Optical transmission system, optical transmission device, and communication method for port-aware pass-through transmission of communication signals

Abstract

Connecting multiple communication devices requires changing IP address settings, which places a significant burden on on-site work. Furthermore, configurations using switching hubs can result in mixed communication paths, potentially leading to unintended communication or configuration problems. [Solution] Between the first optical transmission device and the second optical transmission device, multiple communication ports are mapped one-to-one based on their port numbers, and the input communication signal is transmitted to the corresponding communication port without changing its content. According to the present invention, even if multiple communication devices have the same IP address, they can be used without performing any configuration changes, which significantly reduces the burden of on-site work.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system that transmits communication signals such as Ethernet signals using an optical transmission device, and particularly to an optical transmission system, an optical transmission device, and a communication method that transmit communication signals without changing the content by corresponding one-to-one between a plurality of communication ports.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when connecting a plurality of communication devices to a network, it is common to use a network device such as a switching hub.

[0003] Such a network device selects a transfer destination based on a destination address or a source address included in a communication signal, and relays the communication signal between a plurality of communication ports.

[0004] However, for example, when trying to simultaneously connect a plurality of communication devices (such as a plurality of camera devices) with the same IP address set at the time of shipment, an IP address conflict occurs, so it is necessary to change the IP address setting for each communication device.

[0005] Such setting change operations are complicated at the site, and particularly when handling a large number of communication devices, the work burden is large and it can also cause setting errors.

[0006] Also, even when transmitting a LAN signal using an optical transmission device, in a configuration having a switching or集线 function, the communication signal paths are mixed, and there is a risk of unintended communication and setting troubles.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide an optical transmission system, optical transmission device, and communication method that can be used without changing the IP address settings even when multiple communication devices have the same IP address, and in which the paths of communication signals do not get mixed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the present invention, a communication system is provided comprising: a first optical transmission device having a plurality of communication ports; a second optical transmission device having a plurality of communication ports; and an optical transmission path connecting them, wherein the plurality of communication ports of the first optical transmission device and the plurality of communication ports of the second optical transmission device are associated one-to-one based on port numbers, and a communication signal input to any communication port of the first optical transmission device is configured to be output from the corresponding communication port via the optical transmission path, and the communication signal is transmitted without changing its content.

[0009] According to the present invention, the communication signal may be an Ethernet signal including an IP packet.

[0010] According to the present invention, the first optical transmission device and the second optical transmission device are configured to relay the communication signal between associated communication ports without performing a process to select a forwarding destination based on the destination address or source address included in the communication signal.

[0011] This allows each communication port to function as an independent transmission path, even when multiple communication devices share the same IP address. This prevents communication failures due to IP address conflicts and enables the transmission of communication signals. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, since communication signals are transmitted without modification by associating communication ports one-to-one, the communication signal paths are less likely to become mixed up, and setting errors and setting problems at the site can be suppressed.

[0013] Furthermore, even if multiple communication devices share the same IP address, they can be used without having to change the IP address settings, thus reducing the burden of on-site work. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an optical transmission system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0016] The optical transmission system shown in Figure 1 comprises an optical transmission device A, an optical transmission device B, and an optical transmission path C connecting them.

[0017] Optical transmission device A (first type) is equipped with multiple LAN ports A1, A2, A3, and A4 as communication ports. Similarly, optical transmission device B (second type) is equipped with multiple LAN ports B1, B2, B3, and B4 as corresponding communication ports.

[0018] LAN port A1 of optical transmission device A and LAN port B1 of optical transmission device B are associated with each other, and similarly, A2 and B2, A3 and B3, and A4 and B4 are each associated one-to-one based on their port numbers.

[0019] The first communication signal a1 input to LAN port A1 of optical transmission device A is output from LAN port B1 of optical transmission device B via optical transmission path C without any modification to its content.

[0020] Similarly, the second communication signal a2, the third communication signal a3, and the fourth communication signal a4 input to the LAN ports A2, A3, and A4 of the first optical transmission device A are output from the corresponding LAN ports B2, B3, and B4 via the optical transmission path C without changing their contents.

[0021] Thus, in this embodiment, a plurality of communication ports of the first optical transmission device A and the second optical transmission device B are paired one-to-one based on the port numbers, and the communication signals a1 to a4 are treated as independent transmission paths.

[0022] The first optical transmission device A and the second optical transmission device B do not perform switching processing to select a transfer destination based on the destination address or source address included in the input communication signal, but relay the communication signal as it is between the associated communication ports.

[0023] Therefore, the optical transmission system of this embodiment has a configuration and operating principle different from those of a device that distributes or集线 communication signals, such as a switching hub or a bridge device.

[0024] In this embodiment, the communication signals a1 to a4 may be Ethernet signals including IP packets. The first optical transmission device A and the second optical transmission device B relay these communication signals as they are via the optical transmission path C without analyzing them or rewriting the IP addresses.

[0025] Therefore, for example, even when a plurality of communication devices connected to the LAN ports A1 to A4 have the same IP address, each communication signal is transmitted through an independent transmission path, so communication can be performed while avoiding communication failure due to IP address conflict.

[0026] That is, according to the optical transmission system of this embodiment, a plurality of communication devices set with the same IP address at the time of shipment can be directly connected and used without performing the operation of changing the IP address setting.

[0027] In the above description, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the case where the communication signal is transmitted in one direction has been described as an example. However, the optical transmission system of the present invention may be configured to perform two-way communication between each communication port.

[0028] Further, in the present embodiment, an example of a 4-port configuration has been shown. However, the number of communication ports is not limited to this, and it may be configured with any number of 2 ports or more.

[0029] (Appendix) According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided. [1] An optical transmission system including an optical transmission first device having a plurality of communication ports, an optical transmission second device having a plurality of communication ports, and an optical transmission line connecting the optical transmission first device and the optical transmission second device, wherein the number of the plurality of communication ports of the optical transmission first device is N (N is an integer of 2 or more), and the plurality of communication ports of the optical transmission first device and the plurality of communication ports of the optical transmission second device are associated with each other in a one-to-one manner based on port numbers, and a communication signal input to an arbitrary i-th communication port (i is an integer of 1 or more and N or less) of the optical transmission first device is configured to be output to the corresponding i-th communication port of the optical transmission second device via the optical transmission line, and is transmitted via the optical transmission line without changing the content of the communication signal. [2] The optical transmission system according to [1], wherein the communication signal is an Ethernet signal including an IP packet. [3] The optical transmission system according to [1] or [2], characterized in that even when a plurality of communication devices connected to each communication port have the same IP address, the communication signal can be transmitted by the one-to-one association. [4] The optical transmission system according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the optical transmission first device and the optical transmission second device do not perform a process of selecting a transfer destination between a plurality of communication ports and relaying the communication signal based on a destination address or a source address included in the communication signal. An optical transmission system according to any one of items [5][1] to [4], characterized in that the optical transmission path is configured as a mutually independent logical transmission path corresponding to each of the plurality of communication ports. An optical transmission system according to any one of items [6][1] to [5], characterized in that the first optical transmission device and the second optical transmission device relay the communication signal without analyzing or rewriting it. [7] An optical transmission device having a plurality of communication ports, characterized in that it outputs the communication signals input to each of the plurality of communication ports to the optical transmission path associated with the corresponding numbered communication port, without changing their content, according to a one-to-one correspondence relationship based on the port number. [8] A communication method in a communication system in which a first optical transmission device and a second optical transmission device having a plurality of communication ports are connected by an optical transmission path, wherein the number of the plurality of communication ports of the first optical transmission device is N (where N is an integer of 2 or more), and a communication signal input to any i-th communication port of the first optical transmission device (where i is an integer of 1 or more and less than or equal to N) is output from the corresponding i-th communication port of the second optical transmission device via the optical transmission path without changing its content. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0030] A Optical transmission device No. 1 B Optical transmission device No. 2 C Optical transmission path A1-A4 LAN ports of the first optical transmission device B1-B4 LAN ports of the second optical transmission device a1-a4 First-to-fourth communication signals

Claims

1. A first optical transmission device having multiple communication ports, A second optical transmission device having multiple communication ports, An optical transmission path connecting the first optical transmission device and the second optical transmission device, A communication system comprising, Let N be the number of communication ports in the optical transmission device (where N is an integer of 2 or more). The multiple communication ports of the first optical transmission device and the multiple communication ports of the second optical transmission device are associated one-to-one based on the port number. An optical transmission system characterized in that a communication signal input to any i-th communication port (i is an integer between 1 and N) of the first optical transmission device is output to the corresponding i-th communication port of the second optical transmission device via the optical transmission path without performing a process to determine the output communication port based on the destination address contained in the communication signal, and the communication signal is transmitted via the optical transmission path without changing its content.

2. In the optical transmission system according to claim 1, The optical transmission system is characterized in that the communication signal is an Ethernet signal including an IP packet.

3. In the optical transmission system according to claim 1 or claim 2, An optical transmission system characterized in that, even if multiple communication devices connected to each of the aforementioned communication ports have the same IP address, the transmission of the communication signal is possible through the one-to-one correspondence.

4. In the optical transmission system according to claim 1 or claim 2, The optical transmission system is characterized in that the optical transmission path is configured as a mutually independent logical transmission path corresponding to each of the plurality of communication ports.

5. In the optical transmission system according to claim 1 or claim 2, The optical transmission system is characterized in that the first optical transmission device and the second optical transmission device relay the communication signal without analyzing or rewriting it.

6. A communication method in a communication system in which a first optical transmission device and a second optical transmission device, each having multiple communication ports, are connected by an optical transmission path, Let N be the number of communication ports in the optical transmission device (where N is an integer of 2 or more). A communication method characterized in that a communication signal input to an arbitrary i-th communication port (where i is an integer between 1 and N) of the first optical transmission device is output via the optical transmission path from the corresponding i-th communication port of the second optical transmission device without changing its content, without performing any processing to determine the output communication port based on the destination address contained in the communication signal.

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