Network connection apparatus with failure handling function and failure handling method thereof

Abstract

To provide a network connection apparatus with failure handling function and a failure handling method thereof, specifically, a network connection apparatus configured to automatically perform failure handling in one of fail-over mode and fail-down mode using a single latch switch.SOLUTION: A failure handling method and a network connection apparatus having a failure handling function using the method are provided, the method including: a step of setting an in-line mode, and connecting a second terminal of a latch switch having a first terminal connected to a transmitting unit, to security equipment connected to a receiving unit; and a step of switching, when an occurrence of a failure is confirmed, to one of fail-over mode related to switching of connection of the second terminal to the receiving unit and a fail-down mode related to disconnection between the second terminal and the security equipment, on the basis of failure handling settings.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a network connection device and a failure handling method thereof designed to automatically handle failures in one of a failover mode or a failover mode using a single latch switch. [Background technology]

[0002] Network connection devices connecting different networks are configured so that traffic can move to another network after being processed by security equipment. In such an environment, in order to temporarily resolve a situation in which a problem occurs in the security equipment or a large amount of traffic is concentrated and exceeds the processing capacity of the security equipment, a method of handling the failure by changing the mode to one of a failover mode that maintains connection by bypassing and spanning traffic to prevent network disconnection and a fail-down mode that prevents traffic movement to ensure High Availability (HA) is known, and the related literature is as follows.

[0003] However, conventional techniques for automatically switching a network connection device into one of the above-mentioned failover mode and failover mode to handle a failure result in the network connection device having a somewhat complicated structure, which may ultimately accelerate wear on internal components and potentially even cause failures. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent No. 10-0750371 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent No. 10-0959196 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The disclosed embodiments provide a network connection device with a failure handling function and a failure handling method thereof. Specifically, an object of the present invention is to enable the network connection device to automatically handle failures in one of a failover mode or a failover mode using a single latch switch.

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned technical problem, and other technical problems can be inferred from the following embodiments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure may provide a fault handling method for a network connection device, the fault handling method including: setting an inline mode and connecting a second terminal of a latch switch, the first terminal of which is connected to a transmitter, to a security device connected to a receiver; and, when a fault is confirmed, switching to one of a failover mode for switching the connection of the second terminal to the receiver and a fail-down mode for disconnecting the connection between the second terminal and the security device based on a fault handling setting.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the failure processing method may further include the steps of: when a switch is made to the failover mode, when reception of a first signal through the receiving unit is confirmed, distributing the first signal to the latch switch and the security equipment through a distributor; preventing a second signal resulting from processing the first signal by the security equipment from being transmitted to the latch switch by the connection switching, and transmitting the first signal through the transmitting unit via the latch switch.

[0009] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the failure handling setting corresponds to the failover mode, a failure handling method may be included which determines whether or not to switch to the failover mode based on reference information regarding whether a command to maintain the inline mode is received from the security equipment within a preset critical time.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the reference information may include a reference value, which gradually approaches an indication value corresponding to the failover mode from an initial value over time, and may be initialized to the initial value each time the maintenance command for the inline mode is received, and when the critical time has elapsed and the reference value corresponds to the indication value, the inline mode may be converted to the failover mode.

[0011] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a failure handling method may be included in which, when it is confirmed that the power supply is interrupted, the inline mode is converted to the failover mode by performing the connection conversion using power supplied from an emergency power supplier.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may further include the steps of: when the fail-down mode is switched to, distributing the first signal to the latch switch and the security device through a distributor when reception of a first signal through the receiver is confirmed; and controlling so that neither the first nor the second signal is transmitted by preventing the first signal from being transmitted to the latch switch due to a connection between the second terminal and the security device, and preventing a second signal, which is a result of the first signal being processed by the security device, from being transmitted to the latch switch due to a disconnection.

[0013] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a fault handling method may be included in which, when the fail-down mode is entered, the connection is cut off by deactivating a transmission function of a transceiver located between the security device and the second terminal.

[0014] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the in-line mode is set, when reception of a first signal through the receiving unit is confirmed, the first signal is distributed to the latch switch and the security device through a distributor, and the first signal is prevented from being transmitted to the latch switch by connecting the second terminal to the security device, and a second signal, which is a result of processing the first signal by the security device, is transmitted through the transmitter via the latch switch.

[0015] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a fault handling method may be included in which the first terminal of the latch switch is connected to the transmitting unit, and the second terminal is controlled to be selectively connected to one of the security equipment connected to the receiving unit or the receiving unit by selecting at least one of the in-line mode, the failover mode, and the fail-down mode.

[0016] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a network connection device having a fault handling function, comprising: a latch switch having a first terminal connected to a transmitter and a second terminal selectively connected to one of a receiver and a security device connected to the receiver; and a control circuit that connects the second terminal to the security device in an in-line mode, connects the second terminal to the receiver in a failover mode, and disconnects the connection between the second terminal and the security device in a fail-down mode.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network connection device may further include a distributor that distributes a signal input through the receiver to the latch switch and the security device.

[0018] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a network connection device may be included, further including an optical module for digitizing a signal distributed to the security equipment, and a MAC chip for checking the communication standard of the signal digitized by the optical module and then inputting it to the security equipment.

[0019] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a network connection device may be included, further including a transceiver between the second terminal and the security equipment, the transceiver having a transmission function deactivated by the control circuit in the fail-down mode.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a network connection device may be included that further includes an emergency power supply for the control circuit and the latch switch.

[0021] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the network connection device may include a first terminal of the latch switch connected to the transmitting unit of the second port, the second terminal connected to the receiving unit of the first port or the security device, a third terminal of the latch switch connected to the transmitting unit of the first port, and a fourth terminal connected to the receiving unit of the second port or the security device, and the control circuit connects the fourth terminal to the security device in the inline mode, connects the fourth terminal to the receiving unit of the second port in the failover mode, and disconnects the connection between the fourth terminal and the security device in the fail-down mode.

[0022] Further details of the embodiments are included in the detailed description and the drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0023] When following the proposed embodiments, one or more of the following advantages can be expected:

[0024] According to embodiments herein, a single latching switch can be used to automatically handle failures in either failover or fail-down modes.

[0025] Additionally, in accordance with embodiments herein, fault handling using a single latch switch can reduce optical attenuation compared to prior art methods of handling faults through complex structures.

[0026] In addition, according to the embodiments of the present specification, fault handling is performed using a single latch switch, which reduces maintenance compared to the prior art method of handling faults through a complex structure, while also reducing faults due to wear of internal components.

[0027] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a network connection device that handles failures according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a failure handling method according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates a network-connected device configured in in-line mode according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a network connected device configured in a failover mode according to one embodiment. [Figure 5a] 1 illustrates an interlocking operation between security equipment and internal components of a network connection device when set to an in-line mode according to an embodiment. [Figure 5b] 1 illustrates an interoperation between internal components of a security device and a network connection device when handling a failure in a failover mode according to an embodiment. [Figure 5c]1 illustrates an interlocking operation between internal components of a security device and a network connection device when a power supply is cut off in a failover mode to handle a failure according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a network connected device configured in a fail-down mode according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an example of bidirectionally connected network connection devices operating in an in-line mode according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an example of bidirectionally connected network connection devices operating in a failover mode, according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates an example of a bidirectionally connected network connection device operating in a fail-down mode according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] The terms used in the embodiments are currently selected as widely used and common as possible while taking into consideration the functions in the present disclosure, but this may change depending on the intentions or precedents of the engineers in the field, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, the applicant may arbitrarily select terms, and in such cases, the meanings will be described in detail in the relevant description. Therefore, the terms used in the present disclosure must be defined based on the meanings that the terms have and the overall content of the present disclosure, rather than simply the names of the terms.

[0030] Throughout the specification, when a part "comprises" a certain element, this does not mean excluding other elements, but may further include other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

[0031] Throughout the specification, the expression "at least one of a, b, and c" may encompass "a alone," "b alone," "c alone," "a and b," "a and c," "b and c," or "all of a, b, and c."

[0032] The "terminal" referred to below may be realized as a computer or a portable terminal that can connect to a server or other terminals through a network. Here, the computer may be, for example, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, or a laptop computer equipped with a web browser, and the portable terminal may be, for example, a wireless communication device that ensures portability and mobility, and may include communication-based terminals such as IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), W-CDMA (W-Code Division Multiple Access), and LTE (Long Term Evolution), as well as all kinds of handheld-based wireless communication devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs.

[0033] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present disclosure may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0034] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0035] FIG. 1 illustrates a network connection device that handles failures according to one embodiment.

[0036] Referring to Fig. 1, a network connection device 100 can operate in conjunction with a security device 200. Meanwhile, the system illustrated in Fig. 1 shows only components related to the present embodiment. Therefore, a person having ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiment can understand that other general components may be further included in addition to the components illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0037] The network connection device 100 may be a device that controls traffic at a connection point between one network and another network, such as a network interface card (NIC). For example, the network connection device 100 may receive traffic from one network through the receiving unit 130 and then transmit traffic to another network through the transmitting unit 140. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 1 assumes a one-way traffic flow, and the following description will be given assuming a one-way traffic flow, but a bidirectional traffic flow will also be described with reference to the following FIGS. 7 to 9.

[0038] The network connection device 100 may include a control circuit 110 and a latch switch 120 in addition to the receiving unit 130 and the transmitting unit 140. Here, the control circuit 110 may be a programmable circuit such as an FPGA, but any circuit may be used as long as it can communicate with the security device 200 and control other components inside the network connection device 100, such as the latch switch 120. Various control processes by the network connection device 100 described below may be performed by the control circuit 110. The latch switch 120 may be an optical switch, and a first terminal may be connected to the transmitting unit 140, and a second terminal may be selectively connected to the receiving unit 130 or the security device 200. As can be seen by the arrow in FIG. 1, the latch switch may receive traffic directly from the receiving unit 130 or from the security device 200 through a connection of the second terminal, which may be changed, and transmit the traffic to the transmitting unit 140.

[0039] The security equipment 200 may be a host computer on which a security program runs, and may be equipment used to securely process traffic acquired through the receiver 130 .

[0040] Components that may be added but are omitted in FIG. 1 will be described. First, the network connection device 100 may include a distributor that divides and transmits a signal received by the receiving unit 130 to the latch switch 120 and the security device 200. Also, the network connection device 100 may include an optical module that can digitize an optical signal received through the receiving unit 130 into an electrical signal for input to the security device 200. To obtain efficiency in terms of design, the optical module may be included in the network connection device 100 in a state integrated with a transceiver. And, the network connection device 100 may additionally include a MAC chip that determines whether the traffic converted into an electrical signal by the optical module complies with a network communication standard. Additionally, the network connection device 100 may further include a transceiver between the second terminal and the security device 200, the transmission function of which will be described later, being deactivated by the control circuit 110 in a fail-down mode. In addition, an emergency power supply for the control circuit 110 and the latch switch 120 may be additionally included in case the power supply is cut off in the failover mode, and the emergency power supply may be realized using a supercapacitor.

[0041] The hardware components of the network connection device 100 in terms of one-way traffic have been described above with reference to Fig. 1. A failure processing method according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 2.

[0042] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a failure handling method according to an embodiment.

[0043] 2, in step S210, the network connection device 100 can set an in-line mode and connect the second terminal of the latch switch 120, the first terminal of which is connected to the transmitter, to the security device 200 connected to the receiver 130. In step S220, when the occurrence of a fault is confirmed, the network connection device 100 can switch to one of a failover mode for switching the connection of the second terminal to the receiver 130 and a fail-down mode for cutting off the connection between the second terminal and the security device 200 based on a fault handling setting. Each step will be described in detail below.

[0044] First, the in-line mode is a general operation mode when there is no failure in the network connection device 100, and may be a mode in which traffic is received through the receiver 130, processed through the security device 200, and then transmitted through the transmitter 140. For this reason, when a first signal is received by the receiver 130, the latch switch 120 does not directly receive the first signal from the receiver 130, but must receive a second signal that is the result of the first signal being processed by the security device 200. For this reason, the second terminal of the network connection device 100 may be connected to the security device 200 instead of the receiver 130. To describe the operation of the in-line mode, reference will be made to FIG. 3.

[0045] FIG. 3 illustrates a network-connected device configured in in-line mode according to one embodiment.

[0046] 3, when the in-line mode is set, if the reception of the first signal through the receiver 130 is confirmed, the first signal can be distributed to the latch switch 120 and the security device 200 through a distributor not shown in the drawing. At this time, since the second terminal is connected to the security device 200, the first signal is controlled not to be transmitted to the latch switch 120 due to the connection of the second terminal with the security device 200, and the second signal, which is the result of the first signal being processed by the security device 200, can be transmitted by the network connection device 100 through the transmitter 140 via the latch switch 120. Through this process, the network connection device 100 can operate when there is no fault.

[0047] Thereafter, if the occurrence of a failure is confirmed, the network connection device 100 can handle the failure by operating in a failover mode or a fail-down mode according to the settings, which may be input in advance by the user.

[0048] First, in the failover mode, a connection switching operation may be performed in which the second terminal is directly connected to the receiving unit 130 instead of the security device 200. In order to describe a signal processing process in the failover mode in which the second terminal is directly connected to the receiving unit 130, reference will be made to FIG.

[0049] FIG. 4 illustrates a network connection device configured in a failover mode according to one embodiment.

[0050] 4, when a fault is detected and the network connection device 100 is switched to a failover mode, if reception of a first signal through the receiver 130 is confirmed, the network connection device 100 can distribute the first signal through the distributor to the latch switch 120 and the security device 200. At this time, the second signal can be controlled not to be transmitted to the latch switch 120 by the above-mentioned connection conversion. Instead, since the second terminal is directly connected to the receiver 130, the network connection device 100 can transmit the received first signal directly to the latch switch 120 and then transmit it through the transmitter 140 via the latch switch 120.

[0051] The connection changeover operation for processing the signal as described above in the failover mode may be automatically performed when a failure is detected. A method for automatically performing the connection changeover operation will be described below.

[0052] According to an embodiment, the network connection device 100 may determine whether to switch to the failover mode based on reference information regarding whether a command to maintain the inline mode by the security device 200 is received within a preset critical time, and may perform a connection switching operation of the second terminal if it is determined that switching to the failover mode is appropriate. Here, the command to maintain the inline mode by the security device 200 may be continuously transmitted, for example, when the security device 200 is operating normally and traffic is not excessively delayed.

[0053] Here, various methods may be used to determine whether or not a command to maintain the inline mode has been received within the critical time. One example of such a method is to use a reference value. That is, the reference information includes a reference value, and the reference value may gradually approach an indication value corresponding to the failover mode from an initial value as time passes. In this case, the reference value may be initialized to an initial value each time a command to maintain the inline mode is received. When the reference value corresponds to the indication value after the critical time has passed, the inline mode may be converted to the failover mode, and a connection conversion operation of the second terminal may be performed. As an example, the reference value may operate like a kind of timer value, and may decrease by 1 every second from an initial value of 15, and when it reaches an indication value of 0, the mode may be converted to the failover mode, and when a command to maintain the inline mode is received, the reference value may be continuously initialized to 15. To consider such a process, reference will be made to FIGS. 5a and 5b.

[0054] FIG. 5a illustrates an interrelationship between the internal configurations of the security device and the network connection device when set to an in-line mode according to an embodiment.

[0055] According to the example of FIG. 5a, the security device 200 and the MAC chip 150 may be connected by the PCIe standard, the MAC chip 150 and the control circuit 110 may be connected by the I2C communication standard, and the control circuit 110 and the latch switch 120 may be connected by the I2C communication standard using GPIO. This connection method is merely an example, and other methods may be used for connection. As shown in FIG. 5a, the security device 200 or the MAC chip 150 may transmit an inline mode maintenance command to the control circuit. In this manner, when the inline mode maintenance command is transmitted to the control circuit 110, the control circuit 110 may initialize the reference value to an initial value and execute the decount logic so that the reference value approaches the designated value over time. As long as the inline mode maintenance command is continuously received, the network connection device 100 may operate as shown in FIG. 5a.

[0056] FIG. 5b illustrates an interlocking operation between the internal components of the security equipment and the network connection device when handling a failure in a failover mode according to an embodiment.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 5b, if a failure occurs in at least a part of the security device 200 or the MAC chip 150 and an in-line mode maintenance command is not received for a critical time or more, the reference value may not be initialized to an initial value and may correspond to, for example, become equal to, the instruction value. In this case, as shown in Fig. 5b, the control circuit 110 may control the connection of the second terminal of the latch switch 120 to perform a failover mode operation.

[0058] Here, when power is normally supplied, the in-line mode can be switched to the failover mode through the process shown in Fig. 5a and 5b, but when power is not normally supplied, the reference value may not approach the indicated value through the above-mentioned process. For example, if power is not supplied to the control circuit 110, it may be difficult to perform the above-mentioned process. In this case, an emergency power supply can be used to switch modes when a failure occurs. To consider such an embodiment, refer to Fig. 5c.

[0059] FIG. 5c illustrates an interlocking operation between the internal components of the security device and the network connection device when power supply is cut off in a failover mode to handle a failure according to an embodiment.

[0060] As shown in Fig. 5c, when the power supply is interrupted and a blackout occurs, the control circuit 110 cannot execute the decount logic of the reference value described above. Thus, when the network connection device 100 determines that the power supply to the control circuit 110 is interrupted, the network connection device 100 can switch from the in-line mode to the failover mode by performing a connection conversion using power supplied from the emergency power supplier 160. Here, the emergency power supplier 160 may be implemented using a supercapacitor, and the operation method may be similar to, but not limited to, the operation method for Power Loss Protection (PLP) of SSDs. In addition, the connection conversion may be performed by the control circuit 110 immediately updating the reference value to be the same as the instruction value using the power obtained from the emergency power supplier 160.

[0061] As described above with respect to an embodiment for handling a failure through a failover mode, the following embodiment for handling a failure through a fail-down mode will be described. First, reference will be made to FIG. 6 for a description of the signal flow when a failure is handled in the fail-down mode.

[0062] FIG. 6 illustrates a network connection device configured in a fail-down mode according to one embodiment.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 6, when the fail-down mode is switched to, the connection switching operation of the latch switch 120 is not performed. Thus, the second terminal of the latch switch 120 may still be connected to the security device 200 as in the in-line mode, but a signal may not be transmitted between the security device 200 and the second terminal due to a connection disconnection operation. Thus, when the network connection device 100 confirms receipt of a first signal through the receiver 130, the network connection device 100 may distribute the first signal to the latch switch 120 and the security device 200 through the distributor. At this time, the first signal may not be transmitted to the latch switch 120 because the second terminal is connected to the security device 200. Meanwhile, the second signal, which is a result of processing the first signal by the security device 200, may be controlled not to be transmitted to the latch switch 120 due to the above-mentioned connection disconnection operation. Ultimately, the network connection device 100 may be controlled not to transmit both the first signal and the second signal.

[0064] Here, such a disconnection operation may be performed by deactivating the transmission function of a transceiver located between the security device 200 and the second terminal. That is, even if the second signal is generated by the security device 200 despite the fault state, since the fault has occurred, the signal may be a delayed signal or an erroneous signal, and therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary transmission, the second signal may not be transmitted to the latch switch 120. Of course, a method of preventing transmission of the second signal through a method other than deactivating the transmission function of the transceiver may also be used.

[0065] In the above description, one-way traffic has been assumed for the sake of convenience. However, an example of a network connection device capable of performing the same fault processing method in both directions will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.

[0066] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of bidirectionally connected network connection devices operating in an in-line mode according to an embodiment.

[0067] 7, it may be seen that the structure described in FIG. 1 exists in a mirror symmetrical manner with respect to the security device 200 and the MAC chip 150, although it may seem somewhat complicated compared to FIG. 1. The optical modules 171 and 172 combined with the transceivers may perform the function of digitizing the above-mentioned signal in one direction from the receiver to the security device 200, and may perform the above-mentioned operation of disconnecting the latch switch and the security device in the fail-down mode in the direction from the security device 200 to the transmitter. Also, unlike the case of processing traffic in one direction, the latch switch 120 may be connected in a 2:4 ratio. For example, it is assumed that the first terminal is connected to the transmitter 140 of the second port, and the second terminal is connected to the receiver 130 or the security device 200 of the first port. In this case, a third terminal performing a similar role to the first terminal may exist in the opposite direction and be connected to the transmitter of the first port, and a fourth terminal performing a similar role to the second terminal may exist in the opposite direction and be connected to the receiver or security device of the second port. In this case, in the in-line mode, the fourth terminal is connected to the security device 200, in the failover mode, the fourth terminal is connected to the receiving unit of the second port, and in the fail-down mode, the fourth terminal is connected to the security device 200, but can be controlled so that no signal is received from the security device 200.

[0068] A process in which the network connection device 100 operates in the in-line mode in both directions will now be described.

[0069] First, when a signal is acquired at the receiver 130 of the first port, the corresponding signal may be transmitted by the distributor 181 to the upper connector 122-1 and the upper optical module 171 related to the second terminal of the latch switch. Here, the signal distributed to the upper connector 122-1 related to the second terminal is not transmitted because the second terminal of the latch switch 120 is connected to the lower connector 122-2. The signal input to the upper optical module 171 may be digitized as described above, verified by the MAC chip 150, and transmitted to the security equipment 200. The signal processed by the security equipment 200 is transmitted to the lower optical module 172 again via the MAC chip 150, and the lower optical module 172 transmits the signal again to the lower connector 122-2 related to the second terminal of the latch switch 120, and the network connection device 100 may transmit the corresponding signal through the transmitter 140 of the second port via the latch switch 120.

[0070] Regarding the operation in the opposite direction, when a signal is acquired at the receiver of the second port, the corresponding signal may be transmitted by the distributor 182 to the upper connector 124-1 related to the fourth terminal of the latch switch and the lower optical module 172. Here, the signal distributed to the upper connector 124-1 related to the fourth terminal is not transmitted because the fourth terminal of the latch switch 120 is connected to the lower connector 124-2, although it is omitted in the drawing. The signal input to the lower optical module 172 may be digitized as described above, verified by the MAC chip 150, and transmitted to the security equipment 200. The signal processed by the security equipment 200 is transmitted to the upper optical module 171 again via the MAC chip 150, and the upper optical module 171 transmits the signal again to the lower connector 124-2 related to the fourth terminal of the latch switch 120, and the network connection device 100 may transmit the corresponding signal through the transmitter of the first port via the latch switch 120.

[0071] Next, the process of handling failures in failover mode in both directions will be described.

[0072] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of bidirectionally connected network connection devices operating in a failover mode according to one embodiment.

[0073] 8, which is similar to FIG. 7, it can be seen that the second terminal of the latch switch 120 is connected to the upper connector 122-1 through a connection changeover. Although not shown in the drawing, the fourth terminal is also connected to the upper connector 124-1. This allows operation in a failover mode. To be more specific, when a signal is received by the receiver 130 of the first port, the signal can be transmitted to the upper connector 122-1 related to the second terminal of the latch switch and the upper optical module 171 by the distributor 181. Here, the signal distributed to the upper connector 122-1 related to the second terminal is in a state in which the second terminal of the latch switch 120 is connected to the upper connector 122-1 through a connection changeover, so that the network connection device 100 can transmit the signal through the transmitter 140 of the second port via the latch switch 120. The signal input to the upper optical module 171 may be digitized as described above, verified by the MAC chip 150, and then transmitted to the security equipment 200. The signal processed by the security equipment 200 is transmitted to the lower optical module 172 again via the MAC chip 150, and the lower optical module 172 again transmits it to the lower connector 122-2 related to the second terminal of the latch switch 120, but is not transmitted because the second terminal of the latch switch 120 is connected to the upper connector 122-1.

[0074] Regarding the operation in the opposite direction, when a signal is acquired at the receiver of the second port, the corresponding signal may be transmitted by the distributor 182 to the upper connector 124-1 related to the fourth terminal of the latch switch and the lower optical module 172. Here, the signal distributed to the upper connector 124-1 related to the fourth terminal is omitted in the drawing, but since the fourth terminal of the latch switch 120 is connected to the upper connector 124-1 through the connection changeover, the network connection device 100 can transmit the corresponding signal through the transmitter of the first port via the latch switch 120. The signal input to the lower optical module 172 may be digitized as described above, verified by the MAC chip 150, and transmitted to the security equipment 200. The signal processed by the security equipment 200 is again transmitted to the upper optical module 171 via the MAC chip 150, and the upper optical module 171 again transmits it to the lower connection part 124-2 related to the fourth terminal of the latch switch 120, but is not transmitted because the fourth terminal of the latch switch 120 is connected to the upper connection part 124-1.

[0075] Finally, the process of handling a failure in fail-down mode in both directions will be described.

[0076] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of bidirectionally connected network connection devices operating in a fail-down mode according to an embodiment.

[0077] First, when a signal is acquired at the receiver 130 of the first port, the corresponding signal may be transmitted by the distributor 181 to the upper connector 122-1 and the upper optical module 171 related to the second terminal of the latch switch. Here, the signal distributed to the upper connector 122-1 related to the second terminal is not transmitted because the second terminal of the latch switch 120 is connected to the lower connector 122-2. The signal input to the upper optical module 171 may be digitized as described above, verified by the MAC chip 150, and transmitted to the security device 200. The signal processed by the security device 200 is transmitted to the lower optical module 172 again via the MAC chip 150, but the signal is not transmitted to the latch switch 120 because the transmitter of the lower optical module 172 is inactivated by the connection / disconnection operation. Therefore, the network connection device 100 may not perform a transmission operation regarding the input signal.

[0078] Regarding the operation in the opposite direction, when a signal is acquired at the receiver of the second port, the corresponding signal may be transmitted by the distributor 182 to the upper connector 124-1 and the lower optical module 172 related to the fourth terminal of the latch switch. Here, the signal distributed to the upper connector 124-1 related to the fourth terminal is not transmitted because the fourth terminal of the latch switch 120 is connected to the lower connector 124-2, although not shown in the drawing. The signal input to the lower optical module 172 may be digitized as described above, verified by the MAC chip 150, and transmitted to the security device 200. The signal processed by the security device 200 is transmitted to the upper optical module 171 again via the MAC chip 150, but the signal is not transmitted to the latch switch 120 because the transmitter of the upper optical module 171 is inactivated due to the connection / disconnection operation, although not shown in the drawing. Therefore, the network connection device 100 may not perform a transmission operation regarding the input signal.

[0079] The above-described embodiments are by way of example only and other embodiments may be embodied within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for handling a fault in a network connection device, comprising: setting an in-line mode and connecting a second terminal of the latch switch, the first terminal of which is connected to the transmitter, to a security device connected to the receiver; when occurrence of a fault is confirmed, switching to one of a fail-over mode for switching a connection of the second terminal to the receiving unit and a fail-down mode for disconnecting a connection between the second terminal and the security device based on a fault processing setting; A fault processing method comprising:

2. when the mode is switched to the failover mode, when reception of a first signal through the receiver is confirmed, distributing the first signal to the latch switch and the security device through a distributor; a second signal resulting from processing the first signal by the security device is prevented from being transmitted to the latch switch by the connection changeover, and the first signal is transmitted through the latch switch via the transmitter; The method of claim 1, further comprising:

3. If the failure processing setting corresponds to the failover mode, determining whether to switch to the failover mode based on reference information regarding whether a command to maintain the inline mode is received from the security device within a preset critical time.

2. The method for processing a fault according to claim 1.

4. the reference information includes a reference value, the reference value gradually approaches an indication value corresponding to the failover mode from an initial value over time, and is initialized to the initial value every time the maintenance command of the inline mode is received, and when the critical time has elapsed and the reference value corresponds to the indication value, the inline mode is converted to the failover mode; 4. The method for processing a fault according to claim 3.

5. When it is confirmed that the power supply is interrupted, the in-line mode is converted to the failover mode by performing the connection conversion using power supplied from an emergency power supplier.

5. The fault processing method according to claim 4.

6. when the fail-down mode is switched to, when reception of a first signal through the receiver is confirmed, distributing the first signal to the latch switch and the security device through a distributor; controlling the first signal not to be transmitted to the latch switch by connecting the second terminal to the security device, and controlling the second signal, which is a result of the first signal being processed by the security device, not to be transmitted to the latch switch by disconnecting the connection, thereby preventing both the first and second signals from being transmitted; The method of claim 1, further comprising:

7. When the fail-down mode is selected, the connection is cut off by deactivating a transmission function of a transceiver located between the security device and the second terminal.

2. The method for processing a fault according to claim 1.

8. When the in-line mode is set, when the reception of the first signal through the receiver is confirmed, the first signal is distributed to the latch switch and the security device through a distributor, The first signal is prevented from being transmitted to the latch switch by connecting the second terminal to the security device, and a second signal, which is a result of the first signal being processed by the security device, is transmitted through the latch switch and the transmitter.

2. The method for processing a fault according to claim 1.

9. The first terminal of the latch switch is connected to the transmitter, and the second terminal is controlled to be selectively connected to one of the security device connected to the receiver or the receiver by selecting at least one of the in-line mode, the failover mode, and the fail-down mode.

2. The method for processing a fault according to claim 1.

10. A network connection device having a fault processing function, a latch switch having a first terminal connected to the transmitter and a second terminal selectively connected to one of the receiver and a security device connected to the receiver; a control circuit that connects the second terminal to the security device in an in-line mode, connects the second terminal to the receiving unit in a failover mode, and disconnects the second terminal from the security device in a fail-down mode; A network connection device comprising:

11. a distributor for distributing a signal input through the receiver to the latch switch and the security device, 11. The network connection device according to claim 10.

12. and an optical module for digitizing the signal distributed to the security equipment, and a MAC chip for testing a communication standard of the signal digitized by the optical module and inputting the signal to the security equipment.

12. The network connection device according to claim 11.

13. a transceiver between the second terminal and the security device, the transceiver having a transmission function inactivated by the control circuit in the fail-down mode; 11. The network connection device according to claim 10.

14. further comprising an emergency power supply for said control circuit and said latch switch.

11. The network connection device according to claim 10.

15. The first terminal of the latch switch is connected to the transmitter of the second port, and the second terminal is connected to the receiver of the first port or the security device, a third terminal of the latch switch is connected to a transmitting unit of the first port, and a fourth terminal is connected to a receiving unit of the second port or the security device; the control circuit connects the fourth terminal to the security device in the in-line mode, connects the fourth terminal to the receiving unit of the second port in the failover mode, and disconnects the fourth terminal from the security device in the fail-down mode.

11. The network connection device according to claim 10.

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