JP2010220161A - Network device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a network device that prevents accidents due to erroneous port recognition during network cable insertion / extraction work, and improves work efficiency.
A network device having a plurality of ports includes an indicator lamp corresponding to each port, a display capable of displaying a character string, lighting and extinguishing of the indicator lamp, and control means for causing the display to display a character string. I have. In addition, the information processing apparatus further includes a database in which setting information related to the network device is stored, searches for a port in the database, turns on and off an indicator lamp corresponding to the searched port, and displays contents related to the search on a display. It can also be displayed.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a network device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a medium-sized or larger-scale network device having a large number of ports, which prevents accidents due to erroneous port recognition in network cable insertion / extraction work and improves work efficiency.

  In a conventional network device, an indicator lamp corresponding to a specific port or chassis is blinked in order to confirm a work target. With the Blue Beacon function of Cisco NX-OS described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2, the hardware component LED blinks so that the local administrator can immediately identify the hardware to be troubleshooted or replaced. be able to. Here, the LEDs of the chassis, fan, selected module, power supply, and crossbar module can be blinked.

  In addition, the SPT-9000A manufactured by Spirent Corporation described in Non-Patent Document 3 has a function of sequentially displaying the IP address, Gateway, temperature, simple error or status information, etc. of each mounted chassis on the front small liquid crystal display. Was.

Blue beacon, [online], [Search March 13, 2009], Internet (URL: http://docwiki.cisco.com/wiki/Cisco_Nexus_7000_Series_NX-OS_Troubleshooting_Guide%2C_Release_4.x_--_Troubleshooting_Tools_and_Methodology#Using_The_Blue_Bea_ Blue beacon, [online], [March 13, 2009 search], Internet (URL: http://www.cisco.com/japanese/warp/public/3/jp/service/manual_j/sw/nex/ (nxtsg / appendixB / 15807_01_appendixb.pdf) Spirent SPT-9000A, [online], [Search on March 13, 2009], Internet (URL: http://www.paralink.com.tw/product/spirent/pdf/Spirent%20TestCenter%20SPT-2000A, (% 20SPT-5000A% 20 &% 20SPT-9000A% 20Chassis.pdf)

  However, in the network devices described in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the medium-sized or larger having a large number of ports is used, an operation from a remote operator can only be performed by an indicator lamp in work involving insertion / extraction of a network cable. The information cannot be accurately conveyed to the worker. As a result, accidents due to network cable misconnections could not be prevented sufficiently. In addition, the display on the liquid crystal display in the network device described in Non-Patent Document 3 only displays various information in order, and does not display information on the inserted cable. For this reason, erroneous insertion of the gable was detected only after a separate continuity test, and the working efficiency was not good.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a network device that prevents an accident due to erroneous port recognition during the insertion / extraction of a network cable and makes the operation more efficient.

  In order to achieve the above object, a network device according to the present invention is a network device having a plurality of ports, an indicator lamp corresponding to each port, a display capable of displaying a character string, and turning on and off the indicator lamp. And control means for displaying a character string on the display.

  In addition, it further comprises a database holding setting information related to the network device, the control means searches the database for the port, and turns on and off the indicator lamp corresponding to the searched port. It is also preferable to display the contents related to the search on the display.

  In addition, it is preferable that a management port connectable to a control network is further provided, and the control means is a management tool connected to the management port via the control network.

  In addition, it is preferable to further include means for acquiring physical continuity and the state of the cable connected to the port and displaying the acquired information on the display.

  It is also preferable to further comprise means for acquiring the logical state of the cable connected to the port and displaying it on the display.

  According to the present invention, an instruction from a remote operator can be accurately transmitted to an operator by a small display incorporated in a network device and an indicator lamp installed in each port, and an accident caused by erroneous insertion / extraction of a network cable can be prevented. At the same time, the continuity test after inserting the cable can be easily performed, and the work efficiency can be improved.

1 shows an overview of a network device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a sequence diagram of a first usage example of a network device according to the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a sequence diagram of a second usage example of the network device according to the present invention. FIG. 9 shows a sequence diagram of a third usage example of the network device according to the present invention.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overview of a network device according to the present invention. The network device 1 includes a port 11 for inserting a network cable, an indicator lamp 12 corresponding to each port and arranged around the port such as an upper part or a lower part, a small display 13 capable of displaying at least a character string, and a management port 14. A management tool 15 capable of controlling the indicator lamp 12 and the small display 13 is connected to the management port 14 via a control network 17 at a remote location. The management tool 15 can control the network device 1 with a terminal such as telnet or a tool such as EMS. The management tool 15 can also access a database 16 in which setting information related to the network device 1 is held.

The management tool 15 can issue the following instructions to the network device 1.
1. The indicator lamp 12 corresponding to an arbitrary port 11 is turned on and off. This command can be made simultaneously for any number of indicator lamps 12.
2. An arbitrary character string is displayed on the small display 13. In addition, the display contents can be changed at an arbitrary time.
3. The database is searched under various conditions, and the indicator lamps 12 corresponding to the ports 11 that match the conditions are collectively operated (turned on and off), and at the same time, the contents related to the search are linked to the small display 13. To display.
4). When a network cable is inserted into the port 11, information such as the signal strength and loss amount of the cable is displayed on the small display 13, and the physical continuity and its state are confirmed.
5. For the port 11 into which the network cable is inserted, the frame type is designated, and the value of the object included in the corresponding frame is displayed on the small display 13 to confirm the logical continuity and the state of the line.

  FIG. 2 shows a sequence diagram of a first use example of the network device according to the present invention. In this example, port identification by VLAN ID is shown.

  The leased line service Service_A used by company A was assigned ID 2009 in the port VLAN. At this time, Company A will stop Service_A, resulting in a cable that does not allow data to flow. Therefore, the corresponding cable will be removed from the viewpoint of operational efficiency. The operator can identify the cable to be removed as follows and notify the operator.

21. In the management tool 15, a port to which the VLAN ID 2009 is assigned is searched.
22. The management tool 15 commands the lighting of the indicator lamp 12 corresponding to the searched port 11. The network device 1 lights the commanded indicator lamp 12.
23. Also, the management tool 15 commands the display of the service name Service_A corresponding to the VLAN ID 2009. The network device 1 displays the instructed service name on the small display 13.

  24. The local worker can visually find the contents displayed on the small display 13 of the network device 1 and find the network device 1 on which the VLAN ID 2009 and the service name Service_A are displayed. And an unnecessary cable can be removed by removing the cable connected to the port 11 corresponding to the indicator lamp 12 which the network apparatus 1 is lit.

  As described above, by using the network device 1 of the present invention, it becomes possible to easily find the network device 1 that needs to be operated, and the port 11 that needs to be operated in this network device 1 has the indicator lamp 12. It can be determined by lighting up, and accidents due to incorrect port recognition can be prevented.

  FIG. 3 shows a sequence diagram of a second usage example of the network device according to the present invention. In this example, a continuity check test when a line is added is shown.

31. In a certain office building, a new service was established, so the line between the devices was expanded. The local equipment worker A told the worker B who is operating the management tool 15 to instruct the port 11 to which the new line is connected.
32. The operator B commands the lighting of the indicator lamp 12 of the target port 11 by the management tool 15. The network device 1 lights the commanded indicator lamp 12.
33. Also, the worker B instructs the management tool 15 to display the port number (ge-2 / 4/10) of the new line. The network device 1 displays the port number (ge-2 / 4/10) on the small display 13.
34. The operator A confirms that the port 11 on which the indicator lamp 12 is lit and the port 11 displayed on the small display 13 match, and connects the cable to the port 11.
35. The worker A confirmed the intensity (dbm) of the optical signal of the connected cable displayed on the small display 13 and the communication method.
When the worker A confirmed the display on the small display 13, the signal intensity value was not a problem, but the communication method was displayed as “half-duplex”. Therefore, the worker A checked the port setting, and found that the Auto-MDI function was turned off and corrected it.
When the worker A confirms the display on the small display 13 again, this time, “full-duplex” is displayed without any problem.

  As described above, in the network device 1 of the present invention, the port 11 that needs to be operated can be determined by lighting the indicator lamp 12, and an accident due to erroneous port recognition can be prevented. Furthermore, the physical connection state of the network can be confirmed immediately, and the work can be made efficient.

  FIG. 4 shows a sequence diagram of a third usage example of the network device according to the present invention. In this example, an LSP (Label Switched Path) addition operation for newly opening a service is shown.

  At a certain station, we decided to add LSPs for new services. The cable is connected and the number of lines is increased by the same method (41 to 44) as in the second usage example.

45. The worker B of the management tool 15 added a new LSP setting to the network device 1. The network device 1 detects that Keep-alive messages such as RSVP and LDP are exchanged with each other, and displays the state of each session on the small display 13.
46. When the device operator A visually observed the small display 13, it was confirmed that all the sessions were in the Up state.
47. The worker B operates the management tool 15 and instructs the network device 1 to display the contents of RRO (Record Route Object) and ERO (Explicit Route Object). The network device 1 displays the contents of RRO and ERO on the small display 13.
48. The device operator A compares the value displayed on the small display 13 with the predetermined LSP route information, and confirms that the LSP route setting is correct.

  As described above, in the network device 1 of the present invention, the logical connection state of the network can be confirmed immediately, and work efficiency can be improved.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, although the indicator lamp 12 was arrange | positioned at the upper part or the lower part of the port 11, it is not limited to this form. For example, it is possible to arrange them on the left and right of the port 11. If the port 11 can be indicated by lighting, the indicator lamp 12 can be set inside the number indicating the port 11 or inside the port 11.

  Further, the management port 14 may be different as long as it can communicate with the outside. For example, the network device 1 can be controlled via a memory card card by using a memory card slot.

  Further, although the database 16 is connected to the management tool 15, it does not have to be at the same location as the management tool 15 as long as the management tool 15 can access it. For example, it can be built in the network device 1.

  Moreover, all the embodiments described above are illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention, and the present invention can be implemented in other various modifications and changes. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Network apparatus 11 Port 12 Indicator lamp 13 Small display 14 Management port 15 Management tool 16 Database 17 Control network

Claims (5)

A network device having a plurality of ports,
An indicator lamp corresponding to each port;
A display capable of displaying strings,
Control means for turning on and off the indicator lamp, and displaying a character string on the display;
A network apparatus comprising: A database in which setting information about the network device is held;
The control means searches the database for the port, turns on and off the indicator lamp corresponding to the searched port, and causes the display to display contents related to the search. The network device according to claim 1. A management port that can be connected to the control network
The network device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means is a management tool connected to the management port via the control network.   4. The network device according to claim 1, further comprising means for acquiring physical continuity and a state of a cable connected to the port and displaying the acquired state on the display. 5. .   5. The network device according to claim 1, further comprising means for acquiring a logical state of a cable connected to the port and displaying the logical state on the display.

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