Network exploration method and network exploration apparatus

#This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-199309, filed on Sep. 6, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

#The embodiments discussed herein are related to a network exploration method and a network exploration apparatus to explore a network to which a plurality of terminals is connected.

#A load to a distribution server in a client-server data distribution system increases as the number of data reception terminals increases. Thus, in a large-scale distribution system, a capacity of a distribution server where accesses are concentrated on or a capacity of the network infrastructure needs to be increased. As a result, the distribution cost increases. Under the background, recently, a data distribution method that applies a peer-to-peer (P2P) technique has drawn attention.

#These and/or other aspects and advantages will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

#FIG. 1 illustrates P2P data distribution;

#FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a subnetwork that includes a plurality of switching hubs;

#Reference may now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

#As described above, when data are distributed to a plurality of terminals by the P2P method, each terminal transfers data to a destination terminal with a shorter network distance, and thereby efficient data distribution may be achieved. However, data may not be distributed efficiently when a network is configured by a Layer 2 (L2) switch (or a switching hub) due to the following reasons. Note that “L2” indicates the layer 2 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model.

#The L2 switch transfers the data based on destination information of the data, however the L2 switch may not process a command (for example, a trace route command) of an IP layer or a higher layer. Hence, in a network configured with an L2 switch, communication terminals (for example, terminals, L2 switches, and a network management device) may not detect an L2 switch from the IP layer or a higher layer, and thereby the number of L2 switches over a communication route may not be measured. In other words, measuring a network distance between terminals is difficult. As a result, each terminal may not appropriately select a destination terminal with a shorter network distance in the network and data are inefficiently distributed.