CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a National Stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/JP2019/007129, having an International Filing Date of Feb. 25, 2019, which claims priority to Japanese Application Serial No. 2018-032459, filed on Feb. 26, 2018. The disclosure of the prior application is considered part of the disclosure of this application, and is incorporated in its entirety into this application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method of providing a DHCP server in a virtual customer premises equipment (CPE) that is obtained by integrating functions of a CPE on a virtualization platform of a network of a service provider.

BACKGROUND ART

A wide variety of functions of a CPE installed in premises of a service subscriber are integrated into a network of a service provider as a virtual CPE so that each of the functions is provided using a virtualization technology.FIG. 1illustrates a configuration example including the virtual CPE (vCPE). In the example illustrated inFIG. 1, a virtual CPE20provides a service to an on-premises NW via an access network30and a CPE10.

As illustrated inFIG. 1, a dynamic DHCP server operates on the virtual CPE20. In response to an IP address-dispensing request from a terminal of the premises (client), the DHCP server of the virtual CPE20dispenses an IP address.

Various functions of the virtual CPE20, such as the DHCP server, operate on VMs that is the same or different virtual environments to achieve redundancy, and the service is continued by switching the VMs when the function at the time of normality stops. An example in which the DHCP server switches from a VM1to a VM2is illustrated inFIG. 2.

CITATION LIST

Non Patent Literature

NPL 1: “ETSI GS NFV 001 V1.1.1 (2013-10) Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV): Use Cases”, http://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_gs/NFV/001_099/001/01.01.01_60/gs_NFV001v010101p.pdf, searched on Feb. 19, 2018

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Technical Problem

In a redundant method of a related art such as illustrated inFIG. 2, the on-premises NW is no longer able to communicate with the DHCP server of a preliminary VM when a disconnection occurs in the access network30between the CPE10and the virtual CPE20or when a defect occurs on a virtual platform that manages a preliminary VM such as a host OS and a virtual switch.

As a result, a problem may arise where a network device such as a file server or a network printer becomes unusable since an IP address is not dispensed when a lease period of the IP address is expired in a terminal of the on-premises NW under control of the CPE10or when the terminal newly joins the network.

The present disclosure is made in view of the foregoing, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that enables, in an environment in which the CPE is connected to the virtual CPE having the DHCP server via the access network, a terminal under control of the CPE to receive “address dispensing” even when the CPE cannot communicate with the DHCP server in the virtual CPE.

Means for Solving the Problem

According to a disclosed technology, there is provided a communication apparatus connected to a virtual apparatus having an address dispensing function via an access network, wherein the communication apparatus includes

a communication confirmation unit configured to perform a communication confirmation between the virtual apparatus and the communication apparatus; and

an address dispensing unit configured to dispense an address to a user terminal under control of the communication apparatus when communication between the virtual apparatus and the communication apparatus is not able to be confirmed by the communication confirmation unit, and

the address dispensing unit causes the user terminal to forcibly release the address when the communication between the virtual apparatus and the communication apparatus is able to be confirmed by the communication confirmation unit.

Effects of the Invention

According to a disclosed technology, a technology is provided that enables, in an environment in which a CPE is connected to a virtual CPE having a DHCP server via an access network, a terminal under control of the CPE to receive the address dispensing even when the CPE cannot communicate with the DHCP server in the virtual CPE.

