JP2000231524A - Network computing system, communication control method in the system and storage medium with the method storied therein - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize restoration of a previously accessed page in a reconnection case, access control over the page and a toll charge for the access without damaging operability nor newly adding software to a terminal when accessing a WWW server through dial-up connection from a terminal provided with a browser function. SOLUTION: An access server 120a to be connected to a public network, an authentication server 130, a session management server 140 and a WWW relay server 150 are provided on a network 170, and transmission and reception control with a terminal 110a performing dial-up connection through the public network 180 is performed. This operation can be realized without forcing a user special work nor having to additionally loading new software on the terminal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a WWW (World Wide Web) in a dial-up connection environment.
The present invention relates to a server access technology, and particularly to a communication control method and a communication control method in a network computing system and a network computing system related to measures against line failure, access control to a WWW server, and accounting in a dial-up connection environment. A computer-readable storage medium storing the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in accessing a WWW server in a dial-up connection environment, a dial-up connection may be disconnected due to a line failure. In this case, there are the following methods for reconnecting the line. (1) An error is returned to the WWW browser of the terminal, and the user manually dials up again and repeats the previous operation. (2) The dial-up connection module of the terminal detects a line failure and automatically establishes a dial-up connection. (3) A line failure is detected on the terminal side and the network side,
Recover from line failure by installing software that automatically reconnects. Conventionally, there are the following methods (4) and (5) for controlling the access authority of a WWW page. (4) Setting in WWW Server For some page information stored in the WWW server, access permission / non-permission can be set by a network address or an IP address. When an access request to the corresponding page is issued from the terminal's WWW browser, the terminal's IP
Determine whether the terminal is a permitted terminal from the address, and return the requested information only if permitted. In some cases, access permission / non-permission can be set by a user ID and a password. In this case, when an access request to the corresponding page is generated from the WWW browser of the terminal, the user is authenticated (eg, input of a user ID and a password), and the requested information is returned only when the authentication is successful.

(5) Setting in WWW relay server This is a method of setting the URL of a WWW server that restricts relaying, and returning an error when an access request to the URL is issued from a WWW browser of a terminal. For example, a WW that relays WWW access from an intranet to the Internet
In the W relay server, it is effective as a means for setting access restrictions.

[0004]

However, in the above (1), there is a problem that the user is forced to perform a troublesome operation, and there is also a problem that depending on the WWW browser of the terminal, the terminal may be terminated upon disconnection of the line. there were. The above (2) is, for example, a PC (PersonalC).
Some of the dial-up connection modules of relatively high-performance terminals such as
When the terminal is reconnected, the terminal's IP address is newly assigned, so it cannot receive a response from the WWW server.
Actually, an error is displayed on the WWW browser. The method (3) is a method for solving the problems (1) and (2). However, it is necessary to introduce new software to the terminal, and a simple type in which software cannot be installed is required. It cannot be solved by a terminal or the like. Further, if the line is disconnected while accessing a page that requires user authentication (input of a user ID and a password) and the WWW browser is restarted when reconnecting, the accessed page is followed. It was necessary to input not only the operation but also the user authentication information again. By the way, in the above (4) and (5),
When accessing a WWW server from a terminal in a dial-up connection environment to which an IP address is dynamically assigned,
Access control cannot be provided for each user based on the IP address, and when access to a page subjected to access control occurs, there is no other way than to authenticate the user, and there is a problem that user operation becomes complicated. . Further, in the case of the above (4), after the user ID and the password are input, the session ID is issued to the WWW browser, and the session ID is transmitted to the subsequent WWW page access.
Track user access by adding
There was a way to limit access to pages. However, in this case, there is a problem that it is necessary to make it compatible when creating a WWW page or the WWW browser of the terminal must support the function.

Further, the method of adding the session ID to the WWW page access can be used to acquire a billing log, but cannot deal with a line failure or disconnection, and requires the user to explicitly log out. There was also a problem that it was necessary. Recently, with the development of a wireless / wired communication infrastructure, it has become easy to access a WWW server while moving from a terminal via a dial-up connection, to collect information and to input information. In the future, portable simple terminals provided with a communication function and a WWW browser function are expected to spread, and it is expected that information providing services provided by WWW servers will spread. Therefore, as described in the above related art, the following problem occurs. (1) In a dial-up connection in which an IP address is dynamically assigned, when a connection is re-established after a line failure, a response from a WWW server to a previous request is received, so that work can be continuously performed. (2) Setting restrictions and charging for each user for page access. (3) To realize the functions (1) and (2) with the operability as easy as possible without adding a user operation such as login. Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances,
When the above-mentioned problem is solved, when accessing a WWW server via a dial-up connection from a simplified terminal having a WWW browser function, it is possible to restore a previously accessed page when reconnecting, control access to the page, Network computing system capable of charging for access to a network without impairing operability and without newly installing additional software in a terminal, and communication control in the network computing system It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a computer-readable storage medium storing program information of the communication control method.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a server computer for holding various information and a terminal having a browser function for acquiring desired information from the server computer via a network. In a network computing system, authentication information storage means for storing authentication information for performing authentication processing on the terminal, and detecting the connection status of the terminal to the server computer so that the terminal obtains desired information. An access control management means for performing an authentication process with reference to the authentication information in the authentication information storage means for the access of the terminal and outputting predetermined information regarding the terminal, and a predetermined information output from the access control management means are included. A session information storage unit that stores various session information, and manages and controls the session information storage unit. A session information management unit having a function of identifying a user of the terminal by referring to the session information storage unit; and receiving request information of the terminal transmitted from the access control management unit. Relay means for notifying a session acceptance to the session information management unit, and the session management means receives a session acceptance notification from the relay means and refers to the session information storage unit to identify a user of the terminal. If the relay unit acquires the information corresponding to the request of the terminal from the server computer based on the user identification of the session management unit and transmits the information to the terminal, the relay unit relates to the last part of the transmission information and the terminal. The information is stored in the session management means.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows. (1) A communication environment in which a terminal having a WWW browser connects to a WWW server on a network via a dial-up connection via a WWW relay server to acquire information, and the dial-up connection is performed by an access server and an authentication server. In a system in which user authentication of a terminal, dynamic assignment of an IP address, and network connection are performed,
A session information storage unit that stores IP address information, user ID information, connection state information, and URL information of a page accessed by a terminal WWW browser, and requests from an access server, an authentication server, and a WWW relay server. A session information management unit configured to update data in the session information storage unit in accordance with the method described above. When the terminal performs a dial-up connection, the access server or the authentication server uses the user ID and the dynamic To the session information management unit, and the session information management unit has means for storing, in the session information storage unit, the user ID information for each user, the IP address information, and the connection status information that is being connected. , The WWW relay server is operated by the session relay unit. When receiving a request from the terminal's WWW browser, the session relay unit notifies the session information management unit of the terminal's IP address and session reception information, and the session information management unit Means for updating connection status information for each user to connection completed, wherein the session relay unit obtains a page requested from the WWW browser of the terminal from the WWW server, transmits the page to the WWW browser of the terminal, and manages the session information. The session information management unit notifies the IP address of the terminal and the URL of the accessed page to the unit.
A WWW access relay system includes means for updating URL information for each user in a session information storage unit.

(2) In the above (1), when the dial-up connection with the terminal is disconnected due to a line failure, the access server or the authentication server sends the abnormal disconnection information to the session information management unit. Notifying, the session information management unit deletes the IP address information from the session information storage unit, changes the connection state to disconnection, records the disconnection time, and retains the disconnection time for a certain period of time. If the dial-up connection is re-established within a certain time after the dial-up connection is disconnected due to a line failure,
The access server or the authentication server notifies the session information management unit of the newly assigned IP address and user ID, the session information management unit stores the IP address information in the session information storage unit, and updates the connection state during restoration, Means for deleting the recorded disconnection time,
In response to a request from the terminal WWW browser, the session relay unit notifies the session information management unit of the acceptance of the session using the terminal IP address. The session information management unit refers to the session information storage unit and determines whether the session to be restored is present. If there is, the WWW browser of the terminal returns the URL information of the page accessed last, and the session relay unit obtains the page of the URL from the WWW server and transmits it to the WWW browser of the terminal. To the WWW access relay system, wherein the session information management unit has means for updating the connection status information of the user in the session information storage unit to the connection completion status. is there.

According to the above configurations (1) and (2), when a terminal equipped with a WWW browser is accessing a WWW server via a dial-up connection and a line is disconnected due to a failure or the like. However, at the time of reconnection, the previously accessed page is immediately restored and the operability is improved. (3) In the above (1) and (2), when the dial-up connection with the terminal is normally terminated and disconnected, the access server or the authentication server transmits the connection termination information to the session information management unit. And the session information management unit has means for discarding the user information stored in the session information storage unit. The session information management unit disconnects the user information stored in the session information storage unit. There is provided a WWW access relay system having means for discarding information of a user who has been in a medium state and has passed a predetermined time. According to such a configuration, the terminal provided with the WWW browser can access the WWW via the dial-up connection.
When accessing the W server, if the user terminates the dial-up connection normally and then establishes a dial-up connection again, or if the user establishes a dial-up connection after a certain period of time, the user can access from the initial state.

(4) In the above (1) to (3), the session management server stores a URL access control information storage section in which URL page information and user ID information permitted to access the page are listed. When the request from the WWW browser of the terminal is received, the session relay unit also stores the IP address of the terminal, the information of the session reception, and the URL of the page for which the access was requested, in the session information management unit. The session information management unit compares the notified URL with the URL access control information storage unit and the session information storage unit. If the user accessing from the terminal does not have the access right, the session information management unit transmits the access denied information to the session. In response to the relay unit, if the session relay unit returns information indicating that access is not permitted, the WWW block of the terminal is returned. In WWW access relay system characterized by comprising means for transmitting a page of the access denied Uzza. According to the above configuration, when accessing a WWW server via a dial-up connection from a terminal equipped with a WWW browser, the user can input a user ID and a password without adding an authentication function to a page of the WWW server. In this way, access control to the page can be performed without any trouble, the work of the page creator and the administrator of the WWW server can be reduced, and the operability of the user can be improved.

(5) In the above (1) to (3), the session management server comprises: a URL access charging information storage section in which URL page information and access charging information of the page are written; Is stored, and the session relay unit stores the W
The page requested by the WW browser is obtained from the WWW server and transmitted to the WWW browser of the terminal, and the session information management unit is notified of the IP address of the terminal and the URL of the accessed page.
W means having a means for referring to the L access charging information storage unit and the session report storage unit and updating the user charging information storage unit when the URL is a charging target URL.
It is in the WW access relay system. According to such a configuration, when a terminal equipped with a WWW browser accesses a WWW server via a dial-up connection, the WWW
It is possible to charge for each page without adding an authentication function and a charging function to a server page and without requiring a user to input a user ID and a password.
The work of the creator and manager of the page of the WWW server is reduced, and the operability of the user is also improved. (6) In the above (1) to (3), the IP address information assigned to the terminal, the user ID information, the connection state information, the URL information accessed by the terminal WWW browser, and the page accessed by the terminal WWW browser A session information storage unit storing cache information, and a session management server configured by a session information management unit that updates data in the session information storage unit according to a request from an access server, an authentication server, and a WWW relay server; At the time of the dial-up connection of the terminal, the access server or the authentication server notifies the session information management unit of the user ID used for the authentication of the dial-up connection and the dynamically assigned IP address, and the session information management unit stores the information in the session information storage unit. User ID information and IP for each user
Means for storing address information and connection status information indicating that the connection is being established, wherein the WWW relay server is constituted by a session relay unit, and the session relay unit, when receiving a request from a WWW browser of the terminal, stores the session information; The session information management unit notifies the management unit of the IP address of the terminal, the session reception information, and the requested page.
Means for updating the connection status information for each user in the session information storage unit to connection completed and, when data of the requested page is stored in the cache information, notifying the page information to the session relay unit; The session relay unit compares the page requested by the WWW browser of the terminal with the cache information notified from the session information management unit when acquiring the page from the WWW server.
If the data of the W server has not been updated, the cache data is obtained from the session information management unit and transmitted to the WWW browser of the terminal. If the data of the WWW server has been updated, the data is transmitted from the WWW server. The updated data is obtained and transmitted to the WWW browser, and the IP address of the terminal and mainly the WWW are sent to the session information management unit.
Notify server data, and session information management unit
There is provided a WWW access relay system having means for storing data of a WWW server notified from a W relay unit in cache information of a session information storage unit.

According to such a configuration, when a terminal having a WWW browser having no cache or having a small cache capacity accesses a WWW server via a dial-up connection, a response time is improved. (7) In the above (1) to (3), a session information storage unit storing the IP address information assigned to the terminal, the user ID information, the connection state information, and the URL history information accessed by the WWW browser of the terminal. And a session management server configured by a session information management unit that updates data in the session information storage unit according to a request from the access server, the authentication server, and the WWW relay server. Notifies the session information management unit of the user ID and the dynamically assigned IP address. The session information management unit stores, in the session information storage unit, the user ID information, the IP address information, and the connection status information of the connected user for each user. Storing means, and the WWW relay server is provided with a session relay unit. When receiving a request from the terminal's WWW browser, the session relay unit notifies the session information management unit of the terminal's IP address and session reception information, and the session information management unit Means for updating connection status information for each user to connection completed, wherein the session relay unit obtains a page requested from the WWW browser of the terminal from the WWW server, transmits the page to the WWW browser of the terminal, and manages the session information. The session information management unit notifies the IP address of the terminal and the URL of the accessed page to the unit.
Means for updating URL history information for each user in the session information storage unit, wherein the session relay unit
When a request to acquire URL history information is received from a WW browser, the session information management unit is notified of the terminal IP address and a request to acquire URL history information, and the session information management unit sends the user information from the session information storage unit to the user. And retrieves the URL history information of the
The WWW access relay system is characterized in that the session relay unit has means for transmitting the URL history information notified from the session information management unit to the WWW browser of the terminal.

According to such a configuration, when accessing a WWW server via a dial-up connection from a terminal provided with a WWW browser that does not have URL history information or has poor operability of referencing URL history information, the operability is reduced. Is improved. (8) In the above (1) to (7), a session management server configured by a session information management unit is provided, and a WWW relay server configured by a session information storage unit and a session relay unit is provided. In the WWW access relay system. According to such a configuration, by configuring the same server as the session information storage unit and the session relay unit, the reference time of the session information can be reduced, and the response performance of the entire system can be improved. (9) In the above (1) to (7), there is provided a session management server including a session information management unit and a first session information storage unit, and a second session information storage unit and a session relay unit. Multiple W composed
A WW relay server, and, when a terminal is dial-up connected, an access server or an authentication server notifies the session information management unit of a user ID used for authentication of the dial-up connection and an IP address dynamically assigned to the terminal; The unit has means for storing the user ID information, the IP address information, and the connection status information of the connected state in the first session information storage unit, and the session relay unit of the WWW relay server transmits the session relay unit from the WWW browser of the terminal. When the request is received, a session ID is created, the IP address of the terminal, the session reception information, and the session ID are notified to the session information management unit, and the session information management unit Means for updating connection status information for each connection to connection completed and storing a session ID; When receiving a request from the WWW browser of the terminal, the session relay unit of the WW relay server restores the accessed page described in (2), the cache function described in (6), and the (7) Means for operating the described URL history function by the second session information storage unit, wherein the access server or the authentication server is configured to output the abnormal disconnection information when the dial-up connection with the terminal is disconnected due to a line failure. To the session information management unit, the session information management unit deletes the IP address information from the first session information storage unit,
It has a means for changing the connection state during disconnection, recording the disconnection time, and holding it for a certain period of time, and after the terminal has been disconnected for a dial-up connection due to a line failure, dial-up again within a certain period of time When the connection is established, the access server or the authentication server notifies the session information management unit of the newly assigned IP address and the user ID, and the session information management unit transmits the IP address of the first session information storage unit.
Means for updating the address information and the connection state during restoration, wherein the session relay unit restores the session information management unit to the session information management unit using the terminal IP address in response to a request after reconnection from the terminal's WWW browser. The session information management unit refers to the first session information storage unit, and if there is a session to be restored, returns a session ID, and the session relay unit stores the second session information from the session ID. Referring to the section and restoring the accessed page described in (2) above,
Cache function described in (6) above, U described in (7) above
The access server or the authentication server has means for operating the RL history function, and when the dial-up connection with the terminal is normally terminated and disconnected, the access server or the authentication server notifies the session information management unit of the connection termination information. , The session information management unit has means for destroying the user information stored in the first session information storage unit, and the session information management unit stores the user information stored in the first session information storage unit. Among them, a means for discarding information of a user who is in a disconnected state and a predetermined time has elapsed, the session relay unit includes:
Of the user information held in the second session information storage unit, the information of the user who has passed a certain time was contacted to the session information management unit, and it was confirmed that the information was not stored in the first session information storage unit. There is provided a WWW access relay system having means for discarding the above.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to disperse the WWW relay servers, thereby improving the response performance and expandability of the entire system. (10) In the above (9), when the session relay unit of the WWW relay server receives a request from the WWW browser of the terminal, it creates a session ID, and stores the IP address of the terminal in the session information management unit. The session reception information, the IP address of the WWW relay server, and the session ID are notified, and the session information management unit updates the connection state information for each user in the first session information storage unit to “connection completed”, and the IP address of the WWW relay server. And a means for storing a session ID. When the terminal makes a dial-up connection again within a certain period of time after the dial-up connection is cut off due to a line failure, the access server or the authentication server transmits the newly assigned IP. The session information management unit notifies the session information management unit of the address and the user ID. 1 while updating the IP address information and the connection state of the session information storage unit during restoration, and notifying the access server of the stored IP address of the WWW relay server, wherein the access server comprises a WWW browser of the terminal. A means for transmitting the page requested from the session information management unit to the session relay unit of the WWW relay server notified by the session information management unit.

According to such a configuration, in a system in which a WWW relay server used by a terminal is automatically distributed by a function such as a name server, session information of the terminal is stored even when reconnection is performed after a line failure. WW
The data is automatically relayed to the W relay server, which enables more efficient load distribution. (11) In the above (9), when the session relay unit of the WWW relay server receives a request from the terminal's WWW browser, the session relay unit creates a session ID, and stores the IP address of the terminal in the session information management unit. The session reception information, the IP address of the WWW relay server, and the session ID are notified, and the session information management unit updates the connection state information for each user in the first session information storage unit to “connection completed”, and the IP address of the WWW relay server. And a means for storing a session ID. When the terminal makes a dial-up connection again within a certain period of time after the dial-up connection is cut off due to a line failure, the access server or the authentication server transmits the newly assigned IP. The session information management unit notifies the session information management unit of the address and the user ID. 1 while updating the IP address information and the connection state of the session information storage unit during restoration, and notifying the access server of the stored IP address of the WWW relay server. In response to a request after reconnection from the browser, the session information management unit queries the session information management unit whether there is a session to be restored using the IP address of the terminal, and the session information management unit refers to the first session information storage unit and restores the session. When there is a session, the IP address of the WWW relay server and the session ID are returned, and the session relay unit
If the IP address of the WWW relay server does not match the IP address of the server itself, the session information of the corresponding user is moved from the returned WWW relay server to the second session information storage unit of the server, and the session The means for notifying the information management unit that the IP address of the server, the session ID, and the session information have been moved, and the session information management unit, when notified of the movement of the session information from the session relay unit, stores the first session information. And a means for updating the IP address of the WWW relay server in the WWW access server.

According to such a configuration, in a system in which a WWW relay server used by a terminal is automatically distributed by a function such as a name server, session information of the terminal is stored when the terminal is reconnected after a line failure. Original W
The session can be recovered without being relayed by the WW relay server, and more efficient load distribution can be achieved. (12) In the above (1) to (11), at the time of dial-up connection of the terminal, the access server or the authentication server has means for notifying the session information management unit of the caller number and the dynamically assigned IP address. Then, the session information management unit, the session relay unit, the URL access control information storage unit, and the user billing information storage unit operate the functions described in the above (1) to (11) by using the caller number instead of the user ID. WWW having means for causing
In the access relay system. According to such a configuration, when a terminal equipped with a WWW browser accesses a WWW server via a dial-up connection, the present invention can be realized by terminal-specific information such as a telephone number.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a network computing system according to a first embodiment. This system includes a plurality of terminals 110a and 110b having a WWW browser function, a plurality of access servers 120a and 120b, an authentication server 130, a session management server 140 having a session management function, WWW
A relay server 150, and a plurality of WWW servers 160a,
160b. These access servers 120a and 120b, authentication server 130, session management server 140, WWW relay server 150, and WWW
The servers 160a and 160b are connected via a network 170. The terminals 110a and 110b are for dial-up connection to the access servers 120a and 120b via the public network 180. The terminal 110a,
110b has a WWW browser function, in which the IP address of the WWW relay server 150 is set in advance as a proxy. The access servers 120a, 120
0b has a function of detecting incoming and outgoing of dial-up connection access from the terminals 110a and 110b, and a function of performing user authentication of the access terminal using the authentication server 130 in which user authentication information is stored.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a functional configuration of the session management server 140 and the WWW relay server 150 of the present embodiment. Session management server 140
Is internally provided with a session information management unit 141 and a session information storage unit 142. The WWW relay server 150 includes a session relay unit 151 therein. The operation / action of the above configuration will be described below. First, the WWW browser of the terminal 110a
Normal access to the server 160a and access after a line failure will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. When dial-up connection is started from the WWW browser of the terminal 110a (step S302),
The access server 120a receives a call and performs user authentication using the authentication server 130 (step S304). Then, the access server 120a notifies the session information management unit 141 of the session management server 140 of the user ID and the IP address assigned to the terminal 110a (Step S306). Session information management unit 141
Stores the notified user ID and IP address in the session information storage unit 142, and sets the connection state to "connecting" (step S308). The access server 120a
When the notification to the session information management unit 141 is completed, a request from the WWW browser of the terminal 110a is transmitted to the WWW relay server 150 (Step S310). Then
The session relay unit 151 of the WWW relay server 150 receives the request and notifies the session information management unit 141 of the acceptance of the session (step S312). At this time, an IP address is used to identify the terminal 110a. Upon receiving the notice of accepting the session, the session information management unit 141 identifies the user in the session information storage unit 142 from the IP address of the terminal (step S31).
4) Update the connection state to “connection completed” (step S)
316). The session relay unit 151 transmits the page requested by the WWW browser of the terminal 110a to the WWW server 1
The information is obtained from the terminal 60a and transmitted to the terminal 110a, and the session information management unit 141 is notified of the URL information of the page (step S318). Also at this time, the IP address is used to identify the terminal 110a. Upon receiving the notification of the URL information, the session information management unit 141
The corresponding user in the session information storage unit 142 is specified from the P address (step S320), and the URL information is stored (step S322).

Thereafter, until the dial-up connection is disconnected, the processes related to the above steps S318 to S322 are repeated, and the URL information of the page last accessed by the WWW browser of the terminal 110a is stored in the session information storage unit 142. Will be done. User user stored in the session information storage unit 142 in FIG.
1 is just in this state. On the other hand, when the dial-up connection of the terminal 110a is disconnected due to a line failure or when the user forcibly disconnects the telephone, the following operation is performed. That is, the access server 120a detects that the dial-up connection of the terminal 110a has been abnormally disconnected (step S402), and the session information management unit 1
41 is notified of the IP address assigned to the terminal 110a (step S404). The session information management unit 141 identifies the corresponding user from the session information storage unit 142 based on the notified IP address (Step S406), deletes the IP address column, and records the disconnection time (Step S408). The connection state is updated to "disconnected" (step S410). The user user2 stored in the session information storage unit 142 in FIG. 2 is in this state.

Next, the operation when the user starts the dial-up connection using the terminal 110a again will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When dial-up connection is started again from the WWW browser of the terminal 110a (step S502), the access server 120a receives a call and performs user authentication using the authentication server 130 (step S504). The access server 120a is a session information management unit 141 of the session management server 140.
Is notified of the user ID and the IP address assigned to the terminal 110a (step S506). The session information management unit 141 stores the user information corresponding to the notified user ID in the session information storage unit 142 (S5).
If the connection state is “disconnected” (YES in step S510) (YES in step S510), the notified IP address is stored (step S512), and the connection state is “restoring”.
(Step S514). Then, the disconnection time is deleted (step S516). The user user3 stored in the session information storage unit 142 in FIG. 2 is in this state. Thus, the session relay unit 151 notifies the session information management unit 141 of the acceptance of the session in response to the request from the WWW browser of the terminal 110a (Step S518). Session information management unit 141
Identifies the user stored in the session information storage unit 142 from the notified IP address of the terminal (step S520), and if the connection state is “restoring” (YES in step S522), the URL The information is responded (step S524), and the connection state is updated to “connected” (step S526). Then, the session relay unit 1
51 acquires the URL page to which a response has been sent from the session information management unit 141 from the WWW server 160a, and transmits it to the WWW browser of the terminal 110a.

As described above, when the information of the WWW server 160a is browsed through the dial-up connection using the terminal 110a, even if the dial-up connection is disconnected due to a line failure, the terminal 110a is automatically reconnected. Then, the original page is displayed on the WWW browser of the terminal 110a. For the user information held in the “disconnected” state in the session information storage unit 142, the session information management unit 141 refers to the information on the disconnection time,
By discarding user information after a certain period of time, user information that has not been accessed for a long time after a line failure can be set to the initial state. If the dial-up connection of the terminal 110a ends normally, the access server 120a
By notifying the session information management unit 141 that the user has been normally disconnected, the session information management unit 141 can delete the information of the corresponding user from the session information storage unit 142. FIG. 6 shows a modification of the above embodiment.
2 shows a functional configuration of the WWW relay server 150. The same parts / functions as those in FIG. 2 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. In the case of this modification, the user use
r1 exists in the WWW server 160b to which access is not permitted from the WWW browser of the terminal 110a.
p /// w2. aaa. Access to the page “bbb / ddd /” is restricted as follows (see the flowchart of FIG. 7). Here, it is assumed that the dial-up connection of the terminal 110a has already been completed, and the connection information of the user user1 has been stored in the session information storage unit 142. Also, the URL access control information storage unit 143
Stores a URL and a list of users who can access the URL. In this example, the user user
No. 1 is not registered in the column of the access permitted user of the URL.

The session relay unit 151 of the WWW relay server 150 transmits “http: // w2.
aaa. bbb / ddd / "is received (step S702). Then, the session relay unit 151 sends the IP address and the URL of the terminal 110a to the session information management unit 141 of the session management server 140.
And inquire about access restrictions. The session information management unit 141 stores the notified user IP address of the terminal 110 a and the user user 1 from the session information storage unit 142.
Is specified (step S706). Then, referring to the URL access control information storage unit 143, the user user1
Is not registered as an access-permitted user whose URL has been notified (YES in step S708), an access denial is returned to the session relay unit 151. Thus,
The session relay unit 151 is provided for the session information management unit 14.
When the access denied is notified from No. 1, an access denial page is transmitted to the WWW browser of the terminal 110a (step S710). FIG. 8 shows another modification of the embodiment, and shows the functional configuration of the session management server 140 and the WWW relay server 150. As before, the same parts / functions will be described with the same reference numerals.

"Http:" stored in the WWW server 160b.
// w2. aaa. bbb / ccc. The access to the page to be charged as “html” is recorded as follows (see FIG. 9). It is assumed that the dial-up connection of the terminal 110a has already been completed, and the connection information of the user user1 has been stored in the session information storage unit 141.
It is assumed that the URL of the page to be charged and the charging unit price information are recorded in the URL charging information storage unit 144, and the charging information for each user is recorded in the user charging information storage unit 145. The session relay unit 151 of the WWW relay server 150 transmits “http: //w2.a” from the terminal 110a.
aa. bbb / ccc. html ”(step S902). Then, the session relay unit 151 acquires the page requested by the WWW browser of the terminal 110a from the WWW server 160b and transmits the page to the WWW browser of the terminal 110a (Step S90).
4). Then, the session relay unit 151 notifies the session information management unit 141 of the session management server 140 of the IP address of the terminal 110a and the accessed URL (step S906). Session information management unit 141
Identifies the user user1 from the notified IP address of the terminal 110a and the session information storage unit 142 (step S908). Since the page to be charged can be found by referring to the URL charging information storage unit 144, the user user1 of the user charging information storage unit 145
The accounting unit price of the URL that accessed the accounting information is added (step S910).

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 10 shows a schematic configuration of a network computing system according to a second embodiment. The same parts / functions as those in the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals. This system includes a plurality of terminals 110a and 110b, a plurality of access servers 120a and 120b, an authentication server 130, a session management server 140, and a WWW relay server (1) 1.
52, WWW relay server (2) 156 and a plurality of WWWs
It is composed of servers 160a and 160b.
The access servers 120a, 120b, the authentication server 130, the session management server 140, the WWW relay servers 152, 156, and the WWW servers 160a, 16
0b is connected via a network 170, and the terminals 110a and 110b make a dial-up connection to the access servers 120a and 120b via a public network 180. FIG. 11 shows the session management server 140, the WWW relay server (1) 152, and the WW
5 shows a functional configuration of a W relay server (2) 156. The session management server 140 includes therein a session information management unit 141 and a first session information storage unit 146. The WWW relay server (1) 152 includes a session relay unit 153 and a second session information storage unit 15
And the WWW relay server (2) 156 has a session relay unit 157 and a second session information storage unit 1
58 are provided internally. FIG. 12 shows the information held by the first session information storage unit 146, and FIG. 13 shows the information held by the second session information storage unit 158.

The operation / action of the above configuration will be described below. First, normal access to the WWW server 160a by the WWW browser of the terminal 110a and access after a line failure will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, it is assumed that the IP address of the WWW relay server (1) 152 is set in advance in the WWW browser of the terminal 110a as a proxy. W of terminal 110a
When dial-up connection is started from the WW browser (step S1402 in FIG. 14), the access server 120a
Arrives and performs user authentication using the authentication server 130 (step S1404). The access server 120a is a session information management unit 14 of the session management server 130.
1 is notified of the user ID and the IP address assigned to the terminal 110a (step S1406). Then, the session information management unit 141 stores the notified user ID and IP address in the first session information storage unit 146.
And the connection state is set to “connected” (step S1).
408). When the notification to the session information management unit 141 is completed, the access server 120a
The request from the WWW browser 0a is transmitted to the WWW relay server (1) 152 (step S1410).

The session relay unit 153 of the WWW relay server (1) 152 receives the request, creates a session ID, and notifies the session information management unit 141 of the acceptance of the session (step S1412). At this time, the session ID and the IP address of the server are also notified (step S).
1414, S1416). Session information management unit 141
Upon receiving the notice of accepting the session, specifies the user in the first session information storage unit 146 from the IP address of the terminal (step S1418), and updates the connection state to "connection completed" (step S1420). The session ID and the address of the WWW relay server (1) 152 are also stored. The session relay unit 153 is a terminal
The page requested from the WWW browser is acquired from the WWW server 160a and transmitted to the terminal (step S14).
22), the URL information of the page is stored in the second session information storage unit 154 together with the session ID (step S1424). Thereafter, until the dial-up connection is disconnected, the above steps S1422 and S1422 are performed.
1414 is repeated, and W 110
The URL information of the page last accessed by the WW browser is stored in the second session information storage unit 154. The user user1 stored in the first session information storage unit 146 in FIG. 12 is in this state.

On the other hand, if the dial-up connection of the terminal 110a is disconnected due to a line failure, or if the user forcibly disconnects the telephone, the operation is as shown in FIG.
That is, the access server 120a detects that the dial-up connection of the terminal 110a has been abnormally disconnected (step S1502), and notifies the session information management unit 141 of the terminal 1a.
The IP address assigned to 10a is notified (S1504). Then, the session information management unit 141
Identifies the corresponding user from the first session information storage unit 146 based on the notified IP address (step S1506), deletes the IP address column, and records the disconnection time (step S1508). The connection state is updated to "disconnected" (step S1510). The user user2 stored in the first session information storage unit 146 shown in FIG. 12 is in this state. Next, an operation process when the user starts dial-up connection using the terminal again will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. When dial-up connection is started again from the WWW browser of terminal 110a (step S160)
2) The access server 120a receives a call and the authentication server 1
User authentication is performed by using the user 30 (step S160).
4). Then, the access server 120a notifies the session information management unit 141 of the session management server 140 of the user ID and the IP address assigned to the terminal 110a (step S1606). Then, the session information management unit 141 determines that the user information corresponding to the notified user ID is in the first session information storage unit 146 (YES in step S1608) and the connection state is “disconnected”. (YES in step S1610),
The notified IP address is stored (step S161).
2), the connection state is set to “restoring” (step S161)
4). Further, the disconnection time is deleted (step S161).
6).

The session relay unit 153 is connected to the terminal 110a
In response to the request from the WWW browser, the session information management unit 141 is notified of the acceptance of the session (step S
1618). The session information management unit 141 identifies the user stored in the first session information storage unit 146 from the notified IP address of the terminal (step S1).
620), if the connection state is “restoring” (YES in step S1622), the session ID is returned (step S1624), and the connection state is updated to “connecting” (step S1626). Session relay unit 153
Is stored in the second session information storage unit 1 based on the session ID responded by the session information management unit 141.
The last accessed URL information is extracted from the Web server 54 (step S1628), acquired from the WWW server 160a, and transmitted to the WWW browser of the terminal 110a. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the same thing as the first embodiment can be performed by a plurality of WWW relay servers, and by dispersing the session information storage unit,
It is also possible to reduce the amount of communication with the session management unit during normal access. In a system in which a WWW relay server used by a WWW browser of a terminal is dynamically allocated by a function such as a name server, the access server retains session information in a session information management unit when reconnecting. What is necessary is just to send a WWW access request to the WWW relay server to which the relay server has been inquired.

When the access server cannot be improved as described above, a method of moving the session information from another WWW relay server is effective. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be applied to general WWW access in a dial-up connection environment.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, WW
When accessing a WWW server via a dial-up connection from a terminal equipped with a W browser function, a previously accessed page can be easily restored at the time of reconnection, access control to the page, and charging control for access to the page. Can be easily performed. Moreover, this operation can be realized without forcing the user to perform any special operation and without having to newly install additional software on the terminal.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an entire system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a functional configuration of a session management server and a WWW relay server according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of a normal access process to a WWW server by a WWW browser of a terminal according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of an access process after a line failure according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart showing an operation process when the user starts dial-up connection using the terminal again according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary view showing a functional configuration of a session management server and a WWW relay server according to a modification of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a WWW in which a user is not permitted to access from a WWW browser of a terminal according to a modification of the embodiment;
9 is a flowchart illustrating a restriction on access to a page in a server.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary view showing a functional configuration of a session management server and a WWW relay server according to another modification of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of an access process to a page to be charged in the WWW server according to another modification of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of an entire system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary view schematically showing a functional configuration of a session management server and a WWW relay server according to the embodiment;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary view showing information held in a first session information storage unit according to the embodiment;

FIG. 13 is an exemplary view showing information held by a second session information storage unit according to the embodiment;

FIG. 14 is an exemplary flowchart showing the flow of normal access processing to the WWW server by the WWW browser of the terminal according to the embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a flow of an access process after a line failure according to the embodiment;

FIG. 16 is an exemplary flowchart showing an operation process when the user starts a dial-up connection again using the terminal according to the embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

110a, 110b terminal, 120a, 120b access server, 130 authentication server, 140 session server, 141 session information management unit, 142 session information storage unit, 143 URL access control information storage unit, 144 URL charging Information storage unit, 145: user billing information storage unit, 146: first session information storage unit, 150, 152, 156 ... WWW relay server, 15
1 ... session relay unit, 153, 157 ... session relay unit, 154, 158 ... second session information storage unit
160a, 160b: WWW server, 170: network, 180: public network

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference)

Claims (16)

[Claims] In a network computing system comprising a server computer holding various information and a terminal having a browser function for acquiring desired information from the server computer via a network, an authentication process for the terminal is performed. Authentication information storage means for storing authentication information for performing, and the terminal detects a connection status to the server computer in order to obtain desired information, and stores authentication information of the authentication information storage means for access of the terminal. An access control management means for performing authentication processing by referring to the terminal and outputting predetermined information about the terminal; a session information storage unit for storing various session information including predetermined information output from the access control management means; A session information management unit that manages and controls the session information storage unit A session management unit having a function of specifying a user of the terminal by referring to the session information storage unit; and receiving the request information of the terminal transmitted from the access control management unit and accepting a session to the session information management unit. Relay means for notifying, wherein the session management means receives a session acceptance notification from the relay means, identifies the user of the terminal by referring to the session information storage unit, and wherein the relay means When information corresponding to the request of the terminal is obtained from the server computer and transmitted to the terminal based on the user specification of the means, the last part of the transmission information and information relating to the terminal are stored in the session information management means. A network computing system characterized by the above. 2. The server according to claim 1, wherein said authentication information storage means, said access control management means, said session management means, and said relay means exist on the same network as said server computer. Network computing system. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said access control management means, when detecting abnormal disconnection of said terminal to said network, sends information relating to said disconnection to said session management means. Or the network computing system according to claim 2. 4. After the abnormal disconnection of the terminal, if the terminal is accessed again, referring to the session management means, the request information of the terminal and remaining information that could not be transmitted before the disconnection. 4. The network computing system according to claim 3, wherein the transmission of the message to the terminal can be continued. 5. The session information storage unit stores access necessity information of the terminal with respect to various information stored in the server computer. Based on the access necessity information, the relay unit transmits the information from the terminal. 3. The network computing system according to claim 1, wherein a reply process to the request information is performed. 6. The session information storage unit stores billing information relating to the access of the terminal to various information stored in the server computer. The billing information is stored in accordance with the terminal's access to the information. The network computing system according to claim 1, wherein the network computing system is updated. 7. In a network computing system environment comprising a WWW server computer holding various types of information and a terminal having a browser function for obtaining desired information from the WWW server computer via a public network, The terminal detects the connection status to the server computer in order to obtain desired information, and performs authentication processing for access of the terminal by referring to authentication information in an authentication information storage unit for network connection with the server computer. And outputs various types of session information including the output predetermined information, identifies the user of the terminal by referring to the session information, and receives the request information of the terminal to receive a session. Notify the acceptance, receive this session acceptance notice and refer to the session information above When the user of the terminal is specified, and information corresponding to the request of the terminal is obtained from the server computer and transmitted to the terminal based on the user specification, a final part of the transmission information and information relating to the terminal are stored. A communication control method in a network computing system. 8. The communication control method in a network computing system according to claim 7, wherein when the abnormal disconnection of the terminal to the network is detected, information relating to the disconnection is stored. 9. When the terminal is accessed again after abnormal disconnection of the terminal, referring to the stored information, the remaining information which is request information of the terminal and which could not be transmitted before disconnection is referred to. 9. The communication control method in a network computing system according to claim 8, wherein transmission is possible to said terminal. 10. The terminal according to claim 5, further comprising a step of storing access necessity information of the terminal for various information stored in the server computer, and performing a reply process to the request information from the terminal based on the access necessity information. The communication control method in the network computing system according to claim 7, wherein 11. Charging information relating to access of the terminal to various information stored in the server computer is stored, and the charging information is updated according to the access of the terminal to the information. The communication control method in the network computing system according to claim 7, 8, 9, or 10, wherein 12. A network computer used in a network computing system environment comprising a WWW server computer holding various information and a terminal having a browser function for obtaining desired information from the WWW server computer via a public network. A storage medium in which program information of a communication control method in a storage system is stored, wherein the terminal detects a connection status to the server computer in order to obtain desired information; A function of performing authentication processing by referring to authentication information in an authentication information storage unit for network connection with the server computer and outputting predetermined information regarding the terminal; and storing various session information including the output predetermined information. And the user of the above terminal is identified by referring to this session information. A function of receiving request information of the terminal and notifying a session acceptance; a function of receiving the session acceptance notification and referring to the session information to identify a user of the terminal; When the information corresponding to the request of the terminal is obtained from the server computer based on the user specification and transmitted to the terminal, the program information of the function for storing the last part of the transmission information and the information related to the terminal is included. A stored computer-readable storage medium. 13. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, having a function of storing information relating to the disconnection of the terminal when the terminal detects an abnormal disconnection to the network. 14. When the terminal is again accessed after abnormal disconnection of the terminal, referring to the storage information,
14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, having a function of enabling transmission of the remaining information, which is request information of the terminal and could not be transmitted before the disconnection, to the terminal. 15. A function of storing access necessity information of the terminal for various information stored in the server computer, and a function of performing a reply process to request information from the terminal based on the access necessity information. 13. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, comprising: 16. A function of storing billing information relating to the access of the terminal to various information stored in the server computer, and a function of updating the billing information in response to the terminal accessing the information. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the storage medium comprises: