Network management device and network management method

Abstract

This network management device manages a network on which services are provided by a plurality of operators. The network management device comprises: a specification information registration processing unit which performs registration processing of specification information; an entity information registration processing unit which performs registration processing of entity information; a policy information registration processing unit which performs registration processing of policy information; and an access information processing unit which performs processing of access information. The access information processing unit includes: an other-operator cooperation processing unit which performs registration processing of contract information with another operator; and an other-operator cooperation model creation unit which, on the basis of the specification information, entity information, policy information and contract information, creates a model in which layers in a range corresponding to boundary points based on contracts between operators are aggregated as virtual connections. The access information processing unit performs the processing of access information on the basis of the model.

Description

Network management apparatus and network management method

[0001] The present invention relates to a network management apparatus and a network management method.

[0002] Communication carriers provide various communication services by combining networks of multiple layers and domains.

[0003] In order to efficiently operate diverse communication services, cross-network information analysis is important rather than analysis for each layer or domain.

[0004] On the other hand, since the configuration information of each network is managed by individual systems for each layer and domain, in order to perform cross-network information analysis, it is necessary to mutually refer to and combine the configuration information of those networks with different data models and perform processing.

[0005] In particular, when the carriers are different for each layer and domain, cooperation of the configuration information of the networks among multiple carriers is required, and a network resource management method that can be commonly handled among carriers is demanded.

[0006] Japanese Patent No. 6655524, Japanese Patent No. 7107158, Japanese Patent No. 6837022

[0007] In conventional network resource management, based on contracts between carriers, for each other carrier to cooperate, the information to be provided is filtered based on externally defined policies. Therefore, it is necessary to individually construct logic for impact assessment according to the configuration of the network of the other carrier to cooperate. Also, when providing information across carriers, since information between carriers is managed on the link, it is impossible to create a policy for filtering at the boundary between carriers, and a disclosure judgment through a person is required.

[0008] The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a network management apparatus and a network management method that provide information across carriers without requiring a disclosure judgment through a person.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is a network management device for managing a network in which services are provided by multiple service providers. The network management device includes a specification information registration processing unit that performs specification information registration processing, an entity information registration processing unit that performs entity information registration processing, a policy information registration processing unit that performs policy information registration processing, and an access information processing unit that processes access information. The access information processing unit includes an inter-service provider cooperation processing unit that performs contract information registration processing with other service providers, and an inter-service provider cooperation model creation unit that creates a model in which layers corresponding to boundary points based on contracts between service providers are aggregated as virtual connectivity based on specification information, entity information, policy information, and contract information. The access information processing unit processes access information based on the model.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is a network management method for managing a network in which services are provided by multiple service providers. The network management method performs registration processing of specification information, entity information, policy information, and contract information with other service providers, and based on the specification information, entity information, policy information, and contract information, creates a model that aggregates layers corresponding to boundary points based on contracts between service providers as virtual connectivity, and processes access information based on the model.

[0011] According to the present invention, a network management device and a network management method are provided that provide information across businesses without requiring disclosure decisions to be made by human intervention.

[0012] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a network management device according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data model of network configuration information. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the attributes of the data model of network configuration information. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the attributes of the data model of network configuration information. Figure 5 is a diagram showing a first example of a model created in the network management device shown in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a diagram showing a first example of the access information processing sequence in the first example of the model shown in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a diagram showing a second example of a model created in the network management device shown in Figure 1. Figure 8 is a diagram showing a second example of the access information processing sequence in the first example of the model shown in Figure 5. Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the network management device shown in Figure 1.

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] (Functional Configuration of Network Management Device) First, the functional configuration of the network management device 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the network management device 10 according to the embodiment. The network management device 10 manages a network where services are provided by multiple service providers.

[0015] The network management device 10 according to this embodiment includes a control unit 20, a data storage unit 30, and an interface unit 40. The control unit 20 controls the entire network management device 10. The data storage unit 30 stores data. The interface unit 40 enables the exchange of information with the outside world.

[0016] The control unit 20 includes a specification information registration processing unit 21 that performs specification information registration processing, an entity information registration processing unit 22 that performs entity information registration processing, a policy information registration processing unit 23 that performs policy information registration processing, and an access information processing unit 24 that performs access information processing.

[0017] The data storage unit 30 includes a specification information database 31 that holds usage information, an entity information database 32 that holds entity information, a policy information database 33 that holds policy information, and a third-party contract information database 34 that holds contract information with other businesses. In Figure 1, databases are abbreviated as DB.

[0018] The specification information registration processing unit 21 receives specification information from an external source via the interface unit 40 and registers the specification information in the specification information database 31. The specification information database 31 stores the specification information. The specification information registration processing unit 21 also reads specification information from the specification information database 31 as needed.

[0019] The entity information registration processing unit 22 receives entity information from an external source via the interface unit 40 and registers the entity information in the entity information database 32. The entity information includes information objects. The entity information database 32 holds the entity information. The entity information registration processing unit 22 also reads entity information from the entity information database 32 as appropriate.

[0020] The policy information registration processing unit 23 receives policy information from an external source via the interface unit 40 and registers the policy information in the policy information database 33. The policy information database 33 stores the policy information. The policy information registration processing unit 23 also reads policy information from the policy information database 33 as needed.

[0021] The access information processing unit 24 includes an inter-business operator collaboration processing unit 241 that performs inter-business operator collaboration processing, and an inter-business operator collaboration model creation unit 242 that creates an inter-business operator collaboration model.

[0022] The inter-company collaboration processing unit 241 receives contract information from other companies via the interface unit 40 and registers the contract information in the inter-company contract information database 34. The inter-company contract information database 34 stores the contract information. The inter-company collaboration processing unit 241 also reads contract information from the inter-company contract information database 34 as needed.

[0023] The inter-business collaboration model creation unit 242 creates an inter-business collaboration model based on specification information, entity information, policy information, and inter-business contract information, by aggregating layers corresponding to boundary points based on contracts between businesses as virtual connectivity.

[0024] The boundary points based on contracts between operators are, for example, POIs (Points of Interface). However, they are not limited to these. The layer corresponding to the boundary points based on contracts between operators is, for example, the layer containing the POIs between operators and the layer connecting the network models between operators.

[0025] The access information processing unit 24 processes access information based on the model created by the inter-operator collaboration model creation unit 242. The processing of access information includes, for example, providing network configuration information that spans across different operators.

[0026] (Data Model for Network Configuration Information) Next, an example of a data model for network configuration information will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data model for network configuration information. In the example shown in Figure 2, the data model consists of layer type, information object type, and an overview of the information object type.

[0027] The information object types and descriptions for the "Physical Layer" layer type, as shown in Figure 2, are as follows (1-1) to (1-5): (1-1) (Information object type) PS (Physical Structure), (Description) Structure (e.g., telecommunications building) (1-2) (Information object type) PD (Physical Device), (Description) Device (e.g., router, transmission equipment) (1-3) (Information object type) PP (Physical Port), (Description) Physical port of the device (1-4) (Information object type) PL (Physical Link), (Description) Physical link (e.g., core wire) (1-5) (Information object type) AS (Aggregate Section), (Description) Cable (e.g., conduit) bundling physical links

[0028] The information object types and overviews for the "Logical Layer" layer type, as shown in Figure 2, are as follows (2-1) to (2-4): (2-1) (Information object type) TPE (Termination Point Encapsulation), (Overview) Communication endpoint (within the communication layer) (2-2) (Information object type) FRE (Forwarding Relationship Encapsulation), (Overview) Connectivity between communication endpoints (within the communication layer) *Types of connectivity -LC (Link Connection): Connectivity between devices -XC (Cross Connection): Connectivity within a device -NC (Network Connection): End-to-end connectivity composed of LC and XC (2-3) (Information object type) NFD (Network Forwarding Domain), (Overview) Connectivity within a device (Logical device layer) (2-4) (Information object type) TL (Topological Link), (Overview) Connectivity between devices (Logical device layer)

[0029] Next, with reference to Figure 3, an example of physical layer attributes in the network configuration information data model will be described. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of attributes in the network configuration information data model. In the example shown in Figure 3, the information related to the data model attributes consists of resource type, information object type, attribute, and attribute summary.

[0030] The attributes and attribute summaries of the information object type "PS (Physical Structure)" for resource type "Physical Resource" shown in Figure 3 are as follows (3-1): (3-1) (Attribute) objectID, (Summary) ID of the object (Attribute) commonName, (Summary) Name (e.g., building name) (Attribute) _physicalDevices, (Summary) objectID of the installed PD

[0031] The attributes and attribute summaries of the information object type "PD (Physical Device)" for resource type "Physical Resource" shown in Figure 3 are as follows (3-2): (3-2) (Attribute) objectID, (Summary) ID of the object (Attribute) commonName, (Summary) Name (e.g., device name) (Attribute) _physicalPorts, (Summary) objectID of the PPs that are present

[0032] The attributes and attribute summaries of the information object type "PP (Physical Port)" for resource type "Physical Resource," as shown in Figure 3, are as follows (3-3): (3-3) (Attribute) objectID, (Summary) ID of the object (Attribute) commonName, (Summary) Name (e.g., port name)

[0033] The attributes and attribute summaries of the information object type "PL (Physical Link)" for resource type "Physical Resource" shown in Figure 3 are as follows (3-4): (3-4) (Attribute) objectID, (Summary) ID of the object (Attribute) commonName, (Summary) Name (e.g., core wire name) (Attribute) _physicalPorts, (Summary) objectID of the connected PP

[0034] The attributes and attribute summaries of the information object type "AS (Aggregate Section)" for resource type "Physical Resource" shown in Figure 3 are as follows (3-5): (3-5) (Attribute) objectID, (Summary) Object ID (Identifier) ​​(Attribute) commonName, (Summary) Name (e.g., Cable name) (Attribute) _physicalLinks, (Summary) objectID of the PL being aggregated (Attribute) _physicalStructures, (Summary) objectID of the PS being connected

[0035] Next, with reference to Figure 4, an example of the attributes of the logical layer of the network configuration information data model will be described. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the attributes of the network configuration information data model. In the example shown in Figure 4, the information related to the attributes of the data model consists of the resource type, information object type, attribute, and attribute overview.

[0036] The attributes and attribute summaries of the information object type "TPE (Termination Point Encapsulation)" of resource type "Logical Resource" shown in Figure 4 are shown below (4-1). (4-1) (Attribute) objectID, (Summary) ID of the object (Attribute) commonName, (Summary) Name (Attribute) layerProtocolName, (Summary) Communication layer name (e.g., NW-A (IP) layer, NW-C (Transmission) layer, Logical device layer) (Attribute) _encapsulatedLtList, (Summary) objectID of the TPE of the lower communication layer (Attribute) _physicalPort, (Summary) objectID of the PP of the lower physical layer

[0037] The attributes and attribute summaries of the information object type "FRE (Forwarding Relationship Encapsulation)" of resource type "Logical Resource" shown in Figure 4 are shown below in (4-2). (4-2) (Attribute) objectID, (Summary) ID of the object (Attribute) commonName, (Summary) Name (e.g., path name) (Attribute) layerProtocolName, (Summary) Communication layer name (Attribute) freType, (Summary) Type of connectivity (LC / XC / NC) (Attribute) _endPointList, (Summary) objectID of the connected TPE

[0038] The attributes and attribute summaries of the information object type "NFD (Network Forwarding Domain)" of resource type "Logical Resource" shown in Figure 4 are shown below in (4-3). (4-3) (Attribute) objectID, (Summary) ID of the object (Attribute) commonName, (Summary) Name (Attribute) _edgeTpeRefList, (Summary) objectID of the connected TPE

[0039] The attributes and attribute summaries of the information object type "TL (Topological Link)" of resource type "Logical Resource" shown in Figure 4 are shown below (4-4). (4-4) (Attribute) objectID, (Summary) ID of the object (Attribute) commonName, (Summary) Name (Attribute) _endTpeRefList, (Summary) objectID of the connected TPE

[0040] (First example of the model) Next, with reference to Figure 5, a first example of a model created in the network management device 10 will be described. Figure 5 is a diagram showing a first example of a model created in the network management device 10. The model shown in Figure 5 is an example in which a lower-layer provider, which is a lower-layer network provider, and an upper-layer provider, which is an upper-layer service provider, cooperate via IP (Internet Protocol) layer transfer.

[0041] The network model of a lower-layer operator has a physical layer as a physical resource, and a Logical Device layer, Network Layer 1, Network Layer 2, and Network Layer 3 as logical resources. In Figure 5, the network is abbreviated as NW.

[0042] The network model of a higher-layer provider has a virtual Logical Device layer and a higher-layer service layer as logical resources.

[0043] The network models of the lower-layer operator and the upper-layer operator are coordinated through a virtual physical layer that models the layer including the boundary point (e.g., POI) based on the contract between the two as virtual connectivity. For example, the network models of both operators are coordinated by modeling the POIs of the operators as virtual physical devices / cables. When the upper-layer operator uses multiple lines, the same number of virtual physical layers are modeled.

[0044] The information on the facility resources of each operator is exchanged between the operators through the virtual physical layer, which is virtual connectivity. The impact of failures is also exchanged between the operators as the impact of virtual physical devices / cables. Other information is black-boxed and not exchanged between the operators.

[0045] The information on all layers related to the provided services is aggregated in the virtual physical layer. Information not included in the connectivity of the provided services (the target that brings information from other layers) can be defined externally.

[0046] The virtual Logical Device layer of the upper-layer operator is constructed according to the SI (Service Interface) configuration of the upper-layer operator based on the information of the coordinated virtual physical layer. The redundancy relationship according to the SI configuration of each operator is reflected in the model by the virtual Logical Device layer of the upper-layer operator. Therefore, the upper-layer operator can also grasp the impact using the same logic as the lower-layer operator. That is, the impact can be grasped for each operator using the same logic through the virtual physical layer.

[0047] (Access Information Processing of the Network Management Device in the First Example of the Model) Next, referring to FIG. 6, the access information processing of the network management device 10 in the first example of the model will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the sequence of the access information processing of the network management device 10 in the first example of the model shown in FIG. 5. The access information processing shown in FIG. 6 is an example of responding to a request for disclosure of resource information by the upper operator A, which is the upper-layer operator.

[0048] When the network management device 10 receives a disclosure request for resource information from the upper-level operator A (A1), the other-operator cooperation processing unit 241 acquires the policy corporation A, which is policy information, from the policy information database 33 via the policy information registration processing unit 23 (A2).

[0049] The policy corporation A is policy information regarding the upper-level operator A and includes information on the upper-level operator A, disclosure: virtual, registration: entity, and combined layer: IP.

[0050] The other-operator cooperation processing unit 241 also acquires the policy corporation A, which is contract information with other operators, from the other-operator contract information database 34 (A3).

[0051] The policy corporation A is contract information regarding the upper-level operator A and includes information on the upper-level operator A, POI building: Building C, POI device (lower-level) router aaa, and POI device (upper-level) server bbb.

[0052] The other-operator cooperation processing unit 241 also acquires specification information from the specification information database 31 via the specification information registration processing unit 21 and acquires entity information from the entity information database 32 via the entity information registration processing unit 22 (A4).

[0053] The other-operator cooperation processing unit 241 passes the acquired policy information, contract information, specification information, and entity information to the other-operator cooperation model creation unit 242. The other-operator cooperation model creation unit 242 extracts the endpoints of the combined layer (virtual physical layer) based on the specification information, entity information, policy information, and contract information (A5).

[0054] Next, the other-operator cooperation model creation unit 242 creates a virtual NC (Network Connection) indicating the connectivity of the endpoints and merges the network information of the combined layer (A6).

[0055] Subsequently, the other-operator cooperation model creation unit 242 registers the created virtual NC in the specification information database 31 and the entity information database 32 via the specification information registration processing unit 21 and the entity information registration processing unit 22 and passes it to the other-operator cooperation processing unit 241 (A7).

[0056] The inter-operator cooperation processing unit 241 responds to the higher-level operator A with the entity information, including the virtual NC, and the specification information it received (A8).

[0057] (Second example of the model) Next, with reference to Figure 7, a second example of the model created in the network management device 10 will be described. Figure 7 is a diagram showing a second example of the model created in the network management device 10. The model shown in Figure 7 is an example in which a lower-layer provider, which is a lower-layer network provider, and an upper-layer provider, which is an upper-layer service provider, cooperate via transmission layer transfer.

[0058] The network model of a lower-layer operator has a physical layer as a physical resource, and a Logical Device layer, Network Layer 1, Network Layer 2, and Network Layer 3 as logical resources. In Figure 7, the network is abbreviated as NW.

[0059] The network model of a higher-layer provider has a virtual Logical Device layer and a higher-layer service layer as logical resources.

[0060] The network models of lower-layer operators and upper-layer operators are linked via a virtual physical layer that models the layer containing the boundary points (e.g., Points of Interest) based on their contracts as virtual connectivity. For example, the network models of both operators are linked by modeling them as NCs with the operators' POIs as endpoints. If an upper-layer operator uses multiple lines, each line is modeled as a virtual transmission layer.

[0061] Information on each operator's equipment resources is exchanged between operators via a virtual transmission layer, which is a virtual connectivity. Failure impacts are also exchanged between operators as virtual physical equipment / cable impacts. Other information is kept as a black box and is not exchanged between operators.

[0062] Information from all layers related to the provided services is aggregated into the virtual transmission layer. Information not included in the connectivity of the provided services (information from other layers) can be defined externally.

[0063] The virtual Logical Device layer of the higher-layer operator is built according to the Service Interface (SI) configuration of the higher-layer operator, based on the information from the linked virtual transmission layer. Redundancy relationships according to each operator's SI configuration are reflected in the model by the virtual Logical Device layer of the higher-layer operator. Therefore, higher-layer operators can also perform impact assessment using the same logic as lower-layer operators. In other words, impact assessment can be performed for each operator using the same logic through the virtual transmission layer.

[0064] (Access information processing of the network management device in the second example of the model) Next, with reference to Figure 8, the access information processing of the network management device 10 in the second example of the model will be described. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the access information processing sequence of the network management device 10 in the second example of the model shown in Figure 7. The access information processing shown in Figure 8 is an example of responding to a request for disclosure of resource information from a higher-layer operator B.

[0065] When the network management device 10 receives a request for disclosure of resource information from the higher-level operator B (B1), the other operator cooperation processing unit 241 obtains policy information, namely policy corporation B, from the policy information database 33 via the policy information registration processing unit 23 (B2).

[0066] Policy Corporation B is policy information relating to Higher-level Operator B, and includes information on Higher-level Operator B, Disclosure: Virtual, Registration: Entity, and Linkage Layer: Transmission.

[0067] The inter-business collaboration processing unit 241 also obtains policy corporation B, which is contract information with other businesses, from the inter-business contract information database 34 (B3).

[0068] Policy Corporation B is contractual information relating to upstream operator B, and includes information on upstream operator B, POI building: E ​​building, POI device terminal (downstream) router fff, and POI device terminal (upstream) server ggg.

[0069] The inter-business cooperation processing unit 241 also obtains specification information from the specification information database 31 via the specification information registration processing unit 21, and entity information from the entity information database 32 via the entity information registration processing unit 22 (B4).

[0070] The inter-business collaboration processing unit 241 passes the acquired policy information, contract information, specification information, and entity information to the inter-business collaboration model creation unit 242, which then extracts the endpoints of the combined layer (virtual physical layer) based on the specification information, entity information, policy information, and contract information (B5).

[0071] Next, the inter-operator collaboration model creation unit 242 creates a virtual NC (Network Connection) that shows the connectivity of the endpoints and merges the network information of the joining layer (B6).

[0072] Next, the inter-business collaboration model creation unit 242 registers the created virtual NC in the specification information database 31 and the entity information database 32 via the specification information registration processing unit 21 and the entity information registration processing unit 22, and then passes it to the inter-business collaboration processing unit 241 (B7).

[0073] The inter-operator cooperation processing unit 241 responds to the higher-level operator B with the entity information, including the virtual NC, and the specification information it received (B8).

[0074] (Hardware configuration of the network management device) Next, the hardware configuration of the network management device 10 will be described. For example, the network management device 10 is hardware-wise composed of a computer. The computer is, for example, a personal computer or a server computer.

[0075] Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 100 that constitutes a network management device 10 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, the computer 100 includes a processor 111, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 112, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 113, an auxiliary storage device 114, an input / output interface 115, and a communication interface 116.

[0076] The processor 111, ROM 112, RAM 113, auxiliary storage device 114, input / output interface 115, and communication interface 116 are electrically connected to each other via a bus 117, and data is exchanged via the bus 117.

[0077] The processor 111 is composed of a general-purpose hardware processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit). The processor 111 controls the entire system, including the ROM 112, RAM 113, auxiliary storage device 114, input / output interface 115, and communication interface 116.

[0078] ROM 112 is a non-volatile memory that constitutes part of the main memory. ROM 112 non-temporarily stores the startup program necessary for starting the computer 100. The processor 111 starts the computer 100 by executing the program in ROM 112. ROM 112 is, for example, composed of EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and stores various startup settings in addition to the startup program.

[0079] RAM 113 is a volatile memory that constitutes part of the main memory. RAM 113 temporarily stores the program necessary for processing by the processor 111 and the data necessary for executing the program. By executing the program in RAM 113, the processor 111 performs calculations on the data in RAM 113 and stores the calculation results in RAM 113.

[0080] The auxiliary storage device 114 consists of non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive). The auxiliary storage device 114 non-temporarily stores programs executed by the processor 111 and data necessary for program execution. The processor 111 reads the programs and data from the auxiliary storage device 114 into the RAM 113 and executes various functions by running the programs.

[0081] The auxiliary storage device 114 constitutes the data storage unit 30 of the network management device 10 (specification information database 31, entity information database 32, policy information database 33, and other business operator contract information database 34).

[0082] The input / output interface 115 is connected to an external input device 131 and an output device 132, etc., enabling the input of information from the input device 131 and the output of information to the output device 132. For example, the input / output interface 115 may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. A wired interface includes a port to which the device is connected. A wireless interface includes Bluetooth®, WiFi®, etc.

[0083] The input device 131 may include a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, receiver, disk drive, etc. The input device 131 is not limited to these and may include any other input device. The output device 132 may include a display, transmitter, disk drive, etc. The output device 132 is not limited to these and may include any other output device. The input device 131 and the output device 132 may be configured as an input / output device 130 that has the functions of both.

[0084] The communication interface 116 enables communication with the outside world. This allows the network management device 10 to exchange information with the outside world.

[0085] The input / output interface 115 and the communication interface 116 constitute the interface section 40 of the network management device 10.

[0086] A program stored non-temporarily in the auxiliary storage device 114 is provided to the computer 100, for example, via a recording medium 150 that is readable by the computer 100 on which the program was stored non-temporarily. Such a recording medium 150 is called a non-temporarily computer-readable recording medium. Non-temporarily computer-readable recording media include disks such as flexible disks, optical disks (CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, etc.), magneto-optical disks (MO, etc.), and semiconductor memory.

[0087] The programs stored non-temporarily in the auxiliary storage device 114 include a network management program. The network management program is a program that causes the computer 100, which constitutes the network management device 10, to execute the functions of the specification information registration processing unit 21, entity information registration processing unit 22, policy information registration processing unit 23, and access information processing unit 24 (other business cooperation processing unit 241 and other business cooperation model creation unit 242) of the control unit 20.

[0088] The program to be stored non-temporarily in the auxiliary storage device 114 is read into the auxiliary storage device 114 and stored non-temporarily via the input device 131, which is a disk drive, and the input / output interface 115, if the recording medium 150 is a disk, or via the input / output interface 115, which is a port, if the recording medium 150 is a semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the program may be stored on a server on a network, downloaded from the server, and stored non-temporarily in the auxiliary storage device 114.

[0089] When the computer 100 starts up, the processor 111 executes a program in the ROM 112 and loads the OS into the RAM 113 to start up. Under the control of the OS, the processor 111 monitors instruction inputs and connections of external devices. Also, under the control of the OS, the processor 111 sets up a program area and a data area in the RAM 113. In response to an instruction input to start the network management device 10, the processor 111 loads the network management program from the auxiliary storage device 114 into the program area of ​​the RAM 113, and loads the data necessary for program execution from the auxiliary storage device 114 into the data area of ​​the RAM 113. The processor 111 performs calculations on the data in the data area according to the program and writes the calculation results to the data area. Through these operations, the processor 111, RAM 113, auxiliary storage device 114, input / output interface 115, and communication interface 116 work together to execute the functions of each component of the network management device 10.

[0090] (Effects) According to the embodiment, information is exchanged between businesses using a model that aggregates layers corresponding to boundary points based on contracts between businesses as virtual connectivity. This allows each business to assess impact without being affected by the network configuration of other businesses. In addition, each business does not need to disclose detailed network configuration information to other businesses. Furthermore, it enables cooperation between businesses using common logic.

[0091] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways during implementation without departing from its essence. Furthermore, each embodiment may be combined as appropriate, and in that case, the combined effects can be obtained. Moreover, the above embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by selecting combinations from the multiple constituent elements disclosed. For example, if the problem can be solved and effects obtained even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiment, then the configuration with these deleted constituent elements can be extracted as an invention.

[0092] 10...Network management device 20...Control unit 21...Specification information registration processing unit 22...Entity information registration processing unit 23...Policy information registration processing unit 24...Access information processing unit 241...Other business cooperation processing unit 242...Other business cooperation model creation unit 30...Data storage unit 31...Specification information database 32...Entity information database 33...Policy information database 34...Other business contract information database 40...Interface unit 100...Computer 111...Processor 112...ROM 113...RAM 114...Auxiliary storage device 115...Input / output interface 116...Communication interface 117...Bus 130...Input / output device 131...Input device 132...Output device 150...Recording medium

Claims

1. A network management device for managing a network where services are provided by multiple service providers, comprising: a specification information registration processing unit for registering specification information; an entity information registration processing unit for registering entity information; a policy information registration processing unit for registering policy information; and an access information processing unit for processing access information, wherein the access information processing unit comprises: an inter-service provider cooperation processing unit for registering contract information with other service providers; and an inter-service provider cooperation model creation unit for creating a model that aggregates layers corresponding to boundary points based on contracts between the service providers as virtual connectivity, based on the specification information, entity information, policy information, and contract information; and the access information processing unit processes the access information based on the model.

2. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein the boundary point is a connection point between the operators, and the inter-operator cooperation model creation unit models the connection point as a virtual physical device.

3. The network management device according to claim 1, wherein the boundary point is a connection point between the operators, and the inter-operator cooperation model creation unit models the connection point as an NC with the connection point as the terminal point.

4. A network management method for managing a network in which services are provided by multiple service providers, comprising: registering specification information, entity information, policy information, and contract information with other service providers; creating a model based on the specification information, entity information, policy information, and contract information that aggregates layers corresponding to boundary points based on contracts between the service providers as virtual connectivity; and processing access information based on the model.

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