Network management apparatus, and network management method

Abstract

To control communication quality after a radio system is switched.SOLUTION: A network management apparatus includes a computer comprising an arithmetic processing apparatus which executes predetermined arithmetic processing and a storage device connected to the arithmetic processing apparatus. The arithmetic processing apparatus has a Qos management unit for managing communication quality in a network. The storage device stores communication quality association information formed by recording association between a radio quality class of a first radio communication system and a radio quality class of a second radio communication system. The Qos management unit refers, when detecting that a device wirelessly connected to a terminal has changed a communication system from the first radio communication system to the second radio communication system, to the communication quality association information and sets a radio quality class in the second radio communication system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a network management device.

Background Art

[0002] In the future, it is considered that multi-radio networks combining Local5G and WiFi, or sXGP and WiFi will increase. A multi-radio network is expected to be able to build a system that takes advantage of the characteristics of each radio method. For example, a combination where the main system is high-performance Local5G or sXGP and the backup system that switches during a failure is inexpensive WiFi has a good balance between cost and performance.

[0003] As the background art in this technical field, there is the following prior art. Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-297157) is used in a wireless integrated system in which a plurality of different wireless systems coexist, and in a wireless terminal device having an interface for communicating with the plurality of wireless systems, a classification of common communication quality or communication ability is set for each of the wireless systems, and based on this classification, a handover or call origination during communication between the different wireless systems is performed. A wireless terminal device is described.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Conventional multi-radio networks implement a QoS control function for each terminal to compensate for communication quality, but there are the following problems. Since QoS is set for each terminal, it is difficult to optimize the QoS of the entire network. Also, since it is difficult to manage the status of terminals and areas collectively, it is difficult to utilize them as wireless network operation management information, it is difficult to grasp the bandwidth status such as resource shortage, and it is difficult to adjust QoS between terminals. For this reason, there is a demand to reduce the operation and maintenance costs of multi-radio networks.

[0006] Furthermore, in the main wireless network that requires high quality, when the communication quality of some terminals deteriorates due to the installation of radio wave shielding objects, changes in the flow of people, access point failures, etc. and they are connected to the backup wireless network, the QoS of each wireless network is independent, and there is no mechanism to apply the main communication quality to the backup system. For this reason, it is difficult for the terminals switched to the backup system to maintain the same communication quality as when connected to the main system.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] A typical example of the invention disclosed in the present application is as follows. That is, a network management device is configured by a computer having an arithmetic device that executes predetermined arithmetic processing and a storage device connected to the arithmetic device, the arithmetic device has a QoS management unit that manages communication quality in a network, the storage device stores communication quality correspondence information that records the correspondence between the wireless quality classes of the first wireless communication method and the wireless quality classes of the second wireless communication method, and when the QoS management unit detects a change from the first wireless communication method to the second wireless communication method in the wireless connection destination of the terminal, it refers to the communication quality correspondence information and sets the wireless quality class in the second wireless communication method Then, a coefficient for calculating a reduced bandwidth when it is difficult for the terminal to guarantee a large bandwidth is multiplied by the bandwidth setting determined from the traffic volume in the first wireless communication method of the terminal to set the bandwidth of the second wireless communication method characterized by doing so.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to control the communication quality after switching the wireless method on the network side and optimize the QoS of the entire network. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a network management server 101 which is an example of the network management apparatus of the present invention, and also shows the configuration of a monitoring target system 100 managed by the network management server 101.

[0011] The network management server 101 of the present embodiment is configured by a computer having a processor (CPU) 120, a memory 119, an auxiliary storage device 117, and a communication interface 118. The network management server 101 may have an input interface and an output interface (not shown).

[0012] The processor 120 is an arithmetic unit that executes a program stored in the memory 119. By the processor 120 executing various programs (flow measurement program 128, QoS management program 129, notification program 130), the functions provided by the network management server 101 are realized. Note that a part of the processing performed by the processor 120 when executing a program may be executed by another arithmetic unit (for example, hardware such as an ASIC or an FPGA).

[0013] The memory 119 includes a ROM which is a non-volatile storage element and a RAM which is a volatile storage element. The ROM stores unchangeable programs (for example, BIOS) and the like. The RAM is a high-speed and volatile storage element such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and temporarily stores a program executed by the processor 120 and data used during the execution of the program.

[0014] The auxiliary storage device 117 is a large-capacity and non-volatile storage device such as a magnetic storage device (HDD) or a flash memory (SSD). Also, the auxiliary storage device 117 stores data (e.g., the terminal management table 121, the flow history table 122, the terminal communication history table 123, the communication device table 124, the QoS setting table 125, the per-terminal radio quality table 126, the communication quality correspondence table 127, etc.) used by the processor 120 during program execution, and the programs executed by the processor 120. That is, the programs are read from the auxiliary storage device 117, loaded into the memory 119, and executed by the processor 120 to realize the respective functions of the network management server 101.

[0015] The communication interface 118 is a network interface device that controls communication with other devices (e.g., communication devices within the monitoring target system 100) according to a predetermined protocol.

[0016] The input interface is an interface to which an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse is connected and which receives input from an operator. The output interface is an interface to which an output device such as a display device or a printer is connected and which outputs the execution result of a program in a form visible to the operator. Note that a user terminal connected to the network management server 101 via the network may provide the input device and the output device. In this case, the network management server 101 may have the function of a web server, and the user terminal may access the network management server 101 according to a predetermined protocol (e.g., http).

[0017] The programs executed by the processor 120 are provided to the network management server 101 via a removable medium (CD-ROM, flash memory, etc.) or the network and stored in the non-volatile auxiliary storage device 117 which is a non-transitory storage medium. Therefore, the network management server 101 preferably has an interface for reading data from a removable medium.

[0018] The network management server 101 is a computer system configured physically on one computer or on a plurality of computers configured logically or physically, and may operate on a virtual computer built on a plurality of physical computer resources. For example, the flow measurement program 128, the QoS management program 129, and the notification program 130 may each operate on a separate physical or logical computer, or may be combined in plurality and operate on one physical or logical computer.

[0019] The terminal management table 121 is a table in which information on the terminal 102 is registered, and its details will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The flow history table 122 is a table in which information on the data flow transferred through the network is registered, and its details will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The terminal communication history table 123 is a table in which the communication history of the terminal 102 is recorded, and its details will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The communication device table 124 is a table in which information on the communication devices installed in the monitoring target system 100 is recorded, and its details will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The QoS setting table 125 is a table in which information on the QoS set for the communication devices in the monitoring target system 100 is recorded, and its details will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The per-terminal wireless quality table 126 is a table in which information on the quality in each communication method of the terminal 102 is recorded, and its details will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The communication quality correspondence table 127 is a table in which the correspondence of the quality classes before and after the communication method switching is recorded, and its details will be described with reference to FIG. 7. These tables may be data in a table format as shown in FIGS. 2 to 8, or may store data in other formats.

[0020] The flow measurement program 128 collects the data flow transferred from communication devices within the monitored system 100, creates a flow history table 122 and a terminal communication history table 123, and detects the switching of the communication method of the terminal 102 (see FIG. 10). The QoS management program 129 manages the QoS of the entire monitored system 100 (see FIGS. 11, 12, 13, and 14). The notification program 130 notifies the administrator of the network communication quality status of the monitored system 100 (see FIGS. 15 and 16).

[0021] In the monitored system 100, a plurality of switches 111 to 114 and a router 110 communicably connect the access points 103 to 107, the EPC 108, the firewall 109, and the business system servers 115 to 116. The business system servers 115 and 116 collect the data transmitted from the terminal 102 and / or transmit data to the terminal 102 to provide services to the terminal 102. The firewall 109 is provided at the boundary with the outside of the monitored system 100 and connects to a device outside the monitored system 100 (for example, the network management server 101). The router 110 provides a transfer path for the packets transmitted and received by the business system servers 115 and 116. The access points include the access point 103 of the 5G system and the access points 104 to 107 of the WiFi system. Each of the access points 103 to 107 communicates with the terminal 102 by a predetermined wireless communication method. Although the number of access points is illustrated to avoid complexity in the figure, in reality, more access points are installed. The EPC 108 is the core network of the 5G network.

[0022] A terminal 102 is connected to the monitored system 100. For convenience of explanation, one terminal 102 is illustrated, but usually, a plurality of terminals 102 are connected to the monitored system 100.

[0023] The terminal 102 uses a plurality of communication methods (for example, wireless communication methods such as 5G and WiFi) to select and communicate with an access point with a strong received electric field strength (RSSI) of radio waves transmitted from a predetermined access point or each of a plurality of access points. A communication destination switching application is installed on the terminal 102. This communication destination switching application detects deterioration in communication quality (such as communication interruption and increase in error rate) with the access point, and switches the connection destination to another access point to continue communication. Usually, the main wireless network that requires high quality is configured by 5G, and the backup wireless network is configured by WiFi.

[0024] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal management table 121.

[0025] The terminal management table 121 is a table in which information of the terminal 102 is recorded, and includes data of a terminal ID 200, a communication method 201, a main communication method flag 202, and a last use date and time 203. The terminal ID 200 is identification information uniquely assigned to the terminal 102. The communication method 201 is a method by which the terminal 102 and the monitoring target system 100 perform wireless communication, such as 5G, WiFi, etc. The main communication method flag 202 is information indicating whether the communication method is the main communication method mainly used by each terminal. If it is the main communication method mainly used by each terminal, Y is recorded, and if it is a secondary sub-communication method, N is recorded. The last use date and time 203 is the date and time when the terminal last used the communication method, and can be obtained from the flow history table 122 (Figure 3). If the terminal has never used the communication method, n / a is recorded in the last use date and time 203.

[0026] Figure 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the flow history table 122.

[0027] The flow history table 122 is a table that records information on the data flow transferred to the monitored system 100, and includes data on the communication device 300, measurement time 301, duration 302, source 303, destination 304, number of packets 305, and data transfer volume 306. The communication device 300 is identification information of the network device (for example, an access point) that transferred the data flow. The measurement time 301 is the time when the data flow was transferred, and the duration 302 is the time required for the transfer of the data flow. The source 303 is the device that is the source of the data flow, and the destination 304 is the device that is the destination of the data flow. The number of packets 305 is the number of packets transferred in the data flow, and the data transfer volume 306 is the amount of data transferred in the data flow.

[0028] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal communication history table 123.

[0029] The terminal communication history table 123 is a table that records the communication history of the terminal 102, and includes data on the measurement time 400, terminal ID 401, access point 402, communication method 403, transfer volume 404, and switching flag 405. The measurement time 400 is the time when the communication was measured. The terminal ID 401 is the identification information of the terminal 102 that performed the communication. The access point 402 is the identification information of the access points 103 to 107 that performed the communication. The communication method 403 is the communication method by which the communication was performed. The transfer volume 404 is the amount of data transferred in the communication. The switching flag 405 is data that is set when a communication method switch of the terminal 102 is detected.

[0030] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the communication device table 124.

[0031] The communication device table 124 is a table in which information on communication devices installed in the monitoring target system 100 is recorded, and includes data on a communication method 500, a network device 501, location information 502, a maximum bandwidth 503, and route information 504. The communication method 500 is the method used by the communication device for communication. The network device 501 is the identification information of the communication device. The location information 502 is the installation location of the communication device. The maximum bandwidth 503 is the bandwidth that the communication device can provide for communication. The route information 504 is the communication path between the network device and the business system servers 115 and 116, that is, information on the communication devices through which the communication with the business system servers 115 and 116 passes. The route information 504 may be determined for each of the business system servers 115 and 116.

[0032] Figure 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the per-terminal wireless quality table 126.

[0033] The per-terminal wireless quality table 126 is a table in which information on the quality in each communication method of the terminal 102 is recorded, and includes data on a terminal ID 600, a communication method 601, and a quality class 602. The terminal ID 600 is the identification information of the terminal 102. The communication method 601 is the method used by the terminal 102 for communication. The quality class 602 is information on the data transfer priority of the terminal 102 in the communication method, and for example, WMM-EDCA (Wi-Fi Multimedia Enhanched Distributed Channel Access), ToS (Type of Service), QCI (Quality of Service), etc. can be used.

[0034] Figure 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the communication quality correspondence table 127.

[0035] The communication quality correspondence table 127 is a table in which the correspondence of quality classes before and after the communication method switch is recorded, and includes data of communication method 1 (700), quality class 1 (QCI) 701, communication method 2 (702), and quality class 2 (WMM-ECA, Tos) 703. Communication method 1 (700) is the communication method before the switch. Quality class 1 (QCI) 701 is the data transfer priority provided to the terminal 102 before the switch. Communication method 2 (702) is the communication method after the switch. Quality class 2 (WMM-ECA, Tos) 703 is the communication priority after the switch and is set in the access point after the switch. As described above, for the quality class, WMM-ECA, Tos, QCI, etc. can be used. For quality class 1, QCI used in 5G communication is suitable, and for quality class 2, WMM-ECA, Tos, etc. used in WiFi are suitable.

[0036] Figure 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the QoS setting table 125.

[0037] The QoS setting table 125 is a table in which the QoS information set for communication devices in the monitoring target system 100 is recorded, and includes data of communication device 800, terminal 801, quality class (WMM-EDCA, Tos) 802, bandwidth setting 803, and adjustment ratio 804. Communication device 800 is the identification information of the communication device installed in the monitoring target system 100. Terminal 801 is the identification information of the terminal to which the QoS set for the communication device is applied. Quality class (WMM-EDCA, Tos) 802 is the data transfer priority set for the communication device to achieve QoS. Bandwidth setting 803 is the bandwidth set for the communication device to achieve QoS. Adjustment ratio 804 is a coefficient for calculating the reduced bandwidth when it is difficult for the terminal to guarantee a large bandwidth. The reduced bandwidth is calculated by multiplying the bandwidth setting 803 by the adjustment ratio.

[0038] Next, an overview of the processing executed by the network management server 101 of the present embodiment for the monitoring target system 100 and the applicable scenarios will be described.

[0039] First, terminal 102 is communicating with access point 1 (103) via 5G. The communication destination switching app of terminal 102 detects deterioration in the communication quality with access point 1 (103) and switches the communication destination from 5G access point 1 (103) to Wi-Fi access point 2 (104). For example, deterioration in communication quality may occur due to the installation of radio wave shielding objects due to layout changes, the vehicle crossing the propagation path, changes in the flow of people, obstacles in the access point, etc.

[0040] The network management server 101 repeatedly (e.g., periodically) collects information on terminal 102 in communication from the access points under its management at a predetermined timing and updates the terminal communication history table 123. The collection of information on terminal 102 may be collected from the access point as described later, or flow information may be obtained from other communication devices (such as SW1 and SW2 on the path). The collection of information on terminal 102 may be in the form of responding to an inquiry (polling) from the network management server 101, may be reported by the access point or switch at a predetermined timing, or may be triggered by a predetermined event detected within the monitoring target system 100.

[0041] The network management server 101 recognizes the switching of the communication method used by terminal 102 from the change in information on terminal 102. For example, from the fact that a record of terminal 102 with a 5G record in the terminal communication history table 123 is newly recorded in the record of communicating via Wi-Fi, it is recognized that a switch from 5G to Wi-Fi has occurred.

[0042] The network management server 101 refers to the per-terminal wireless quality table 126 and the communication quality correspondence table 127, obtains the quality class of terminal 102 in Wi-Fi and the quality class of wired, sets the quality class of Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi access point 2 (104), and sets the quality class of wired to wired communication devices (such as SW, router, FW, etc.). At this time, the network management server 101 records a record of the communication device through which the communication of terminal 102 passes in the QoS setting table 125.

[0043] The network management server 101 may set the average traffic volume when the terminal 102 is communicating via 5G as the guaranteed bandwidth in the bandwidth setting 803 of the QoS setting table 125. The average traffic volume can be calculated from the flow information collected by the communication device (such as a switch) to which the access point is connected.

[0044] The network management server 101 sends a notification to the administrator regarding how quickly a response is required based on the ratio of the traffic volume of the newly connected WiFi AP2 (104) of the terminal 102 to the maximum bandwidth. The notification may be, for example, that an urgent response is required or that a response during regular patrol is sufficient. For example, when the administrator conducts an on-site inspection of the monitoring target system 100 and finds that a radio wave shielding object is placed between the access point 1 (103) and the terminal 102, the administrator changes the installation locations of the terminal 102 and the access point 1 (103).

[0045] When the network management server 101 detects, by referring to the terminal communication history table 123, that the connection destination of the terminal 102 has returned from the access point 2 (104) to the access point 1 (103), the network management server 101 deletes the QoS setting of the terminal 102 set in the access point 2 (104).

[0046] Figure 9 is a flowchart of the process executed by the network management server 101.

[0047] First, the processor 120 receives the processing target period (S900). The processing target period is, for example, the time from T0 to T1 (T0 < processing target period ≤ T1). To measure the data flow one or more times within this processing target period, the interval of flow measurement may be set to the time obtained by multiplying the value obtained by subtracting T0 from T1 by a coefficient of 0.5 to 1, i.e., (T1 - T0) × 0.5 to 1. The processing target period may be input from the network administrator or input from the network monitoring function to be executed periodically.

[0048] Next, the flow measurement program 128 detects a terminal whose communication method has been switched (S901). The communication method switching detection process will be described with reference to FIG. 10.

[0049] Next, the processor 120 refers to the switching flag 405 in the terminal communication history table 123 to determine whether there is a terminal that has switched the communication method (S902). If there is no terminal that has switched the communication method, the QoS management program 129 deletes the unused QoS settings (S907), and the process ends. The unused QoS setting deletion process will be described with reference to FIG. 12.

[0050] On the other hand, if there is a terminal that has switched the communication method, the QoS management program 129 sets the QoS to the communication device that relays data in the communication method after switching (S903). The QoS setting process after switching will be described with reference to FIG. 11.

[0051] Next, the QoS management program 129 deletes the unused QoS settings (S904). The process of step S904 is the same as the process of step S907.

[0052] Next, the QoS management program 129 adjusts the QoS bandwidth setting (S905). The QoS bandwidth setting adjustment process will be described with reference to FIG. 13.

[0053] Next, the processor 120 notifies the administrator of the communication method switching status and ends the process (S906). The notification process will be described with reference to FIG. 15.

[0054] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the communication method switching detection process (S901).

[0055] First, the flow measurement program 128 refers to the flow history table 122 and acquires records whose measurement time 301 is within the processing time (T0 < T ≤ T1) (S1000).

[0056] Next, the flow measurement program 128 aggregates the records obtained in step S1000 by combining records with the same combination of time, terminal, and access point to create a history record, and records the created history record as a new record in the terminal communication history table 123 (S1001). At the time of recording, the communication method 403 and the switching flag 405 do not have values recorded in the history record.

[0057] Next, the flow measurement program 128 refers to the communication device table 124 using the access point 402 in the terminal communication history table 123 as a key to obtain the communication method 500, and sets it in the communication method 403 of the corresponding record in the terminal communication history table 123 (S1002).

[0058] Next, the flow measurement program 128 selects one unprocessed record among the history records recorded in the terminal communication history table 123 for which the switching flag 405 does not have a recorded value (S1003).

[0059] Next, the flow measurement program 128 refers to the terminal management table 121 using the combination of the terminal ID 401 and the communication method 403 of the selected unprocessed record as a key to obtain the main communication method flag 202 (S1004).

[0060] Next, the flow measurement program 128 determines whether the obtained main communication method flag is Y (S1005). If the main communication method flag obtained in step S1004 is Y, since the main communication method mainly used is in use, set N in the switching flag of the selected unprocessed record (S1008), and proceed to step S1009.

[0061] On the other hand, when the main communication method flag obtained in step S1004 is N, there is a possibility that the communication has switched to the sub-communication method that is used secondarily. Therefore, it is determined whether the elapsed time from the final use date and time 203 of the communication method of the terminal exceeds a predetermined threshold (S1006). For example, referring to the final use date and time 203 of the communication method of the terminal in the terminal management table 121, the elapsed time from the final use date and time 203 is calculated. If the calculated elapsed time is less than the threshold, it is determined that the communication has only temporarily switched to the sub-communication method, the communication method has not been switched, and the main communication method is still being used, and the process proceeds to step S1008.

[0062] On the other hand, if the calculated elapsed time is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is determined that the communication has switched to the sub-communication method. Then, N is set in the switching flag 405 of the selected unprocessed record (S1007), and the process proceeds to step S1009.

[0063] Next, the flow measurement program 128 updates the final use date and time 203 of the communication method of the terminal in the terminal management table 121 to the current time (S1009).

[0064] Next, the flow measurement program 128 determines whether there is an unprocessed history record (S1010). If there is an unprocessed history record, the process returns to step S1003 to continue processing the unprocessed history record. On the other hand, if the processing of the communication methods of all the history records has been completed, the communication method switching detection process ends.

[0065] Figure 11 is a flowchart of the QoS setting process (S903) after switching.

[0066] First, the QoS management program 129 refers to the terminal communication history table 123, obtains the history records in which the switching flag 405 is Y during the processing period T0 to T1 (S1100), and selects one unprocessed history record (S1101).

[0067] Next, the QoS management program 129 sets the terminal ID of the history record to the target terminal, sets the communication method of the terminal record to the communication method after switching (S1102), and sets the combination of wired and the communication method after switching for the communication method after switching of the target terminal to the target communication method list (S1103). For example, by referring to the route information 504 of the communication device table 124, information on the wired communication device related to the access point can be obtained.

[0068] Next, the QoS management program 129 selects one target communication method from the target communication method list (S1104).

[0069] Next, the QoS management program 129 refers to the per-terminal wireless quality table 126 and acquires the quality record of the target terminal (S1105).

[0070] Next, the QoS management program 129 refers to the communication quality correspondence table 127 and acquires the quality correspondence record in which communication method 1 (700) and quality class 1 (701) match the quality correspondence record of the target terminal (S1106).

[0071] Next, the QoS management program 129 refers to the communication device table 124 and acquires the communication device record in which the communication method 2 (702) of the acquired quality correspondence record matches the communication method (S1107).

[0072] Next, the QoS management program 129 creates each quality class 2 (703) of the acquired communication device record in the QoS setting table 125 (S1108).

[0073] Next, the QoS management program 129 refers to the terminal communication history table 123, calculates the average daily data transfer volume in the communication method before switching of the target terminal, and sets it as the guaranteed bandwidth in the bandwidth setting 803 of the QoS setting table 125 (S1109). The calculated average data transfer volume may be the average at other times, such as the average data transfer volume per hour instead of the average daily data transfer volume. Also, the average daily data transfer volume may be the average for each day of the week. Furthermore, the calculated statistical value may be the maximum value instead of the average value.

[0074] Next, as the QoS setting for the target terminal, the QoS management program 129 sets, for all devices in the communication device record, the quality class 2 (703) of the acquired quality correspondence record and the value obtained by multiplying the guaranteed bandwidth by the adjustment magnification as the guaranteed bandwidth (S1110).

[0075] Next, the QoS management program 129 determines whether there is an unprocessed communication method (S1111). If there is an unprocessed communication method, it returns to step S1104 and continues to process the unprocessed communication method. On the other hand, if the processing of all communication methods of the history record has been completed, the QoS management program 129 determines whether there is an unprocessed history record (S1112). If there is an unprocessed history record, it returns to step S1101 and continues to process the unprocessed history record. On the other hand, if the processing of all history records has been completed, the post-switching QoS setting process ends.

[0076] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the unused QoS setting deletion process (S904, S907).

[0077] Next, the QoS management program 129 refers to the terminal management table 121, acquires an unused record in which the main communication method flag 202 is N and the difference between the current time and the last use time is equal to or greater than the threshold (S1200), and selects one unprocessed unused record (S1201).

[0078] Next, the QoS management program 129 refers to the QoS setting table 125, obtains the QoS setting record of the terminal of the selected unused record (S1202), accesses all communication devices of the obtained QoS setting record, and deletes the QoS setting (S1203).

[0079] Next, the QoS management program 129 deletes all of the obtained QoS setting records (S1204).

[0080] Next, the QoS management program 129 determines whether there is an unprocessed unused record (S1205). If there is an unprocessed communication method, it returns to step S1201 and continues to process the unprocessed unused record. On the other hand, if the processing of all unused records is completed, the unused QoS setting deletion process ends.

[0081] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the QoS bandwidth setting adjustment process (S905).

[0082] First, the QoS management program 129 determines whether QoS adjustment is necessary (S1300). If QoS adjustment is not required, the QoS bandwidth setting adjustment process ends. On the other hand, if QoS adjustment is necessary, the QoS management program 129 executes the subsequent processing for each communication device that requires QoS adjustment (S1301).

[0083] Specifically, the QoS management program 129 obtains the record of the communication device from the QoS setting table 125 (S1302), groups the obtained records by quality class, and calculates the average guaranteed bandwidth for each quality class (S1303).

[0084] Next, the QoS management program 129 selects one record in ascending order of the quality class and in descending order of the guaranteed bandwidth (S1304), and determines whether the guaranteed bandwidth of the selected record is greater than or equal to the average guaranteed bandwidth of the quality class one level higher (S1305). If the guaranteed bandwidth of the record is less than the average guaranteed bandwidth of the quality class one level higher, it proceeds to step S1309.

[0085] On the other hand, if the guaranteed bandwidth of the record is greater than or equal to the average guaranteed bandwidth of the next higher quality class, the QoS management program 129 sets the average guaranteed bandwidth of the next higher quality class as the guaranteed bandwidth of the record, and sets the value obtained by dividing the average guaranteed bandwidth of the higher quality class by the guaranteed bandwidth of the record as the adjustment ratio (S1306).

[0086] Next, the QoS management program 129 sets the adjusted guaranteed bandwidth in the communication device (S1307), and determines whether QoS adjustment is necessary (S1308). If QoS adjustment is not necessary, the QoS bandwidth setting adjustment process ends. On the other hand, if QoS adjustment is necessary, the QoS management program 129 determines whether there is an unprocessed record (S1309). If there is an unprocessed communication method, it returns to step S1304 and continues to process the unprocessed record.

[0087] On the other hand, when the processing of all records is completed, the QoS management program 129 selects one record in ascending order of the lower quality class and in descending order of the larger guaranteed bandwidth (S1310), multiplies the adjustment ratio of the record by 0.9 for adjustment (S1311), and sets the adjusted guaranteed bandwidth in the communication device of the record (S1312).

[0088] Next, the QoS management program 129 determines whether QoS adjustment is necessary (S1313). If QoS adjustment is necessary, it returns to step S1310 and continues the process. If QoS adjustment is not necessary, the QoS bandwidth setting adjustment process ends.

[0089] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the QoS setting necessity determination process (S1300, S1308, S1313).

[0090] First, the QoS management program 129 refers to the QoS setting table 125, sums up the values obtained by multiplying the guaranteed bandwidth of the bandwidth setting of each communication device by the adjustment ratio (S1400), and determines whether the total value is equal to or greater than the value obtained by multiplying the maximum bandwidth 503 of the communication device in the communication device table 124 by a predetermined value (S1401). This predetermined value may be, for example, 0.7, but other values may be set depending on the margin of the network.

[0091] If the total value is equal to or greater than the value obtained by multiplying the maximum bandwidth 503 of the communication device in the communication device table 124 by a predetermined value, it is determined that there is no margin in the network, so QoS setting is necessary. On the other hand, if the total value is less than the value obtained by multiplying the maximum bandwidth 503 of the communication device in the communication device table 124 by a predetermined value, it is determined that there is a margin in the network, so QoS setting is not necessary.

[0092] FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the notification process (S906).

[0093] First, the notification program 130 refers to the QoS setting table 125 and acquires records with an adjustment ratio less than 1.0 (S1500).

[0094] Next, the notification program 130 determines whether there are records with an adjustment ratio less than 1.0 (S1501). And the records with an adjustment ratio less than 1.0 are classified as those with high urgency and immediate response required because the required bandwidth is not satisfied.

[0095] Next, the notification program 130 refers to the QoS setting table 125 and sums up for each communication device the values obtained by multiplying the guaranteed bandwidth of the bandwidth setting 803 by the adjustment ratio 804. Then, the notification program 130 determines whether the calculated total value is greater than the value obtained by multiplying the maximum bandwidth 503 of the communication device in the communication device table 124 by a predetermined value (S1503). This predetermined value may be, for example, 0.4, but other values may be set depending on the characteristics and usage status of the network.

[0096] The notification program 130 classifies records with a total value greater than the value obtained by multiplying the maximum bandwidth 503 of the communication device in the communication device table 124 by a predetermined value as those with a medium urgency level and requiring response within several days (S1505). On the other hand, records with a total value greater than the value obtained by multiplying the maximum bandwidth 503 of the communication device in the communication device table 124 by a predetermined value are classified as those with a low urgency level and requiring response within two weeks (S1506).

[0097] Next, the notification program 130 selects, as access points where radio wave degradation may have occurred nearby, the access points in the terminal communication history table 123 whose switching flag 405 is Y during the processing target period (S1507), and notifies the administrator of the access points where radio wave degradation may have occurred nearby and the classified urgency levels (S1508).

[0098] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a network communication quality status display screen for notifying an administrator.

[0099] The network communication quality status display screen includes a communication quality status display area 1610 for each customer and a detailed status display area 1620 for each customer.

[0100] In the communication quality status display area 1610, the customer name and the number of cases for each urgency level (high, medium, low) are displayed. By operating the "Visit Date Input" button in the action area, a screen for inputting a planned visit to address the communication quality degradation of the customer can be displayed.

[0101] In the detailed status display area 1620, the communication method switching status for each communication device of the customer selected in the communication quality status display area 1610 is displayed. The detailed status display area 1620 displays, in chronological order, the date when an emergency case occurred and the input visit response period for each urgency level (high, medium, low).

[0102] In the detailed status display area 1620 shown in FIG. 16, the communication method switching status of customer A is displayed. AP2 and AP10 are scheduled to become highly urgent today, and AP11 became medium urgent three days ago. Also, it is displayed that an access response period is set for a total of five days including today and the two days before and after.

[0103] As described above, in the network management server 10 which is an embodiment of the network management apparatus of the present invention, when the QoS management program 129 detects a change in the communication method from communication method 1 to communication method 2 of the wireless connection destination of the terminal 102, it refers to the communication quality response table 127 and sets the quality class in communication method 2. Therefore, the communication quality after the switching of the wireless method can be controlled on the monitoring target system 100 (network) side, and the QoS of the entire network can be optimized. Also, the status of the terminal and the status of the monitoring target system 100 can be managed collectively. For example, the status of the bandwidth such as resource shortage can be grasped, and the urgency of countermeasures can be suggested to the network administrator.

[0104] Also, the flow measurement program 128 repeatedly collects the data flow in the monitoring target system 100 at a predetermined timing, updates the terminal communication history table 122, and detects a change in the communication method of the terminal 102. Therefore, the state of the terminal 102 can be grasped by the information that can be obtained from the network side without installing a special application in the terminal 102.

[0105] Also, the flow measurement program 128 identifies the access point of the connection destination of the terminal 102 by referring to the terminal communication history table 122. Therefore, by identifying the access point, the location where the wireless quality has deteriorated can be determined, and the information necessary for maintenance by the administrator can be provided.

[0106] Also, the flow measurement program refers to the terminal communication history table 122 to identify the installation location of the access point of the connection destination of the terminal 102. Therefore, by identifying the location of the access point, the location where the wireless quality has deteriorated can be determined, and the information necessary for maintenance by the administrator can be provided.

[0107] Also, the QoS management program 129 refers to the per-terminal wireless quality table 126 to identify the quality class of the terminal 102 in communication method 1, refers to the communication quality correspondence table 127 to identify the quality class of the terminal 102 in communication method 2, and sets the wireless quality class of communication method 2 for the communication devices on the communication path by communication method 2, so that communication quality equivalent to that before the communication method switch can be ensured.

[0108] Also, the QoS management program 129 sets the bandwidth of communication method 2 based on the traffic volume of the terminal 102 in communication method 1, so that communication quality equivalent to that before the communication method switch can be ensured, and a communication environment in which the user does not feel inconvenience even after the communication method switch can be provided.

[0109] Also, the notification program 130 identifies the access point of communication method 1 that caused the change in communication quality, so that the cause location where the wireless quality deteriorated can be determined, and information necessary for maintenance by the administrator can be provided.

[0110] Also, the notification program determines the urgency of the notification to the administrator based on the traffic situation in communication method 2, so that the efficiency of the maintenance work can be improved according to the priority of response.

[0111] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and equivalent configurations within the scope of the appended claims are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, a part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Also, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Also, for a part of the configuration of each embodiment, addition, deletion, or replacement with other configurations may be made.

[0112] Also, each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in hardware, for example, by designing a part or all of them with an integrated circuit, or may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function.

[0113] Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in a storage device such as a memory, a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

[0114] Also, the control lines and information lines show those considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines required for implementation. In practice, it is reasonable to consider that almost all components are interconnected.

Explanation of Signs

[0115] 100 Monitoring target system 101 Network management server 102 Terminal 103 Access point (5G) 104, 105, 106, 107 Access points (WiFi) 108 EPC 109 Firewall 110 Router 111, 112, 113, 114 Switches 115, 116 Business system servers 117 Auxiliary storage device 118 Communication interface 119 Memory 120 Processor 121 Terminal management table 122 Flow history table 123 Terminal communication history table 124 Communication device table 125 QoS setting table 126 Wireless quality table per terminal 127 Communication quality correspondence table 128 Flow measurement program 129 QoS management program 130 Notification program

Claims

1. A network management device, composed of a computer having an arithmetic unit that executes predetermined arithmetic processing and a storage device connected to the arithmetic unit, wherein the arithmetic unit has a QoS management unit that manages communication quality in a network, the storage device stores communication quality correspondence information that records the correspondence between the wireless quality classes of the first wireless communication method and the wireless quality classes of the second wireless communication method, when the QoS management unit detects a change from the first wireless communication method to the second wireless communication method of the wireless connection destination of the terminal, the QoS management unit refers to the communication quality correspondence information, sets the wireless quality class in the second wireless communication method, and multiplies the bandwidth setting determined from the communication volume of the terminal in the first wireless communication method by an adjustment magnification that is a coefficient for calculating a reduced bandwidth when it is difficult for the terminal to secure a large bandwidth, and sets the bandwidth of the second wireless communication method. A network management device characterized by the above.

2. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic unit has a measurement unit that measures the data flow in the network, the storage device stores communication history information in which the communication history of the terminal is recorded, the measurement unit repeatedly collects the data flow in the network at a predetermined timing, updates the communication history information, and detects a change in the wireless communication method of the terminal. A network management device characterized by the above.

3. The network management device according to claim 2, wherein the communication history information records information on the access point of the connection destination of the terminal, the measurement unit specifies the access point of the connection destination of the terminal with reference to the communication history information. A network management device characterized by the above.

4. The network management device according to claim 3, wherein the communication history information records the installation location of the access point, the measurement unit specifies the installation location of the access point of the connection destination of the terminal with reference to the communication history information. A network management device characterized by the above.

5. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein the storage device stores terminal-specific wireless quality information that determines the wireless quality class applied to the combination of the terminal and the wireless communication method, the QoS management unit, refers to the terminal-specific wireless quality information, specifies the first wireless quality class of the terminal in the first wireless communication method, Referring to the communication quality corresponding information, identify the second radio quality class of the terminal in the second radio communication method. A network management device, characterized in that the identified second radio quality class is set in a communication device of a communication path by the second radio communication method.

6. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic device has a notification unit that notifies an administrator of the communication quality status of the network. The network management device, characterized in that the notification unit identifies an access point of the first radio communication method that caused a change in communication quality.

7. The network management device according to claim 6, wherein the notification unit determines the urgency of notification to the administrator according to the traffic status in the second radio communication method.

8. A network management method executed by a network management device, wherein the network management device is constituted by a computer having an arithmetic device that executes predetermined arithmetic processing and a storage device connected to the arithmetic device. The storage device stores communication quality corresponding information that records the correspondence between the radio quality class of the first radio communication method and the radio quality class of the second radio communication method. The network management method includes: when the arithmetic device detects a change from the first radio communication method to the second radio communication method of the radio connection destination of the terminal, referring to the communication quality corresponding information and setting the radio quality class in the second radio communication method; The network management method is characterized in that the arithmetic device multiplies a bandwidth setting determined from the traffic volume in the first radio communication method of the terminal by an adjustment magnification that is a coefficient for calculating a reduced bandwidth when it is difficult for the terminal to guarantee a large bandwidth, and sets the bandwidth of the second radio communication method.

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