Communication network system, communication method, communication terminal, and program

Abstract

To provide a communication network system in which a communication terminal can sense network resource information and connects efficiently.SOLUTION: A communication network system 10 includes an optical splitter 2 and a plurality of communication terminals 1 connected to a branching destination or branching source of the optical splitter 2. Each of the plurality of communication terminals 1 is connected by an optical path having a predetermined frequency. A communication terminal 1 connected to the branching destination of the optical splitter 2 processes signals transmitted to and received from the optical splitter 2 using network resource information assigned to the communication terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication network system, a communication method, a communication terminal, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] PON (Passive Optical Network) is known (see Non-Patent Document 1). PON does not perform optical-electrical conversion, but uses a splitter, which is a low-cost passive element, to split an optical signal into multiple signals, allowing multiple users to share a single optical fiber.

[0003] In a PON, each terminal installed in a home is connected to a higher-level network via an ONU (Optical Network Unit), an optical splitter, and an OLT (Optical Line Terminal). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Technology Basics Course [GE-PON Technology]," [online], August 2005, NTT Technical Journal, [Retrieved January 5, 2024], Internet <URL: https: / / journal.ntt.co.jp / backnumber2 / 0508 / files / jn200508071.pdf> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Computing resources and networking resources have been separated into layers and have developed independently. Modern systems are designed on the premise that computing resources and networking resources do not interfere with each other and are unpredictable.

[0006] In order to improve the performance and reduce the power consumption of systems, it is necessary to coordinate the computing resources and the network resources.

[0007] However, in PON, each terminal with computing resources cannot sense the network resource information in ONU, optical splitter, and OLT. In conventional communication networks, it is not possible to realize the coordination of computing resources and network resources.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology relating to a communication network that allows communication terminals to sense network resource information and to be connected efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A communication network system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises an optical splitter and a plurality of communication terminals connected to the branching destination or branching source of the optical splitter, each of which is connected by an optical path having a predetermined frequency, and the communication terminal connected to the branching destination of the optical splitter processes signals transmitted and received from the optical splitter using network resource information assigned to the communication terminal.

[0010] A communication method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a communication network system comprising an optical splitter and a plurality of communication terminals connected to the branching destination or the branching source of the optical splitter, wherein each of the plurality of communication terminals is connected by an optical path having a predetermined frequency, and the communication terminal connected to the branching destination of the optical splitter processes signals transmitted and received to the optical splitter using network resource information assigned to the communication terminal.

[0011] A communication terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of communication terminals connected to the branching destination or branching source of an optical splitter, each of which is used in a communication network system connected by an optical path having a predetermined frequency, and which is a communication terminal connected to the branching destination of the optical splitter, and which comprises a memory unit that stores designated data including network resource information assigned to the communication terminal, and a communication control device that processes signals sent and received from the optical splitter using the network resource information.

[0012] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a plurality of communication terminals connected to the branching destination or the branching source of an optical splitter, each of the plurality of communication terminals being used in a communication network system connected by an optical path having a predetermined frequency, and causes a computer connected to the branching destination of the optical splitter to function as a memory unit that stores specification data including network resource information assigned to the communication terminal, and a scheduling unit that determines a schedule for executing the computational task in the communication terminal based on the network resource information, computational information that identifies the computational task to be processed by the communication terminal, and the computational resources to be used for processing the computational task. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology relating to a communication network that allows communication terminals to sense network resource information and to be connected efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a communication network according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a typical packet-switched network. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a general optical path direct connection network. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a typical PON. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a communication terminal according to the present disclosure. [Figure 6]FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a communication method according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a communication network according to a modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an optical switch according to a modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computer used as a communication terminal or a management server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0016] (Conventional example) First, a general communication network system will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. In Figures 2 to 4, each NIC (Network Interface Card) is a communication control device provided in each terminal, and is an interface for transmitting and receiving communication data.

[0017] A typical packet-switched network will be described with reference to Figure 2. The communication network system shown in Figure 2 connects communication terminals via IP / Ethernet to form a packet-switched network. This communication network system has the advantage of being widely used in a wide range of devices and can be implemented at low cost. On the other hand, this communication network system has the disadvantages that performance is difficult to predict and that bandwidth is not guaranteed, resulting in jitter and queuing delays. Therefore, in the communication network system shown in Figure 2, terminals cannot sense network resource information, and computational resources cannot be linked to network resources.

[0018] A typical optical path direct connection network will be described with reference to Figure 3. The communication network system shown in Figure 3 assigns a predetermined frequency to each of multiple communication terminals, and each communication terminal transmits and receives communication data using the frequency assigned to it. This communication network system has the advantages of easy performance prediction and the ability to secure bandwidth, eliminating jitter and queuing delays. On the other hand, this communication network system has the disadvantages of requiring a large number of wavelengths depending on the number of connected communication terminals, and of excess bandwidth depending on the usage status of each communication terminal. The communication network system shown in Figure 3 experiences a decrease in utilization efficiency as the required network resources increase, making it impossible to efficiently link computational resources and network resources.

[0019] A typical PON will be described with reference to Figure 4. The communication network system shown in Figure 4 is disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1. Each terminal installed in a home is connected to an upper network via an ONU, an optical splitter, and an OLT. Each terminal in the home cannot sense network resource information between the ONU and the OLT. In the communication network system shown in Figure 4, the terminal cannot sense network resource information, and computational resources cannot be linked with network resources.

[0020] In the general communication network systems shown in Figures 2 to 4, terminals cannot sense network resource information, and they cannot efficiently coordinate computing resources and network resources.

[0021] (Communication Network System) The communication network system 10 shown in Fig. 1 is an efficient communication network in which terminals can sense network resource information. The communication network system 10 includes an optical splitter 2 and multiple communication terminals 1. Each of the multiple communication terminals 1 transmits and receives optical signals, and converts the optical signals into electrical signals for processing within the communication terminal 1. In Fig. 1, the multiple communication terminals 1 are communication terminals 1a and 1b connected to the branch destination of the optical splitter 2, and communication terminal 1c connected to the branch source of the optical splitter 2.

[0022] The communication network system 10 further includes a management server 5. The management server 5 is one form of communication terminal, and will be described as being connected to the branching destination of the optical splitter 2 as shown in Fig. 1. As another example, the management server 5 may be connected to each communication terminal 1 via a control communication network not shown in Fig. 1.

[0023] Each of the multiple communication terminals 1 is connected via an optical path having a predetermined frequency. In the optical path having the predetermined frequency, data from each communication terminal 1 connected to the branch destination of the optical splitter 2 is multiplexed in a time division manner. In this disclosure, time division refers to TDM (Time Division Multiple) or TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access).

[0024] 1, data is transmitted and received between communication terminals 1a, 1b, and 1c and management server 5 via one optical path having a predetermined frequency. Communication terminal 1c, which is connected to the branching point of optical splitter 2, processes the data transmitted and received on the optical path. Communication terminals 1a and 1b, which are connected to the branching point of optical splitter 2, and management server 5 process signals transmitted and received from optical splitter 2 using network resource information assigned to each communication terminal 1.

[0025] Here, the network resource information includes time slots. The communication terminal 1 connected to the branch destination of the optical splitter 2 transmits and receives data using the frequency of the optical path and the time slots assigned to it.

[0026] The management server 5 is connected to multiple communication terminals 1 in the communication network system 10. The management server 5 notifies each of the multiple communication terminals 1 of the network resource information allocated to each communication terminal 1. The management server 5 may actively notify each communication terminal 1 of the network resource information. Alternatively, when the management server 5 receives a request to change the network resource information from a certain communication terminal 1, it may allocate network resources to each communication terminal 1 and notify each communication terminal 1 of the allocated network resource information. Note that the network resources allocated to the first communication terminal 1a at the branching point of the optical splitter 2 and the network resources allocated to the second communication terminal 1b do not overlap.

[0027] (Communication terminal) A communication terminal 1 according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The communication terminal 1 is connected to other communication terminals 1 and a management server 5. In Fig. 5, the configuration of a first communication terminal 1a is mainly described, but other communication terminals such as a second communication terminal 1b and a third communication terminal 1c also have a similar configuration.

[0028] The communication terminal 1 includes a computational resource 100, a scheduler 110, a communication control device 121, and an application processor .

[0029] The computational resources 100 are resources used by the application processing unit 130 to process computational tasks, etc. The computational resources 100 include a bus / fabrics 101, a CPU 102, a memory 103, a storage 104, and an XPU 105. The computational resources 100 shown in Fig. 5 are merely an example and are not limited to this.

[0030] The scheduling unit 110 determines an optimal schedule for executing a computation task in the communication terminal 1 based on the network resource information and the computation information. Here, the computation information specifies a computation task to be processed by the communication terminal 1 and the computation resources to be used for processing the computation task.

[0031] More specifically, the computation information may specify, for example, the amount of computation required to execute a computation task, the timing of data exchange, etc. Furthermore, the computation information may specify, for example, the congestion status of the bus / fabrics 101, the processing speeds of the CPU 102, memory 103, and XPU 105, etc., as information specifying computational resources.

[0032] The scheduler 110 determines the schedule by referring to the computation information, information specifying the computational resources 100 in the communication terminal 1, and network resource information. The network resource information is the TDM or TDMA time slots assigned to the communication terminal 1, propagation delays, etc.

[0033] The scheduler 110 may exchange calculation information with other communication terminals. Specifically, the scheduler 110 transmits calculation information of its own communication terminal 1 to the other communication terminals 1 and receives calculation information of the communication terminals 1 from the other communication terminals 1. The scheduler 110 may determine an optimal schedule by referring to calculation information received from the other communication terminals 1 in addition to calculation information of its own communication terminal 1. For example, in a case where calculation results are transmitted and received between the first communication terminal 1a and the other communication terminals and calculations are performed again, the scheduler 110 can predict the timing of future calculations and determine a schedule. Specifically, this is the case where (1) the calculation results of the first communication terminal 1a are transmitted to the third communication terminal 1c, (2) the third communication terminal 1c calculates using the calculation results received in (1) and transmits the calculation results to the first communication terminal 1a, and (3) the first communication terminal 1a performs calculation using the calculation results received in (2). The scheduling unit 110 of the first communication terminal 1a can determine the timing of calculation (1) as well as the timing of calculation (3) from the calculation information of the third communication terminal 1c, so that it can schedule calculations that will occur in the future taking into account.

[0034] The scheduling unit 110 requests network resources from the management server 5 according to the determined optimal schedule. The scheduling unit 110 determines the optimal schedule by referring to the network resource information allocated to the communication terminal 1 from the management server 5. The communication terminal 1 processes signals to be transmitted to and received from the optical splitter 2 according to the schedule determined by the scheduling unit 110.

[0035] For example, the scheduling unit 110 identifies the timing at which data exchange occurs based on the computational task and hardware resource information. The scheduling unit 110 determines a schedule so as to use a time slot in which data can be sent and received with other communication terminals 1 at the timing at which data exchange occurs during the execution of a computational task. Alternatively, the scheduling unit 110 determines a pipeline processing schedule, including the timing of using the network resources allocated to itself and the timing of using the computational resources 100. The scheduling described here is an example and is not limited to this.

[0036] The communication control device 121 has designation data 122 and a control unit 123. The designation data 122 specifies information including network resource information allocated to the communication terminal. The network resource information includes, for example, information on time slots in TDM or TDMA. The control unit 123 processes signals to be transmitted to and received from the optical splitter 2 using the network resource information in the designation data 122. Specifically, the control unit 123 processes signals in time slots specified by the network resource information, among the signals to be transmitted to and received from the optical splitter 2.

[0037] The application processing unit 130 controls the execution of a plurality of jobs 131 and 132. The application processing unit 130 executes each job according to the scheduling determined by the schedule unit 110.

[0038] A communication method in the communication network system 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 illustrates a case where the management server 5 allocates network resources in communication between a first communication terminal 1a and a third communication terminal 1c.

[0039] In step S101, the communication control device 121 of the first communication terminal 1a acquires network information and time sharing information from the management server 5. In step S102, the communication control device 121 of the first communication terminal 1a notifies the scheduler 110 of the network information and time sharing information. The second communication terminal 1 also performs similar processing.

[0040] In step S103, the scheduler 110 acquires information identifying the computation task from the application processor 130, acquires information identifying the computation resource to be used in processing the computation task from the computational resource 100, and generates computation information. In step S104, the scheduler 110 of the first communication terminal 1a exchanges computation information with the third communication terminal 1. In step S105, the scheduler 110 calculates optimal scheduling by referring to the network resource information acquired in step S102, the computation information generated in step S103, and the computation information of the third communication terminal 1c acquired in step S104.

[0041] In step S106, scheduler 110 determines whether the optimal scheduling calculated in step S105 matches the network resource information acquired in step S102. If they match, the process proceeds to step S121.

[0042] If they do not match, in step S106 the scheduler 110 of the first communication terminal 1 requests the communication control device 121 to change the network resources. In step S107, the communication control device 121 requests the management server 5 to change the network resources.

[0043] In step S108, the management server 5 allocates the network assets in accordance with the requests from the communication terminals 1. In step S109, the management server 5 notifies each communication terminal 1 of the request results.

[0044] In step S110, the communication control device 121 stores the request result received from the management server 5 as specified data 122 and notifies the scheduler 110. In step S111, the scheduler 110 calculates the scheduling using the network resources notified in step S110.

[0045] In step S121, the first communication terminal 1a executes the computation task in accordance with the optimal scheduling calculated in step S105 or step S111.

[0046] 6 is an example and is not limiting. For example, while a task is being executed in step S121, some processes may be executed in parallel, such as executing the processes of steps S101 to S111 for the next computation task. Furthermore, the communication terminal 1 calculates a schedule when it is notified of network resources by the management server 5, when a new computation task occurs, etc.

[0047] In the communication network system 10 according to the present disclosure, a connection is made to the branch destination or branch source of the optical splitter. In the present disclosure, each communication terminal is directly connected to the optical splitter, without any communication equipment such as an Ethernet switch being used in between. This allows each communication terminal to sense network resource information, and therefore each task can be scheduled by linking the network resource information with the processing of each communication terminal.

[0048] In the present disclosure, signals destined for a plurality of communication terminals connected to the branching destinations of the optical splitter are multiplexed by time division multiplexing, which allows a plurality of communication terminals to share an optical path connected at a predetermined frequency, thereby enabling efficient connection of each communication terminal.

[0049] (Variation) 7 and 8, a communication network system 10a according to a modified example will be described. The communication network system 10a according to the modified example further includes an optical switch 3 connected to the branching source of the optical splitter 2 and switching paths depending on time. Two or more of the multiple communication terminals 1 are connected to the optical splitter 2 via the optical switch 3. That is, the optical splitter 2 and the optical switch 3 are directly connected, and the optical switch 3 is connected to the multiple communication terminals 1 via an interface other than the interface connecting to the optical splitter 2. In the communication network system 10a according to the modified example, a first communication terminal 1a, a second communication terminal 1b, a third communication terminal 1c, and a fourth communication terminal 1d are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally via an optical path having a predetermined frequency.

[0050] The optical switch 3 has multiple interfaces for transmitting and receiving optical signals, and a signal input / output at one interface is input / output to / from another interface. In a modified example, the optical switch 3 sets a path for transmitting and receiving signals between the optical splitter 2 and the communication terminal 1 to which the time is assigned, during a time period assigned to each of two or more communication terminals 1 connected to the optical switch 3.

[0051] In this modification, the optical switch 3 switches the path of signals transmitted to and received from the optical splitter 2 according to the time allocated to the connected communication terminal 1. For example, during the time allocated to the third communication terminal 1c, the optical switch 3 sets a path so that signals transmitted to and received from the optical splitter 2 can be transmitted to and received from the communication terminal 1c. Similarly, during the time allocated to the fourth communication terminal 1d, the optical switch 3 sets a path so that signals transmitted to and received from the optical splitter 2 can be transmitted to and received from the communication terminal 1c. The time allocated to the third communication terminal 1c and the time allocated to the fourth communication terminal 1d do not overlap.

[0052] A communication terminal 1 according to a modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The first communication terminal 1a and the third communication terminal 1c are as described with reference to Fig. 5.

[0053] In the modified example, the management server 5 notifies the optical switch 3, in addition to the communication terminal 1, of the network resources to be allocated to the third communication terminal 1c and the fourth communication terminal 1d.

[0054] The optical switch 3 includes a switching unit 31 , a designation data unit 32 , and a control unit 33 .

[0055] The switching unit 31 switches the connection destination of the interface of the optical switch 3. In a modified example, the switching unit 31 connects the interface connected to the optical switch 3 to an interface connected to the third communication terminal 1c or an interface connected to the fourth communication terminal 1d.

[0056] Designation data 32 records the network resources to be allocated to the third communication terminal 1c and the fourth communication terminal 1d received from management server 5. Designation data 32 includes, from management server 5, at least information specifying the time to be allocated to communication with third communication terminal 1c and information specifying the time to be allocated to fourth communication terminal 1d.

[0057] The control unit 33 controls the operation of the switching unit 31 in accordance with the specification data 32. The control unit 33 controls the switching unit 31 so as to set a path for transmitting and receiving signals between the optical splitter 2 and the communication terminal 1 to which the time is assigned, during the time assigned to each of the third communication terminal 1c and the fourth communication terminal 1d.

[0058] In a modified example, by connecting an optical switch 3 to the optical splitter 2, it is possible to connect multiple communication terminals 1 at the branching point of the optical splitter 2. Multiple communication terminals 1 connected to the branching point of the optical splitter 2 can also sense network resource information and be connected efficiently.

[0059] The communication terminal 1 or management server 5 of the present disclosure described above uses, for example, a general-purpose computer system including a CPU (Central Processing Unit, processor) 901, a memory 902, a storage 903 (HDD: Hard Disk Drive, SSD: Solid State Drive), a communication device 904, an input device 905, and an output device 906. In this computer system, the CPU 901 executes a program loaded on the memory 902, thereby realizing each function of the communication terminal 1 or management server 5.

[0060] The communication terminal 1 or the management server 5 may be implemented by one computer or by multiple computers. Furthermore, the communication terminal 1 or the management server 5 may be a virtual machine implemented on a computer.

[0061] The programs of the communication terminal 1 or the management server 5 can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as an HDD, SSD, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or can be distributed via a network. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a non-transitory recording medium.

[0062] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1. Communication terminal 2 Optical Splitter 3. Optical Switch 5 Management Server 10. Communication Network Systems 100 computational resources 101 Bus / Fabrics 102 CPU 103 103 104 Storage 105 XPU 110 Schedule Department 111 Arbitration Division 121 Communication control device 122, 32 specified data 123, 33 Control unit 130 Application Processing Unit 131,132 jobs 901 CPU 902 memory 903 Storage 904 Communication equipment 905 Input Device 906 Output Device

Claims

1. an optical splitter; a plurality of communication terminals connected to branch destinations or branch sources of the optical splitter; each of the plurality of communication terminals is connected by an optical path having a predetermined frequency; A communication terminal connected to the branch destination of the optical splitter processes signals transmitted to and received from the optical splitter using network resource information assigned to the communication terminal. Communication network system.

2. The communication terminal A schedule for executing the computation task in the communication terminal is determined based on the network resource information, the computation task to be processed by the communication terminal, and computation information specifying the computation resource to be used for processing the computation task, and signals to be transmitted and received to and from the optical splitter are processed according to the determined schedule. The communication network system according to claim 1 .

3. Each of the plurality of communication terminals The calculation information is transmitted to the other communication terminals, and the schedule is determined by referring to the calculation information received from the other communication terminals. The communication network system according to claim 2 .

4. an optical switch connected to a branch source of the optical splitter and configured to switch paths according to time; two or more of the plurality of communication terminals are connected to the optical splitter via the optical switch; The optical switch comprises: During the time periods allocated to the two or more communication terminals connected to the optical switch, a path for transmitting and receiving signals between the communication terminals to which the time periods are allocated and the optical splitter is set. The communication network system according to claim 1 .

5. A communication network system including an optical splitter and a plurality of communication terminals connected to the branching destination or branching source of the optical splitter, each of the plurality of communication terminals is connected by an optical path having a predetermined frequency; A communication terminal connected to the branch destination of the optical splitter processes signals transmitted to and received from the optical splitter using network resource information assigned to the communication terminal. Communication method.

6. A communication network system includes a plurality of communication terminals connected to branch destinations or branch sources of an optical splitter, each of the plurality of communication terminals being used in a communication network system connected by an optical path having a predetermined frequency, and the communication terminal connected to the branch destination of the optical splitter comprises: a storage unit for storing designation data including network resource information allocated to the communication terminal; a communication control device that processes signals transmitted to and received from the optical splitter using the network resource information; A communication terminal comprising:

7. The communication terminal further includes a scheduling unit that determines a schedule for executing the computation task in the communication terminal based on the network resource information, the computation task to be processed by the communication terminal, and computation information that identifies the computation resource to be used for processing the computation task. The communication terminal according to claim 6.

8. A communication network system includes a plurality of communication terminals connected to the branching destination or branching source of an optical splitter, each of the plurality of communication terminals being connected by an optical path having a predetermined frequency, and a computer connected to the branching destination of the optical splitter, a storage unit for storing designation data including network resource information allocated to the communication terminal; a scheduling unit that determines a schedule for executing the computation task in the communication terminal based on the network resource information, computation information that specifies the computation task to be processed by the communication terminal, and computation resources to be used for processing the computation task; A program that functions as a

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