JP7520185B1 - COMMUNICATION CONTROL DEVICE, COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD, AND COMMUNICATION CONTROL PROGRAM - Google Patents

Abstract

By configuring the on-premise environment, it is possible to control the cost of outbound data transfer in a cloud environment so that it does not exceed the budget.
A communication control device 10 calculates a threshold value for the communication speed of request communication during a target period from a ratio between the communication volume of request communication sent from a connection source device to a cloud server 40 and the communication volume of response communication sent from the cloud server 40 to the connection source device, and a target value for the communication volume of response communication. The communication control device 10 limits the communication speed of request communication during the target period using the threshold value.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

This disclosure relates to a technology that keeps the amount of data sent from a cloud server below a certain level.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of systems being built in hybrid cloud environments that combine on-premise and cloud environments.
Cloud environments are often based on a pay-as-you-go system according to usage. Pay-as-you-go systems make it difficult to predict costs. For example, when testing in system development, it is difficult to predict costs because usage varies depending on the test phase or test item. On the other hand, cloud environment contractors often want to secure the necessary budget for the cloud environment in advance and not exceed the secured budget. Although cloud environment contractors use the cloud environment carefully not to exceed the budget, unexpected costs can occur due to reasons such as incorrect cloud environment settings, on-premise environment settings, and application malfunctions.

The costs associated with using a cloud environment are billed for three main components: computing, storage, and outbound data transfer. For outbound data transfer, charges are based on outbound communication traffic, i.e. traffic sent from the cloud server.

Patent document 1 describes how an expected number of communications is set on the condition that communication costs do not exceed a budget, and if the number of communications is likely to exceed the expected number of communications, the rules for data transmission are updated.

JP 2020-188397 A

In order to prevent the cost of outbound data transfer in a cloud environment from exceeding the budget, it is possible to use the technology described in Patent Literature 1. However, restricting outbound communication on the cloud environment side requires complex settings.
The present disclosure aims to make it possible to control the costs of outbound data transfer in a cloud environment so that they do not exceed budget by configuring the on-premises environment.

The communication control device according to the present disclosure includes:
a data collection unit that identifies a traffic volume of a request communication transmitted from a connection source device to a cloud server and a traffic volume of a response communication transmitted from the cloud server to the connection source device;
The data collection unit includes a communication control unit that controls a transmission amount of the request communication based on the communication amount of the request communication and the communication amount of the response communication specified by the data collection unit.

In the present disclosure, the communication speed of the request communication is limited based on the communication volume of the request communication and the communication volume of the response communication. This makes it possible to control the cost of outbound data transfer in the cloud environment so that it does not exceed the budget by changing the settings on the on-premise environment side without changing the settings of the cloud environment.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a communication control system 100 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of basic functions of the communication control system 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a communication control device 10 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a band control device 20 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the operation of the communication control system 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a definition file 131 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of operation data 132 according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart of a process of the communication control device 10 according to the first embodiment. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a correction determination process according to the first embodiment. 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams of a threshold correction process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a case of load leveling according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a case of load leveling according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a case of load leveling according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a case of load fluctuation according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a case of load fluctuation according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a case of load fluctuation according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a definition file 131 according to the third embodiment. 11 is a flowchart of a process of the communication control device 10 according to the third embodiment.

Embodiment 1.
***Configuration Description***
The configuration of a communication control system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The communication control system 100 is realized in a hybrid cloud environment that uses both an on-premise environment 200 and a public cloud environment 300. The on-premise environment 200 includes a control on-premise environment 210 and a system on-premise environment 220. The public cloud environment 300 is a cloud environment in which a pay-as-you-go system is used according to the amount of usage.

In the on-premise environment for control 210, a communication control device 10 and one or more bandwidth control devices 20 are installed. In FIG. 1, two bandwidth control devices 20, a bandwidth control device 20A and a bandwidth control device 20B, are installed. In the on-premise environment for system 220, an on-premise server 30 is installed. In the public cloud environment 300, a cloud server 40 is installed.

The communication control device 10 is connected to each band control device 20 via a transmission path such as a LAN. LAN is an abbreviation for Local Area Network. The band control device 20A is connected to the on-premise server 30 via a gateway device 31. The band control device 20B is connected to a terminal 50 used by a user via a network such as the Internet. Each band control device 20 is connected to an endpoint 41 of the public cloud environment 300 via a transmission path such as a dedicated line or VPN, and is connected to the cloud server 40 via the endpoint 41.

The communication control device 10 controls each bandwidth control device 20 to control the amount of outbound communication of the cloud server 40, i.e., the amount of data transmitted from the cloud server 40. In the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the communication control device 10 controls the bandwidth control device 20A to limit request communication from the on-premise server 30 to the cloud server 40, thereby limiting response communication from the cloud server 40 to the on-premise server 30. The communication control device 10 also controls the bandwidth control device 20B to limit request communication from the terminal 50 to the cloud server 40, thereby limiting response communication from the cloud server 40 to the terminal 50.
Here, the on-premise server 30 and the terminal 50 that communicate with the cloud server 40 are collectively referred to as a connection source device. In other words, the communication control device 10 controls each bandwidth control device 20 to restrict request communication from the connection source device to the cloud server 40, thereby restricting response communication from the cloud server 40 to the connection source device.

The configuration of the communication control device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The communication control device 10 is a computer.
The communication control device 10 includes the following hardware components: a processor 11, a memory 12, a storage 13, and a communication interface 14. The processor 11 is connected to other hardware components via signal lines and controls the other hardware components.

The communication control device 10 includes, as functional components, a definition reading unit 111, a target setting unit 112, a threshold calculation unit 113, a communication restriction unit 114, a data collection unit 115, and a determination unit 116. The functions of the functional components of the communication control device 10 are realized by software.
The storage 13 stores programs that realize the functions of each functional component of the communication control device 10. These programs are loaded into the memory 12 by the processor 11 and executed by the processor 11. In this way, the functions of each functional component of the communication control device 10 are realized.

The storage 13 stores a definition file 131 and operational data 132.

The configuration of the band control device 20 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The bandwidth control device 20 is a computer. The bandwidth control device 20 may be a server or a network device such as a router.
The bandwidth control device 20 includes the following hardware components: a processor 21, a memory 22, a storage 23, and a communication interface 24. The processor 21 is connected to other hardware components via signal lines and controls the other hardware components.

The band control device 20 includes, as its functional components, a control unit 211 and a monitoring unit 212. The functions of the functional components of the band control device 20 are realized by software.
The storage 23 stores programs that realize the functions of each functional component of the bandwidth control device 20. The programs are loaded into the memory 22 by the processor 21 and executed by the processor 21. In this way, the functions of each functional component of the bandwidth control device 20 are realized.

The memory 22 realizes a queue 221 for storing data received from the connection source device and to be transmitted to the cloud server 40. The storage 23 stores setting contents 231. The communication interface 24 realizes a receiving unit A that receives data from the connection source device, a transmitting unit A that transmits data to the connection source device, a receiving unit B that receives data from the cloud server 40, and a transmitting unit B that transmits data to the cloud server 40. The communication interface 24 also realizes a management interface that communicates with the communication control device 10.

Processors 11 and 21 are ICs that perform processing. IC stands for Integrated Circuit. Specific examples of processors 11 and 21 are a CPU, DSP, and GPU. CPU stands for Central Processing Unit. DSP stands for Digital Signal Processor. GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit.

Memories 12 and 22 are storage devices that temporarily store data. Specific examples of memories 12 and 22 are SRAM and DRAM. SRAM stands for Static Random Access Memory. DRAM stands for Dynamic Random Access Memory.

Storages 13 and 23 are storage devices that store data. A specific example of storages 13 and 23 is a HDD. HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive. Storages 13 and 23 may also be portable recording media such as an SD (registered trademark) memory card, CompactFlash (registered trademark), NAND flash, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk, or a DVD. SD stands for Secure Digital. DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disk.

The communication interfaces 14 and 24 are interfaces for communicating with external devices. Specific examples of the communication interfaces 14 and 24 are Ethernet (registered trademark), USB, and HDMI (registered trademark) ports. USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. HDMI is an abbreviation for High-Definition Multimedia Interface.

In FIG. 3, only one processor 11 is shown. However, there may be multiple processors 11, and the multiple processors 11 may work together to execute programs that realize each function. Similarly, in FIG. 4, only one processor 21 is shown. However, there may be multiple processors 21, and the multiple processors 21 may work together to execute programs that realize each function.

In FIG. 1, separate band control devices 20 are provided for communication with the on-premise server 30 and communication with the terminal 50. In other words, a separate band control device 20 is provided for each communication purpose. However, it is also possible for one band control device 20 to handle multiple communication purposes. In this case, the band control device 20 needs to have an interface for each communication purpose. Specifically, the band control device 20 needs to have a set of receiving unit A, receiving unit B, and transmitting unit A, transmitting unit B for each communication purpose. In addition, the band control device 20 needs to have a queue 221 for each communication purpose.

*** Operation Description ***
The operation of the communication control system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
The operation procedure of the communication control system 100 according to the first embodiment corresponds to the communication control method according to the first embodiment. Moreover, the program that realizes the operation of the communication control system 100 according to the first embodiment corresponds to the communication control program according to the first embodiment.

An overview of the operation of the communication control system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The following process (a) is executed for each communication purpose.
(a) Based on the budget plan for a reference period, the communication control device 10 sets in the definition file 131 target values for the communication volume of response communications for each of a plurality of divided periods into which the reference period is divided. Here, the reference period is set to one month, and each divided period is set to one day. For example, based on the budget plan for April, the communication control device 10 sets in the definition file 131 target values for the communication volume of response communications for each day from April 1 to April 30.

On the target day, the following processes (b) to (e) are executed for each communication purpose.
(b) The communication control device 10 calculates a threshold communication speed for request communication on a target day based on the ratio between the amount of communication for request communication and the amount of communication for response communication and the target value for the amount of communication for response communication on a target day (target period) set in the definition file 131.
(c) The communication control device 10 sets a threshold value in the bandwidth control device 20 to limit the communication speed of the request communication.
(d) The communication control device 10 acquires data from the bandwidth control device 20 and identifies the data amounts of the request communication and the response communication. As will be described later, the communication control device 10 calculates the data amounts of the request communication and the response communication from the acquired data.
(e) The communication control device 10 corrects the threshold value in accordance with the ratio between the data amount of the request communication and the data amount of the response communication, and returns to the process of (c).

The definition file 131 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The definition file 131 includes a communication volume target value and an operation time for each date.
The target value of the communication volume is the target value of the communication volume of the response communication on the target day. The operating time is the operating time of the system on the target day.
The communication volume target value is calculated from the monthly budget plan. Specifically, the communication volume target value for each day is set so that the sum of the communication volume target values for each day included in the reference period of one month does not exceed the communication volume limit value for response communication in one month. The communication volume limit value for response communication in one month is the communication volume that can be communicated within the outbound data transfer budget for one month.

For example, the target value of the communication volume is calculated as follows.
It is assumed that the budget plan for the usage fee of the public cloud environment 300 is 100,000 yen per month. Here, it is assumed that the costs related to the use of the public cloud environment 300 are three major elements: computing, storage, and outbound data transfer. It is assumed that computing costs 50,000 yen per month, storage costs 30,000 yen per month, and other elements besides the three major elements cost 10,000 yen per month. Therefore, the budget for outbound data transfer is the remaining 10,000 yen.
Assume that the cost of outbound data transfer is 15 yen per GB. GB is Gigabytes.
This is an abbreviation for Byte. Therefore, with a budget of 10,000 yen, response communication of approximately 667 GB is possible. Suppose there are only 20 business days in January. Then, response communication of approximately 33 GB (= 667 GB / 20 days) is possible per day. As a result, the target value for communication volume for each day is 33 GB.

When there is one use of the communication to be controlled, the target value of the communication volume for that day can be used as is. However, as shown in Figure 1, when there are two or more uses of the communication to be controlled, it is necessary to distribute the target value of the communication volume for that day to each use and calculate the target value for each use. For example, it is possible to distribute the target value of the communication volume for that day to each use according to the ratio of the past communication volume for each use.

If business hours vary depending on business days, the target value for communication volume for each day may be set taking into account the business hours. Specifically, the target value for communication volume may be set to be larger the longer the business hours on a day. Also, if it is known from past operational results that the volume of response communication will be large on a particular day, the target value for that day may be set to be larger.

The operational data 132 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The operational data 132 is data related to traffic data between the connection source device and the cloud server 40. The operational data 132 includes, for each time stamp, a request communication volume, a request communication speed, a response communication volume, and a response communication speed.
Here, the timestamp is set every minute. The request communication volume is the communication volume of request communication actually performed during the one minute indicated by the timestamp. The request communication speed is the communication speed of request communication during the one minute indicated by the timestamp. The response communication volume is the communication volume of response communication actually performed during the one minute indicated by the timestamp. The response communication speed is the communication speed of response communication during the one minute indicated by the timestamp.

The request traffic is determined by a counter value of the request traffic acquired from the band control device 20 by SNMP polling.
Specifically, the request communication amount is calculated by the data collection unit 115 as follows: Request communication amount [GB] = "previously acquired counter value [GB] - currently acquired counter value [GB]".
The request communication speed [Gbps] is calculated by "request communication amount [GB] x 8 [bits] / 60 [seconds]", where Gbps is an abbreviation for Giga bits per second.
The response communication volume is specified by the counter value of the response communication acquired from the bandwidth control device 20 by SNMP polling. Specifically, the response communication volume is calculated by the data collection unit 115 as follows: Response communication volume [GB] = "previously acquired counter value [GB] - currently acquired counter value [GB]".
The response communication speed [Gbps] is calculated by "response communication volume [GB] x 8 [bits] / 60 [seconds]".

The process of the communication control device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
8 is executed for each purpose of communication to be controlled. Here, it is assumed that the definition file 131 is set in advance. In the following description, the target day means the day on which the process is executed.

(Step S101: Definition reading process)
The definition reading unit 111 reads the definition file 131 from the storage 13 .

(Step S102: Time Determination Process)
The definition reading unit 111 determines whether the current time is within the system operating time. If the current time is within the system operating time, the definition reading unit 111 advances the process to step S103. If not, the definition reading unit 111 executes the process of step S101 again after a certain time has elapsed.

(Step S103: Goal setting process)
The target setting unit 112 sets a target value for the communication volume of the response communication. Then, the target setting unit 112 calculates a target speed, which is a target for the communication speed of the response communication, from the target value of the communication volume.
Specifically, the target setting unit 112 acquires the communication volume and operation time for the target day from the definition file 131 read in step S101. The target setting unit 112 sets the acquired communication volume as a target value for the communication volume for the target day. The target setting unit 112 divides the target value for the communication volume for the target day by the number of seconds of operation time to calculate a target speed of response communication for the target day.

(Step S104: Threshold calculation process)
The threshold calculation unit 113 calculates a threshold for the communication speed of request communication on a target day based on the ratio between the amount of communication of request communication and the amount of communication of response communication previously identified by the data collection unit 115 and a target value for the amount of communication of response communication.
Specifically, the threshold calculation unit 113 reads data on a past day corresponding to the target day from the operational data 132. Here, the same day as the target day in the previous month is set as the past day corresponding to the target day. In other words, if the target day is April 1, 2023, the past day corresponding to the target day is March 1, 2023. The threshold calculation unit 113 calculates the ratio between the communication volume of request communication and the communication volume of response communication (= communication volume of request communication/response communication) on the past day corresponding to the target day.
Then, the threshold calculation unit 113 calculates the target value of the communication volume of the request communication based on the calculated ratio and the target value of the communication volume of the response communication. Here, the threshold calculation unit 113 calculates the target value of the communication volume of the request communication by multiplying the target value of the communication volume of the response communication by the ratio. Then, the threshold calculation unit 113 calculates the threshold value of the communication speed of the request communication on the target day by dividing the target value of the communication volume of the request communication by the number of seconds of the operating time. Note that the threshold calculation unit 113 may calculate the threshold value of the communication speed of the request communication on the target day by multiplying the target speed of the response communication on the target day by the ratio.

(Step S105: Update determination process)
The communication restriction unit 114 determines whether or not the threshold calculated in the most recent step S104 is different from the threshold set in the band control device 20. If they are different, the communication restriction unit 114 advances the process to step S106. On the other hand, if they are the same, the communication restriction unit 114 advances the process to step S107.

(Step S106: Communication restriction process)
The communication restriction unit 114 sets the threshold calculated in step S104 in the band control device 20, thereby restricting the communication speed of the request communication.
Specifically, the communication restriction unit 114 transmits the threshold value to the bandwidth control device 20 via the communication interface 14. Then, the control unit 211 of the bandwidth control device 20 receives the threshold value via the management interface. The control unit 211 writes the threshold value into the setting contents 231, and performs delay control of the queue 221 based on the threshold value. In other words, the control unit 211 delays, by the queue 221, the process of causing the transmission unit B to transmit data received from the connection source device by the reception unit A to the cloud server 40. As a result, the transmission speed of data from the connection source device to the cloud server 40 is controlled to be the target speed indicated by the threshold value.
It is assumed that queue 221 has a certain depth so that packets of data received by receiving unit A are not dropped.

(Step S107: Data collection process)
The data collection unit 115 collects traffic data between the connection source device and the cloud server 40 .
Specifically, the data collection unit 115 collects traffic data from the bandwidth control device 20 by SNMP polling. The traffic data includes data of request communications and data of response communications. The data item to be collected is a counter value of the number of bytes of traffic data communicated by the bandwidth control device 20. In other words, the data collection unit 115 collects a counter value of the number of bytes of request communications and a counter value of the number of bytes of response communications.

(Step S108: Data writing process)
The data collection unit 115 adds data to the historical data 132 based on the counter value of the number of bytes of the request communication and the counter value of the number of bytes of the response communication collected in step S115. The calculation method for each item of the historical data 132 is as described with reference to FIG.

(Step S109: Correction determination process)
The determination unit 116 determines whether or not the threshold needs to be corrected based on the ratio between the communication volume of the request communication and the communication volume of the response communication written in step S108. If the threshold needs to be corrected, the determination unit 116 returns the process to step S104 to correct the threshold. If the threshold has been corrected, the communication speed of the request communication is limited based on the threshold corrected in step S106. On the other hand, if the determination unit 116 determines that the threshold does not need to be corrected, the process proceeds to step S110.
A method for determining whether or not the threshold needs to be corrected and a method for correcting the threshold will be described later.

(Step S110: Elapsed time determination process)
The determination unit 116 determines whether or not a reference time has elapsed since the process of step S103 was executed. The reference time is a time set in advance. The reference time is, for example, five minutes. If the reference time has elapsed, the determination unit 116 advances the process to step S111. On the other hand, if the reference time has not elapsed, the determination unit 116 returns the process to step S107 one minute after the previous execution of the process of step S107, and causes traffic data to be collected again.

(Step S111: Operation time determination process)
The determination unit 116 determines whether the current time is within the system operating time. If the current time is within the system operating time, the determination unit 116 returns the process to step S107. On the other hand, if the current time is not within the system operating time, the determination unit 116 ends the process.

The correction determination process (step S109 in FIG. 8) according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The determining unit 116 determines whether or not the threshold needs to be corrected based on a combination of the result of comparing the traffic volume of the request communication with the threshold and the result of comparing the traffic volume of the response communication with the target value.

Specifically, the determining unit 116 determines whether the traffic volume of the request communication is less than a threshold value or whether the traffic volume of the request communication is approximately the same as the threshold value.
Here, the determination unit 116 uses the allowable width Δ to determine that the communication volume of request communication is less than the threshold when the communication volume of request communication is < (threshold - Δ). Furthermore, the determination unit 116 determines that the communication volume of request communication is approximately the same as the threshold when the communication volume of request communication ≥ (threshold - Δ) and the communication volume of request communication ≤ (threshold + Δ). Note that since the communication speed is limited using the threshold, it is assumed that the communication volume of request communication will never be > (threshold + Δ).

Furthermore, the determining unit 116 determines whether the communication volume of the response communication is less than the target value, whether the communication volume of the response communication is approximately the same as the target value, or whether the communication volume of the response communication is greater than the target value.
Here, the determination unit 116 uses the allowable width Δ to determine that the communication volume of response communication is less than the target value when the communication volume of response communication<(target value-Δ). Furthermore, the determination unit 116 determines that the communication volume of response communication is approximately the same as the target value when the communication volume of response communication≧(target value-Δ) and the communication volume of response communication≦(target value+Δ). Furthermore, the determination unit 116 determines that the communication volume of response communication is greater than the target value when the communication volume of response communication>(target value+Δ).

Then, the determination unit 116 determines that the threshold needs to be corrected when the ratio between the amount of communication for quest communication and the amount of communication for response communication is found to have changed among the six combinations of the determination results. In other words, the determination unit 116 determines that the threshold needs to be corrected in the following cases A to D.
Case A: The communication volume of request communication<(threshold value-Δ), the communication volume of response communication≧(target value-Δ), and the communication volume of response communication≦(target value+Δ).
Case B: The communication volume of the request communication is less than (threshold value - Δ) and the communication volume of the response communication is greater than (target value + Δ).
Case C: The communication volume of request communication is equal to or larger than (threshold value-Δ), and the communication volume of request communication is equal to or smaller than (threshold value+Δ), and the communication volume of response communication is smaller than (target value-Δ).
Case D: The communication volume of request communication is equal to or larger than (threshold value-Δ), and the communication volume of request communication is equal to or smaller than (threshold value+Δ), and the communication volume of response communication is greater than (target value+Δ).

In cases B and D, the communication volume of response communication exceeds the target value, so the threshold needs to be lowered. In case A, the communication volume of response communication does not currently exceed the target value, but if the communication volume of request communication increases, the communication volume of response communication will exceed the target value, so it is desirable to lower the threshold. In case C, the communication volume of request communication is suppressed more than necessary, so it is desirable to raise the threshold.
In the cases B, C, and D, the threshold calculation unit 113 calculates a corrected threshold by adding a correction value obtained by subtracting the communication volume of response communication from the target value and multiplying the result by the coefficient α to the current threshold. In other words, the corrected threshold = current threshold + α × (target value - communication volume of response communication). As a result, for example, as shown in Fig. 10, in the cases B and D, the threshold is gradually lowered and the communication volume of response communication is controlled to be approximately the same as the target value.
In case A, the threshold calculation unit 113 lowers the threshold by a predetermined correction value. The predetermined correction value may be a constant or may be determined as a certain percentage of the current threshold.

***Advantages of First Embodiment***
As described above, the communication control device 10 according to the first embodiment calculates a threshold value for the communication speed of the request communication from the ratio between the communication volume of the request communication and the communication volume of the response communication, and limits the communication speed of the request communication based on the threshold value. This makes it possible to control the cost of outbound data transfer in the cloud environment so as not to exceed the budget by setting the on-premise environment side, without changing the settings of the cloud environment.

The communication control device 10 according to the first embodiment also monitors the traffic of request communication and the traffic of response communication, and dynamically changes the threshold. This makes it possible to control the cost of outbound data transfer in a cloud environment so as not to exceed the budget, without restricting the communication speed more than necessary.

***Other configurations***
<Modification 1>
In the first embodiment, the target value of the communication volume and the target speed of the response communication are calculated for each day in step S103 of Fig. 8. However, the communication speed may vary depending on the time of day because the processes executed by the system differ depending on the time of day. Therefore, the target setting unit 112 may calculate the target value of the communication volume and the target speed for each time of day.

Specifically, the target setting unit 112 estimates how the communication speed will fluctuate for each time period using the operational data 132, and calculates the target value of the communication volume and the target speed for each time period based on the estimated fluctuating manner, as follows.
The goal setting unit 112 reads data for a past day corresponding to the target day from the operational data 132. The goal setting unit 112 calculates the ratio of communication volume for each time slot on the past day from the data for the past day. For each time slot, for example, every hour. The goal setting unit 112 then distributes the communication volume for the target day to each time slot according to the ratio of communication volume for each time slot. This calculates a target value for communication volume for each time slot. For each time slot, the goal setting unit 112 divides the target value for communication volume for that time slot by the number of seconds for that time slot to calculate a target speed of response communication for that time slot.

Similarly, in the first embodiment, in step S104 of FIG. 8, the threshold is calculated based on the ratio between the amount of communication of request communication and the amount of communication of response communication on a past day corresponding to the target day. However, the threshold calculation unit 113 may calculate the threshold based on the ratio between the amount of communication of request communication and the amount of communication of response communication in a time period corresponding to the current time on a past day.

When the communication volume target value and the target speed are calculated for each time period, in step S111 of FIG. 8, the determination unit 116 returns the process to step S103 if the current time is within the system operating time. This causes the communication volume target value for the next time period to be set when the time period becomes the next time period.

<Modification 2>
In the first embodiment, each functional component is realized by software. However, as a second modification, each functional component may be realized by hardware. The following describes the second modification, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

When each functional component is realized by hardware, the communication control device 10 has an electronic circuit instead of the processor 11, memory 12, and storage 13. The electronic circuit is a dedicated circuit that realizes the functions of each functional component, memory 12, and storage 13.

The electronic circuits may be a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, a logic IC, a GA, an ASIC, or an FPGA. GA is an abbreviation for Gate Array. ASIC is an abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit. FPGA is an abbreviation for Field-Programmable Gate Array.
Each functional component may be realized by one electronic circuit, or each functional component may be realized by distributing it among a plurality of electronic circuits.

<Modification 3>
As a third modification, some of the functional components may be realized by hardware, and other functional components may be realized by software.

The processor 11, memory 12, storage 13, and electronic circuitry are referred to as the processing circuit. In other words, the functions of each functional component are realized by the processing circuit.

Embodiment 2.
The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the target value on and after the target day is calculated so that the difference between the target value on the day before the target day and the actual value of the communication volume of the response communication can be used on and after the target day. In the second embodiment, this difference will be explained, and the explanation of the same points will be omitted.

*** Operation Description ***
The operation of the communication control system 100 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
An operation procedure of the communication control system 100 according to the second embodiment corresponds to a communication control method according to the second embodiment. Moreover, a program that realizes the operation of the communication control system 100 according to the second embodiment corresponds to a communication control program according to the second embodiment.

The process of step S103 in Fig. 8 differs from that of embodiment 1. The process of step S103 includes a load leveling case in which the communication volume on each day is roughly the same, and a load fluctuation case in which the communication volume differs depending on the day.
In either case, the goal setting unit 112 calculates the difference between the target value for the day before the target day in the month to which the target day belongs and the amount of response communication actually performed on the day before the target day.Then, the goal setting unit 112 sets a value obtained by correcting the target value for the amount of response communication on the target day by the difference as the target value for the amount of response communication on the target day.

The case of load leveling according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
11, at the beginning of the month, the goal setting unit 112 sets the same goal value for each day, so that the cumulative goal value increases linearly toward the end of the month.
12, assume that the amount of response communication on the first day was less than the target value by a difference d1. In this case, the target setting unit 112 distributes the difference d1 evenly to the second day and thereafter, and increases the target value set at the beginning of the month by d1/(M-1), where M is the number of days in a month.
13, it is assumed that the volume of response communications on each of the i-th days (i=2,...,N-1) is less than the target value by a difference di. In this case, the target setting unit 112 evenly distributes the sum of the differences di for each integer i (i=1,...,N-1) from the Nth day onwards, and increases the target value set at the beginning of the month by (Σdi)/(M-1).

A case of load fluctuation according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
14, at the beginning of the month, the goal setting unit 112 sets different goal values for each day, so that the cumulative goal value increases irregularly toward the end of the month.
15, assume that the amount of response communication on the first day is less than the target value by a difference d1. In this case, the goal setting unit 112 distributes the difference d1 to the second day and thereafter in a ratio according to the target value for each day set at the beginning of the month. In this case, for days d from the second day onwards, the target value set at the beginning of the month is increased by (d1/(M-1)) x pd. Here, pd is the ratio of the target value for day d to the total target values for the days from the second day onwards.
16, it is assumed that the volume of response communications on each of the i-th days (i=2,...,N-1) is less than the target value by a difference di. In this case, the goal setting unit 112 distributes the sum of the difference di for each integer i (i=1,...,N-1) to the Nth day and thereafter in a ratio according to the target value for each day set at the beginning of the month, and increases the target value set at the beginning of the month by ((Σdi)/(M-1))×pd. Here, pd is the ratio of the target value for day d to the sum of the target values for days from the Nth day onwards.

In the case of load fluctuation, as in the case of load leveling, the target setting unit 112 may distribute the total difference di evenly from the Nth day onwards and increase the target value set at the beginning of the month by Σdi/(M-1).

***Advantages of the Second Embodiment***
As described above, the communication control device 10 according to the second embodiment calculates the target value for the target day and after so that the difference between the target value for the day before the target day and the actual value of the communication volume of the response communication can be used for the target day and after. This makes it possible to control the cost of outbound data transfer in a cloud environment so as not to exceed the budget without restricting the communication speed more than necessary.

Embodiment 3.
The third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in that it has a behavior detection mode that does not limit the communication speed and detects the behavior of the cloud server 40. In the third embodiment, this difference will be described, and the description of the same points will be omitted.

*** Operation Description ***
The operation of the communication control system 100 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
An operation procedure of the communication control system 100 according to the third embodiment corresponds to a communication control method according to the third embodiment. Moreover, a program for realizing the operation of the communication control system 100 according to the third embodiment corresponds to a communication control program according to the third embodiment.

The communication control device 10 has a restriction mode that restricts the communication speed of the request communication, and a behavior detection mode that detects the behavior of the cloud server 40. The restriction mode is a mode that executes a process to restrict the communication speed of the request communication using a threshold value, as described in the first and second embodiments.

The definition file 131 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The definition file 131 includes a control mode for each date in addition to a target value for communication volume and an operation time. The control mode indicates a restriction mode or a behavior detection mode. In other words, depending on the day, it is set to operate in the restriction mode or the behavior detection mode.

The process of the communication control device 10 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The processes from step S201 to step S202 are the same as the processes from step S101 to step S102 in Fig. 8. The processes from step S204 to step S212 are the same as the processes from step S103 to step S111 in Fig. 8. The process from step S213 is the same as the process from step S103 in Fig. 8. The processes from step S214 to step S215 are the same as the processes from step S107 to step S108 in Fig. 8.

(Step S203: Mode determination process)
The definition reading unit 111 determines whether the control mode for the current day is the restriction mode or the behavior detection mode. If the control mode is the restriction mode, the definition reading unit 111 advances the process to step S204. On the other hand, if the control mode is the behavior detection mode, the definition reading unit 111 advances the process to step S213.

(Step S216: Excess determination process)
The determination unit 116 determines whether the communication speed of the response communication is faster than the target speed. If the communication speed of the response communication is faster than the target speed, the determination unit 116 proceeds to step S217. On the other hand, if the communication speed of the response communication is equal to or lower than the target speed, the determination unit 116 proceeds to step S218.

(Step S217: Notification process)
The determining unit 116 notifies the administrator of the communication control device 10 that the communication speed of the response communication is faster than the target speed.

(Step S218: Elapsed time determination process)
The determination unit 116 determines whether or not a reference time has elapsed since the process of step S213 was executed. The reference time is a time set in advance. The reference time is, for example, five minutes. If the reference time has elapsed, the determination unit 116 advances the process to step S219. On the other hand, if the reference time has not elapsed, the determination unit 116 returns the process to step S214 one minute after the previous execution of the process of step S214, and causes traffic data to be collected again.

(Step S219: Operation time determination process)
The determination unit 116 determines whether the current time is within the system operating time. If the current time is within the system operating time, the determination unit 116 returns the process to step S214. On the other hand, if the current time is not within the system operating time, the determination unit 116 ends the process.

In addition, the word "part" in the above description may be interpreted as "circuit," "process," "procedure," "processing," or "processing circuit."

Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.
(Appendix 1)
a data collection unit that identifies a traffic volume of a request communication transmitted from a connection source device to a cloud server and a traffic volume of a response communication transmitted from the cloud server to the connection source device;
a communication control unit that controls a transmission amount of the request communication based on a communication amount of the request communication and a communication amount of the response communication specified by the data collection unit.
(Appendix 2)
a threshold calculation unit that calculates a threshold for a communication speed of the request communication during the target period based on a ratio between a communication volume of the request communication and a communication volume of the response communication and a target value for the communication volume of the response communication;
2. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the communication restriction unit restricts a communication speed of the request communication during the target period using the threshold calculated by the threshold calculation unit.
(Appendix 3)
the threshold calculation unit corrects the threshold in accordance with a ratio between a data amount of the request communication after the target period starts and a data amount of the response communication after the target period starts;
The communication control device according to claim 2, wherein the bandwidth limiting unit limits a communication speed of the request communication using the corrected threshold value.
(Appendix 4)
The communication control device described in Appendix 3, wherein the threshold calculation unit corrects the threshold by calculating a correction amount for the threshold from the difference between a target speed, which is a target for the communication speed of the response communication calculated from a target value of the communication volume of the response communication, and an actual communication speed of the response communication.
(Appendix 5)
a target value of the communication volume of the response communication for each of a plurality of divided periods obtained by dividing a reference period is set so that a sum of the target values of the communication volume of the response communication for each of the plurality of divided periods does not exceed a limit value of the communication volume of the response communication for the reference period;
The communication control device further includes:
a target setting unit that sets a target value of the communication volume of the response communication in a divided period corresponding to the target period among the plurality of divided periods as a target value of the communication volume of the response communication in the target period,
5. The communication control device according to claim 2, wherein the threshold calculation unit calculates the threshold using a target value set by the target setting unit.
(Appendix 6)
The communication control device described in Appendix 5, wherein the target setting unit sets a target value for the communication volume of the response communication in the target period as a corrected value of the target value for the communication volume of the response communication in the divided period corresponding to the target period based on the difference between a target value for a divided period prior to the divided period corresponding to the target period among the reference period to which the target period belongs and the communication volume of the response communication actually performed in the previous divided period.
(Appendix 7)
The communication control device described in Appendix 6, wherein the target setting unit corrects the target value of the communication volume of the response communication in the divided period corresponding to the target period by distributing the difference to divided periods after the divided period corresponding to the target period within a reference period to which the target period belongs.
(Appendix 8)
the communication control device has a restriction mode for restricting a communication speed of the request communication and a behavior detection mode for detecting a behavior of the cloud server without restricting the communication speed of the request communication;
The communication control device further includes:
A communication control device as described in any one of appendices 1 to 7, comprising a judgment unit that, when operating in the behavior detection mode, judges whether the actual communication speed of the response communication exceeds a target speed, which is a target for the communication speed of the response communication calculated from a target value of the communication volume of the response communication.
(Appendix 9)
9. The communication control device according to claim 8, wherein the determination unit notifies the user that the communication speed of the response communication is faster than the target speed when the determination unit determines that the actual communication speed has exceeded the target speed.
(Appendix 10)
The computer identifies a traffic volume of a request communication transmitted from a connection source device to a cloud server and a traffic volume of a response communication transmitted from the cloud server to the connection source device;
A communication control method in which a computer controls a transmission amount of the request communication based on a communication amount of the request communication and a communication amount of the response communication.
(Appendix 11)
A data collection process for identifying a traffic volume of a request communication transmitted from a connection source device to a cloud server and a traffic volume of a response communication transmitted from the cloud server to the connection source device;
A communication control program that causes a computer to function as a communication control device that performs a communication control process that controls the transmission volume of the request communication based on the communication volume of the request communication and the communication volume of the response communication identified by the data collection process.

The above describes the embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure. Some of these embodiments and modifications may be combined and implemented. Also, one or some of them may be implemented partially. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and modifications, and various modifications are possible as necessary.

100 Communication control system, 200 On-premise environment, 210 On-premise environment for control, 220 On-premise environment for system, 300 Public cloud environment, 10 Communication control device, 11 Processor, 12 Memory, 13 Storage, 14 Communication interface, 111 Definition reading unit, 112 Target setting unit, 113 Threshold calculation unit, 114 Communication restriction unit, 115 Data collection unit, 116 Determination unit, 131 Definition file, 132 Operational data, 20 Bandwidth control device, 21 Processor, 22 Memory, 23 Storage, 24 Communication interface, 211 Control unit, 212 Monitoring unit, 221 Queue, 231 Setting contents, 30 On-premise server, 31 Gateway device, 40 Cloud server, 41 Endpoint, 50 Terminal.

Claims (11)

a data collection unit that identifies a traffic volume of a request communication transmitted from a connection source device to a cloud server and a traffic volume of a response communication transmitted from the cloud server to the connection source device;
A communication control device comprising: a communication limiting unit that controls the transmission volume of the request communication based on a threshold value set based on the ratio between the communication volume of the request communication and the communication volume of the response communication identified by the data collecting unit. a threshold calculation unit that calculates the threshold of the communication speed of the request communication during a target period based on a ratio between the communication volume of the request communication and the communication volume of the response communication and a target value of the communication volume of the response communication;
The communication control device according to claim 1 , wherein the communication limiting unit limits a communication speed of the request communication during the target period based on the threshold calculated by the threshold calculation unit. the threshold calculation unit corrects the threshold in accordance with a ratio between a data amount of the request communication after the target period starts and a data amount of the response communication after the target period starts;
The communication control device according to claim 2 , wherein the communication limiting unit limits a communication speed of the request communication based on the corrected threshold value. 4. The communication control device according to claim 3, wherein the threshold calculation unit corrects the threshold by calculating a correction amount for the threshold from the difference between a target speed, which is a target for the communication speed of the response communication calculated from a target value of the communication volume of the response communication, and an actual communication speed of the response communication. a target value of the communication volume of the response communication for each of a plurality of divided periods obtained by dividing a reference period is set so that a sum of the target values of the communication volume of the response communication for each of the plurality of divided periods does not exceed a limit value of the communication volume of the response communication for the reference period;
The communication control device further includes:
a target setting unit that sets a target value of the communication volume of the response communication in a divided period corresponding to the target period among the plurality of divided periods as a target value of the communication volume of the response communication in the target period,
The communication control device according to claim 2 , wherein the threshold calculation unit calculates the threshold using a target value set by the target setting unit. The communication control device according to claim 5, wherein the target setting unit sets a value obtained by correcting the target value of the communication volume of the response communication in the divided period corresponding to the target period based on the difference between a target value for a divided period prior to the divided period corresponding to the target period among the reference period to which the target period belongs and the communication volume of the response communication actually performed in the previous divided period. The communication control device according to claim 6, wherein the target setting unit corrects the target value of the communication volume of the response communication in the divided period corresponding to the target period by distributing the difference to divided periods after the divided period corresponding to the target period within a reference period to which the target period belongs. the communication control device has a restriction mode for restricting a communication speed of the request communication and a behavior detection mode for detecting a behavior of the cloud server without restricting the communication speed of the request communication;
The communication control device further includes:
2. The communication control device according to claim 1, further comprising a judgment unit that, when operating in the behavior detection mode, judges whether the actual communication speed of the response communication exceeds a target speed, which is a target for the communication speed of the response communication calculated from a target value of the communication volume of the response communication. 9. The communication control device according to claim 8, wherein the determination unit, when determining that the actual communication speed exceeds the target speed, notifies that the communication speed of the response communication is faster than the target speed. The computer identifies a traffic volume of a request communication transmitted from a connection source device to a cloud server and a traffic volume of a response communication transmitted from the cloud server to the connection source device;
A communication control method in which a computer controls the transmission volume of the request communication using a threshold value set based on a ratio between the communication volume of the request communication and the communication volume of the response communication. A data collection process for identifying a traffic volume of a request communication transmitted from a connection source device to a cloud server and a traffic volume of a response communication transmitted from the cloud server to the connection source device;
A communication control program that causes a computer to function as a communication control device that performs communication restriction processing to control the amount of transmission of the request communication based on a threshold value set based on the ratio between the amount of communication of the request communication and the amount of communication of the response communication identified by the data collection processing.

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