging, prepaid charging, flat rate etc.) related to group 1 based on stay area of terminal 1 (E-UTRAN Cell ID etc.) Whether or not
A packet data network (PDN) to which a group terminal 1 is connected according to an operator ID (ID of an operator of a core network to which the terminal 1 is connected)
・ Service type that requires chaining after leaving communication path ・ QoS characteristics ・ State of terminal 1 (IDLE state, CONNECTED state)

  For example, when the communication path belongs to the group of charging characteristics of prepaid charging, the policy generating unit 60 generates a policy indicating that the communication path is associated with the virtual gateway “A”.

  As described above, the management device 6 can generate a policy, notify the control device 5, and operate the control device 5 according to the policy. The management device 6 can also operate the route information DB 50 of the control device 5 as described below.

8.2) Management device (second example)
The management device 6 illustrated in FIG. 48 includes a UI (User Interface) display unit 62, a control unit 63, and a display 64 in addition to the configuration of FIG.

  The UI display unit 62 displays a user interface as shown in the example of FIG. 49 on the display 64. The operator of the communication system can operate the user interface illustrated in FIG. 49 to manipulate the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual gateway.

  The control unit 63 operates the path information DB 50 of the control device 5 based on the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual gateway, which is determined according to the operation of the operator. For example, it is assumed that the operator changes the virtual gateway corresponding to the communication path of communication path identifier “A” from virtual gateway (a) to (e). In this case, the control unit 63 operates the route information DB 50 to change the virtual gateway corresponding to the communication path identifier "A" from the virtual gateway (a) to (e).

  FIG. 49 illustrates an example of a graphical user interface (GUI) 700 displayed on the display 64 by the UI display unit 62. The GUI 700 includes a network display window 701 and an operation window 702. A network display window 701 displays an overview of the network configuration of the communication system.

  In FIG. 49, when the operator clicks an entity (for example, S-GW) of the network displayed in network display window 701, information on virtual U-Plane 31 constituting the clicked entity is displayed in operation window 702. Ru.

  The operation window 702 can display, for example, a network object including a communication path, a virtual U-Plane 31 configuring a gateway, and a server 33 corresponding to each virtual U-Plane 31.

The operation window 702 can display information regarding the communication path and the property (Property) of the network object including the virtual U-Plane 31. The operator can select, for example, the virtual U-Plane 31 associated with the communication path by referring to the information on the attribute of the network object. The operation window 702 can display, for example, the IDs of the virtual U-Plane 31 and the server 33, the loads of the virtual U-Plane 31 and the server 33, and further, for example, the number of communication paths associated with the virtual U-Plane 31, virtual The throughput of U-Plane 31, the empty communication band of virtual U-Plane 31, etc. can be displayed as the attribute of the network object. In addition, the operation window 702 can display, for example, QCI related to a communication path, SLA of a service related to a communication path, and the like as an attribute of a network object. The operation window 702 can also display a plurality of attributes. In addition, the operation window 702 can display the communication path set in each virtual U-Plane 31.

  The operator can switch the communication path displayed in the window 702 to another virtual U-Plane 31 by the Drag & Drop operation. For example, the operator can switch the communication path to the virtual U-Plane 31 with a low load by referring to the load of the virtual U-Plane 31 and the server 33 displayed in the window 702.

  In response to the operation of the operator, the control unit 63 can operate the path information DB 50 of the control device 5 to change the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31. For example, the control unit 63 generates control information on the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 by combining the network objects, and notifies the control device 5 of the generated control information, thereby changing the route information DB 50. It is possible. The control device 5 notifies the communication device 4 of the change in the correspondence relationship between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 in response to, for example, the change of the route information DB 50.

8.3) Management device (third example)
The management device 6 illustrated in FIG. 50 can directly control the route information DB 50 of the control device 5 without generating the information stored in the policy DB 54. The management device 6 includes a route information generation unit 65 and an interface 61.

  The path information generation unit 65 can generate control information for the control device 5 to select the virtual U-Plane 31 associated with the communication path. The route information generation unit 65 generates control information so that, for example, the virtual U-Plane 31 is selected according to the communication quality request regarding the communication path. The path information generation unit 65 generates control information, for example, in response to the virtual U-Plane 31 being added. As control information, information to be stored in the route information DB 50 of the control device 5 is generated. The route information generation unit 65 determines the correspondence between the communication path and the gateway. The path information generation unit 65 sets the correspondence between the communication path and the gateway in the path information DB 50 of the control device 5 via the interface 61.

  The route information generation unit 65 can also generate control information (for example, a database of the structure exemplified in the sixth embodiment) for managing the gateway corresponding to the communication path in a group unit of the communication path. .

  The route information generation unit 65 can generate information to be set in the route information DB 50, for example, based on the policy exemplified in the seventh embodiment. For example, based on the policies illustrated in FIGS. 42, 44, and 46, the route information generation unit 65 can generate information to be set in the route information DB 50. The route information generation unit 65 uses, for example, the control device 5 to generate information required to generate information to be set in the route information DB 50 (for example, communication amount and communication time of communication path, addition frequency of virtual gateway, etc.). It is possible to collect Further, the route information generation unit 65 can generate information to be set in the route information DB 50 based on, for example, the policies (the above-mentioned policies (1) to (5)) exemplified in the eighth embodiment.

9. Ninth Embodiment The ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the examples shown in FIGS. The ninth embodiment is applicable to any of the techniques disclosed in the first to eighth embodiments described above.

  In the ninth embodiment, the operator manages the communication paths by grouping them by the management device 6. By grouping communication paths, the operator can efficiently manage the correspondence between the communication paths and the virtual U-Plane 31 and the like. In addition, the management device 6 groups and visualizes the communication paths separately from the grouping for control performed by the control device 5 in the sixth embodiment, whereby the operator can communicate the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31. It can manage efficiently.

In the ninth embodiment, an example of the management apparatus 6 for controlling the correspondence between the communication path and the virtual U-Plane 31 is shown. However, the gateway 3 and the communication path exemplified in the first and second embodiments are described. It can also be used to control the correspondence of

  In the GUI 700 illustrated in FIG. 51, the operator can use the GUI 700 displayed by the management device 6 to group communication paths.

The operation window 702 illustrated in FIG. 51 displays an aggregation policy 703 for aggregating (grouping) the communication paths established in the virtual gateway 3. The aggregation policy is set, for example, based on the attribute of the communication path. An example of the aggregation policy 703 is shown below.
-Stay area of terminal 1 (E-UTRAN Cell ID etc.)
-Charging characteristics for terminal 1 (normal charging, prepaid charging, flat rate, etc.)
-Operator ID (ID of the operator of the core network to which the terminal 1 is connected)
Terminal 1 state (IDLE state, CONNECTED state):
・ QoS characteristics ・ Packet Data Network (PDN) to which terminal 1 is connected
・ Service types that require chaining after leaving the communication path

  The management device 6 can aggregate communication paths based on the example of the aggregation policy 703 described above. The aggregation policy 703 can use, for example, the policy disclosed as a condition for grouping communication paths in the sixth embodiment.

  For example, in response to the operator clicking on any of the policies displayed in the consolidated policy 703, the control unit 63 of the management device 6 consolidates communication paths based on the clicked policy. For example, the control unit 63 aggregates communication paths having the same aggregation policy attribute. For example, when “QoS characteristic” is selected as the aggregation policy, as exemplified in FIG. 51, the control unit 63 aggregates communication paths of the same QCI value.

  For example, in response to clicking on “cancel aggregation” displayed in the aggregation policy 703, the control unit 63 cancels the aggregation of communication paths, and individually displays each communication path.

  By aggregating communication paths based on the aggregation policy, the management cost of the operator can be significantly reduced. For example, as shown in the example of FIG. 51, by aggregating communication paths based on QCI, the number of communication paths managed by the GUI 700 can be up to nine types per virtual gateway 3 (defined by standard specifications such as 3GPP) The QCIs that are being By aggregating the communication paths based on the aggregation policy, it is possible to virtually reduce the number of communication paths managed by the operator, and the operator's management cost is significantly reduced.

  The control unit 63 can change the path information DB 50 of the control device 5 according to the fact that the operator has integrated the communication paths in accordance with the aggregation policy.

  FIG. 52 shows an example of the route information DB 50 when communication paths are aggregated based on QCI. The control unit 63 aggregates communication paths based on the attribute (QCI in the example of FIG. 52) of the aggregation policy, and associates each of the aggregated communication paths with the attribute (group ID of FIG. 52) of the aggregation policy. In the example of FIG. 52, the control unit 63 changes the path information DB 50 so that the communication paths aggregated based on the QCI and the QCI value (group ID) are associated with each other. As the management device 6 changes the path information DB 50 as described above, the control device 5 can control the communication device 4 by the method exemplified in the sixth embodiment.

  The control unit 63 of the management device 6 or the control unit 51 of the control device 5 can execute communication path reconstruction, for example, when the state of the communication path is changed from the attribute of the aggregation policy. The reconstruction of the communication path means that the communication path is reestablished after the communication path is released. For example, when the state of the communication path is changed from the attribute of the aggregation policy, the control unit 63 or the control unit 51 can reconstruct the communication path. For example, when the communication amount of the terminal 1 per unit period exceeds a certain value, the control unit 63 or the control unit 51 promotes the reconstruction of the corresponding communication path. In addition, the route information DB 50 may be changed as needed. By rebuilding the communication path, the communication path can belong to a group that matches the current state. As described above, the control device 5 and the management device 6 reassign the communication paths to the virtual U-plane 31 at the time of addition and removal of the virtual U-plane 31 by making the communication paths belong to the group matching the current state. It is possible to suppress the load from becoming excessively high. This is because, if there is a communication path that does not belong to the group that matches the current state, it is necessary to individually control the communication path separately from the grouping and control.

  FIG. 53 shows an example in which the operators manage the aggregated communication paths. The operator switches the correspondence between the aggregated communication path and the virtual gateway 3 by, for example, selecting the aggregated communication path and dragging and dropping the selected communication path to another virtual gateway 3. In response to switching of the correspondence between the aggregated communication path and the virtual gateway 3, the control unit 63 changes the path information DB 50 of the control device 5.

  FIG. 54 shows an example in which the control unit 63 changes the route information DB 50. The control unit 63 changes the gateway corresponding to the group by using the group ID (ID corresponding to the QCI value in the example of FIG. 54) as a key. 53 and 54, the control unit 63 switches the virtual gateway 3 corresponding to the aggregated communication path whose QCI value is "3" from the gateway with the ID "X" to the gateway with the ID "XX". In response to the change of the route information DB 50, the control device 5 changes the route information DB 42 of the communication device 4 according to the method exemplified in the sixth embodiment, for example.

  As described above, the control unit 63 can collectively change the gateways corresponding to the aggregated communication paths by using the group ID as a key. Therefore, the control unit 63 can significantly reduce the amount of control signal and the switching time of the gateway, as compared with the case where the gateway corresponding to each entry of the route information DB 50 is changed.

  FIG. 55 shows an example in which the management apparatus 6 aggregates communication paths by a plurality of aggregation policies. In the example of FIG. 55, communication paths are aggregated based on the QCI of the communication path and the state of the terminal 1.

  In FIG. 55, the operator selects the communication path aggregated by the QCI value ("1. Click"), and selects another aggregation policy ("2. Click"). By the operation of the operator, the management apparatus 6 divides and displays the aggregated communication path having the QCI value of "3" according to the state of the terminal 1 (IDLE state or CONNECTED state).

  The control unit 63 changes the path information DB 50 of the control device 5 in response to the communication paths being aggregated based on the plurality of aggregation policies. FIG. 56 shows an example of the route information DB 50 based on a plurality of aggregation policies. As shown in FIG. 55, the control unit 63 responds to the addition of the aggregation policy regarding the state of the terminal 1 to the aggregated communication path with the QCI value of “3” as in the example of FIG. Change the route information DB 50.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to each above-mentioned embodiment. The present invention can be implemented based on the modification, replacement, and adjustment of each embodiment. Furthermore, the present invention can also be implemented by arbitrarily combining the embodiments. That is, the present invention includes various variations and modifications that can be realized in accordance with the entire disclosure content and technical concept of the present specification. The present invention is also applicable to the technical field of Software-Defined Network (SDN).

  The present invention is applicable to communication systems in general that communicate via a communication path.

1 terminal 2 base station 3 gateway 3A virtual gateway 4 communication device 4A virtual switch 4B communication device 5 control device 5A control device (virtual controller)
6 Management Device 30 Virtual C-plane
31 Virtual U-plane
32 interface 33 server 40 communication path identification unit 41 switching unit 42 route information DB
43 control unit 44 search unit 45 processing unit 46 flow entry DB
50 route information DB
51 control unit 52 communication interface 53 flow entry DB
54 Policy DB
60 policy generation unit 61 interface 62 UI display unit 63 control unit 64 display 65 route information generation unit 700 GUI
701 Network Display Window 702 Operation Window 703 Aggregation Policy

Claims (12)

Communication path establishing means for establishing a first communication path with a first gateway and establishing a second communication path with a second gateway;
Forwarding means for forwarding the packet according to the processing rules including the communication path used for forwarding the packet to the destination ;
According to an instruction from the control device, a communication path used for packet transfer from the first communication path to a processing rule including the first communication path as the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination and changing means for changing to the second communication path only including,
The communication device , wherein the transfer means transfers the packet to the destination using the second communication path when receiving the packet to be processed in accordance with the processing rule changed by the change means . Search means for searching for a processing rule to be applied to the processing of the packet based on the information contained in the outer header of the packet ;
The communication device of claim 1, comprising: From the control device, receiving means for receiving the processing rule,
Communication apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a. A request means for requesting the processing rule from the control device when the processing rule to be applied to the processing of the packet is not set;
The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: A common address is assigned to the first gateway and the second gateway,
It said receiving means, said common address and identification rules to identify the packets on the basis of the information contained in the outer header of the packet, the processing rules and a processing rule corresponding to the identification rule A communication apparatus according to any one of claims 3 or 4 , characterized in that it receives. The transfer means, the destination address before Kipa packet, converts the communication path used for the transfer of the prior Kipa packet to the address assigned to the gateway to establish with the communications device, a communication path to establish with the gateway any one of the communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer of Kipa packet before using. A common address is assigned to the first gateway and the second gateway,
It said transfer means, claims the source address of packets received from the first gateway and the second gateway, the converted common address, characterized in that before transferring Kipa packet The communication device according to any one of items 1 to 6 . A communication device for establishing a first communication path with a first gateway, establishing a second communication path with a second gateway, and transferring a packet according to a processing rule including a communication path used for packet transfer to a destination A control device that controls
And setting means for setting the processing rules to said communication device
Among the processing rules set in the communication device, the communication path used for packet transfer is a processing path including the first communication path as the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination. Instructing means for instructing the communication apparatus to change the communication path to the second communication path;
A control device characterized by including. In the communication device that establishes the first communication path with the first gateway and establishes the second communication path with the second gateway, the packet is transferred according to the processing rule including the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination A communication method,
According to an instruction from the control device, a communication path used for packet transfer is processed from the first communication path to a processing rule including the first communication path as the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination Change to the second communication path,
Forwarding the packet to the destination using the second communication path when receiving a packet to be processed in accordance with the modified processing rule
A communication method characterized by Establish a first communication path with a first gateway, establish a second communication path with a second gateway, and use the communication path according to the processing rules including the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination. Control method for controlling a communication device for transferring a packet to the destination ,
It sets the processing rule in said communication device,
Among the processing rules set in the communication device, the communication path used for packet transfer is the first communication path, with respect to the processing rule including the first communication path as the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination. And instructing the communication apparatus to change the communication path from the second communication path to the second communication path . To a communication device which establishes a first communication path with a first gateway, establishes a second communication path with a second gateway, and transfers a packet according to a processing rule including a communication path used for packet transfer to a destination ,
According to an instruction from the control device, a communication path used for packet transfer is processed from the first communication path to a processing rule including the first communication path as the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination A process of changing to the second communication path;
Forwarding the packet to the destination using the second communication path if a packet to be processed according to the modified processing rule is received;
A program characterized by causing Establish a first communication path with a first gateway, establish a second communication path with a second gateway, and use the communication path according to the processing rules including the communication path used for packet transfer to the destination. Control device for controlling the communication device for transferring the packet to the destination ,
Setting the processing rule to the communication device ;
Among the processing rules set in the communication device, the first communication path is used for packet transfer with respect to the processing rule including the first communication path as a communication path used for packet transfer to the destination A process of instructing the communication device to change the path to the second communication path;
A program characterized by causing

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