JP2007184710A - Information processing apparatus and method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology capable of providing high-speed communication and improving the reliability of the communication. <P>SOLUTION: A command processing section 121 supplies a sub command and data to a network communication apparatus 52A. When an abnormity discrimination section 122 refers to the transmission result information of a sub command stored in a log storage section 103A to discriminate that it is required to switch a network communication apparatus 52A whereby data are processed, the abnormity discrimination section 122 outputs a switching instruction to the command processing section 121. The command processing section 121 for receiving the switching instruction supplies a sub-command and data which are not transmitted to a network communication apparatus 52B which is switched. The technology can be applied to an information processing apparatus such as a computer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, method, and program, and more particularly, to an information processing apparatus, method, and program that can provide high-speed communication and improve communication reliability.

  Broadband networks have become widespread, and large amounts of data such as AV (Audio / Video) data with high image quality and long playback time are often communicated over the network. Accordingly, various techniques for communicating large volumes of data at high speed (in a short time) have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). As one of such technologies, there is a technology called TOE (TCP / IP Offload Engine) in which TCP / IP protocol processing is performed by dedicated hardware (chip).

  A difference between a conventional NIC (Network Interface Card) and a network communication apparatus that is a NIC adopting the TOE will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 1A shows a configuration example when communication is performed using a conventional NIC.

  A user application 11 which is software executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) such as a computer performs predetermined application processing (data processing) such as data calculation processing, display processing, or control processing. The user application 11 supplies actual data to be transmitted to another computer connected to the network to an OS (Operation System) 12.

  The OS 12 executed by the CPU in the same manner as the user application 11 has a TCP processing unit 21 and an IP processing unit 22, where TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / IP) is applied to the actual data supplied from the user application 11. Internet Protocol) protocol processing (processing performed by each of the TCP processing unit 21 and the IP processing unit 22) is performed and supplied to the NIC 13. Specifically, the TCP processing unit 21 generates a TCP packet with a TCP header added to actual data to be transmitted, and performs connection management, error detection and correction, flow control, and the like. The IP processing unit 22 generates an IP packet, performs an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) process for converting an IP address and a MAC (Media Access Control) address, and ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) for notifying an abnormal IP packet delivery. Perform processing.

  The NIC 13 has a MAC processing unit 23 and a PHY processing unit 24. The MAC processing unit 23 assembles a MAC frame by receiving data (IP packet) and information such as a MAC address from the IP processing unit 22 using dedicated hardware. The PHY processing unit 24 converts digital data corresponding to the MAC frame supplied from the MAC processing unit 23 into an analog signal using dedicated hardware, and sends the analog signal to the network (PHY processing).

  FIG. 1B shows a configuration example when communication is performed using a network communication device. In FIG. 1B, the same reference numerals are given to portions corresponding to those in FIG. 1A, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  In FIG. 1A, the OS 12 has a TCP processing unit 21 and an IP processing unit 22, whereas in FIG. 1B, the network communication device 32 includes a TCP processing unit 21 and an IP processing unit 22, and a MAC processing unit 23. And in addition to the PHY processing unit 24.

  Similar to the user application 11, the user application 31 performs predetermined application processing (data processing) and supplies actual data to be transmitted to another computer to the network communication device 32 connected to the network. Each of the TCP processing unit 21, the IP processing unit 22, the MAC processing unit 23, and the PHY processing unit 24 performs the processing described above with reference to FIG. 1A using dedicated hardware.

  Accordingly, in the communication using the conventional NIC in FIG. 1A, the functions of the TCP processing unit 21 and the IP processing unit 22 are realized by software (OS 12), whereas the network communication device 32 in FIG. 1B is used. In the conventional communication, the functions of the TCP processing unit 21 and the IP processing unit 22 are realized by dedicated hardware, so that the TCP / IP protocol processing can be speeded up. Further, in the CPU on which the user application 31 is executed, the load on the TCP / IP protocol processing is reduced, so that the application processing itself is also speeded up.

Therefore, by using the network communication device 32 that adopts the TOE, it becomes possible to communicate a large amount of data at high speed.
JP 2003-229905 A

  However, the network communication apparatus has a problem that a failure due to a hardware failure becomes fatal because the degree of dependence on hardware increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and provides high-speed communication and improves communication reliability.

  An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus that controls switching of a network communication apparatus that communicates by connecting to a network, and divides data to be transmitted into transmission data of a processing unit of the network communication apparatus. Whether to switch the network communication device based on data processing means to be supplied to the network communication device in operation and transmission result information returned from the network communication device in operation with respect to the transmission data. A switching unit that switches the network communication device that processes the transmission data from the operating network communication device to the standby network communication device when it is determined to switch the network communication device. Means.

  If it is determined that the network communication device is to be switched, the determination unit causes the data processing unit to supply a switching instruction, the data processing unit stores the list of transmission data in a table, and the determination unit When the switching instruction is supplied, the untransmitted transmission data can be supplied to the network communication device after switching based on the table.

  The determination unit may determine to switch the network communication device when the transmission result information represents a hardware error of the network communication device.

  The network communication device has connection means for turning on or off the connection with the network, and the switching means causes the network communication device in operation to output a command to turn off the connection with the network. The network communication device that processes the transmission data can be switched by outputting a command to turn on the connection to the network to the waiting network communication device.

  Storage means for storing the transmission result information as a log is further provided, and the determination means can acquire the transmission result information from the storage means.

  An information processing method according to an aspect of the present invention is an information processing method for switching control of a network communication apparatus that communicates by connecting to a network, and divides data to be transmitted into transmission data of a processing unit of the network communication apparatus. Determining whether to switch the network communication device based on transmission result information supplied to the network communication device in operation and returned from the network communication device in operation for the transmission data. When it is determined that the network communication device is to be switched, the method includes the step of switching the network communication device that processes the transmission data from the operating network communication device to the waiting network communication device.

  A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute switching control processing of a network communication device that communicates by connecting to a network, and that transmits data to transmission data of a processing unit of the network communication device. Whether or not to switch the network communication device based on transmission result information returned from the network communication device in operation for the transmission data after being divided and supplied to the network communication device in operation Determining and switching the network communication device to switch the network communication device that processes the transmission data from the operating network communication device to the waiting network communication device.

  In one aspect of the present invention, data to be transmitted is divided into transmission data for each processing unit of the network communication device and supplied to the network communication device in operation. Then, based on transmission result information returned from the network communication device in operation for the transmission data, it is determined whether to switch the network communication device, and it is determined to switch the network communication device. In this case, the network communication device that processes the transmission data is switched from the operating network communication device to the waiting network communication device.

  The network is a mechanism in which at least two devices are connected and information can be transmitted from one device to another device. The devices that communicate via the network may be independent devices, or may be internal blocks that constitute one device.

  The communication is not only wireless communication and wired communication, but also communication in which wireless communication and wired communication are mixed, that is, wireless communication is performed in a certain section and wired communication is performed in another section. May be. Further, communication from one device to another device may be performed by wired communication, and communication from another device to one device may be performed by wireless communication.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, high-speed communication can be provided and communication reliability can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Correspondences between the constituent elements of the present invention and the embodiments described in the specification or the drawings are exemplified as follows. This description is intended to confirm that the embodiments supporting the present invention are described in the specification or the drawings. Therefore, even if there is an embodiment which is described in the specification or the drawings but is not described here as an embodiment corresponding to the constituent elements of the present invention, that is not the case. It does not mean that the form does not correspond to the constituent requirements. Conversely, even if an embodiment is described here as corresponding to a configuration requirement, that means that the embodiment does not correspond to a configuration requirement other than the configuration requirement. It's not something to do.

  An information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus (for example, the computer 51 in FIG. 2) that switches and controls a network communication apparatus that communicates by connecting to a network. Data processing means (for example, command processing unit 121 in FIG. 3) that is divided into transmission data of the processing unit and supplied to the network communication device in operation, and the network communication device in operation with respect to the transmission data When it is determined based on the transmission result information sent back from the determination means for determining whether to switch the network communication device (for example, the abnormality determination unit 122 in FIG. 3) and to switch the network communication device The transmission data is processed from the active network communication device to the standby network communication device. Switching means (e.g., switching unit 123 of FIG. 3) to switch the network communication device that comprises a.

  The information processing apparatus further includes a storage unit (for example, the log storage unit 103A in FIG. 3) that stores the transmission result information as a log, and the determination unit acquires the transmission result information from the storage unit.

  An information processing method or program according to an aspect of the present invention divides data to be transmitted into transmission data for each processing unit of the network communication device, and supplies the data to the network communication device in operation (for example, step of FIG. 10). S13), based on transmission result information returned from the network communication device in operation for the transmission data, it is determined whether or not to switch the network communication device (for example, step S16 in FIG. 10), When it is determined that the network communication device is to be switched, the network communication device that is processing the transmission data is switched from the network communication device that is operating to the network communication device that is waiting (for example, step S21 in FIG. 10). Includes steps.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of an embodiment of a computer (information processing apparatus) to which the present invention is applied.

  2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 61, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 62, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 63, a bus 64, an input / output interface 65, an input unit 66, an output unit 67, and a storage unit 68. , And a drive 69.

  The computer 51 is equipped with card-shaped network communication devices 52 A and 52 B and connected to the input / output interface 65. Only one of the network communication devices 52A and 52B is validated by the computer 51 (the CPU 61), and the validated network communication device 52A or 52B is connected to the network 53 such as the Internet or a local area network. Then, the data supplied from the CPU 61 via the input / output interface 65 is transmitted to another computer (not shown) connected to the network 53.

  The CPU 61 executes various processes according to programs (OS (Operating System) programs and application programs) stored in the ROM 62 or the storage unit 68. The RAM 63 appropriately stores programs to be executed by the CPU 61 and data temporarily required for the programs. The CPU 61, the ROM 62, and the RAM 63 are connected to each other by a bus 64.

  An input / output interface 65 is also connected to the CPU 61 via the bus 64. The input / output interface 65 is connected to an input unit 66 such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone, a display such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and an LCD (Liquid Crystal display), and an output unit 67 such as a speaker. The CPU 61 executes various processes in response to commands input from the input unit 66. Then, the CPU 61 outputs the processing result to the output unit 67.

  The storage unit 68 connected to the input / output interface 65 is composed of, for example, a hard disk, and stores programs executed by the CPU 61 and various data.

  The drive 69 connected to the input / output interface 65 drives a removable medium 70 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, and drives them to store programs and data recorded therein. Get etc. The acquired program and data are transferred to and stored in the storage unit 68 as necessary. The program and data may be acquired via the network communication device 52A or 52B and stored in the storage unit 68.

  The network communication devices 52A and 52B are network communication devices similar to the network communication device 32 described above with reference to FIG. That is, the network communication device 52A includes dedicated hardware (not shown) that performs MAC processing and PHY processing, and a TOE processing unit 81A that is dedicated hardware that performs TCP / IP protocol processing. And a switch (switch) 82A for connecting to or disconnecting from the network 53. Similarly, the network communication device 52B includes a TOE processing unit 81B and a SW 82B. Note that MAC processing, PHY processing, TCP processing, and IP processing may be performed by different dedicated hardware, or a plurality of processing may be performed by one hardware.

  When the network communication device 52A (52B) receives an on command or an off command from the computer 51 (the CPU 61), the network communication device 52A (52B) turns the connection with the network 53 on or off by the SW 82A (82B). Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish the network communication devices 52A and 52B from each other, they are referred to as the network communication device 52, and the TOE processing units 81A and 81B and the SWs 82A and 82B are similarly configured with the TOE processing units 81 and SW82. Called.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the computer 51 that performs communication via the network communication device 52.

  The computer 51 includes a user application 101, a device management application 102, a log storage unit 103A, and a log storage unit 103B. Here, the user application 101 and the device management application 102 correspond to the CPU 61 and the RAM 63 in FIG. 2, and the log storage units 103A and 103B correspond to the storage unit 68 in FIG.

  Similar to the user application 31 in FIG. 1B, the user application 101 performs predetermined application processing (data processing) such as data calculation processing, display processing, or control processing, and transmits it to another computer (not shown). Data is supplied to the device management application 102 together with the command.

  The device management application 102 includes a command processing unit 121, an abnormality determination unit 122, and a switching unit 123, and manages (switches) the network communication devices 52A and 52B attached to the computer 51. Specifically, the device management application 102 first activates only one of the network communication devices 52A and 52B, and waits for the other when a failure occurs in the operating network communication device 52. The network communication device 52 is operated as valid. In the following description, it is assumed that the network communication device 52 that is initially valid is the network communication device 52A.

  In addition, the device management application 102 causes the actual data from the user application 101 to be transmitted to the operating network communication device 52A or 52B.

  The command processing unit 121 receives a command and actual data supplied from the user application 101, and divides the received actual data into assembly size divided data (transmission data) that is a processing unit of the network communication device 52. Then, the command processing unit 121 generates a child command corresponding to the divided data. Further, the command processing unit 121 adds a command ID that uniquely identifies the child command to the generated child command in the order of transmission, and caches (stores) the command ID in the command table (memory).

  The assembly size is set to the maximum frame size that can be processed by the network communication device 52 as a default. However, the assembly size is set via the setting command from the user application 101 or the network communication device 52. Depending on the acquired traffic status of the network 53, it can be appropriately changed (with a frame size equal to or smaller than the maximum frame size).

  The command processing unit 121 sequentially supplies the child commands and the divided data cached in the command table to the network communication device 52A based on the command IDs assigned in the transmission order. In addition, the command processing unit 121 deletes, from the command table, the child command to which the normal end status indicating that it has been transmitted normally is supplied from the abnormality determination unit 122. Therefore, the command table means a list of untransmitted divided data. When all the divided data corresponding to one command are normally transmitted, the command processing unit 121 returns command result information indicating that the actual data is normally transmitted to the user application 101 as an execution result.

  In addition to the normal completion status, a retransmission instruction or a switching instruction may be supplied from the abnormality determination unit 122 to the command processing unit 121. When the retransmission instruction is supplied from the abnormality determination unit 122, the command processing unit 121 searches the command table for the child command specified by the retransmission instruction, and supplies the searched child command and its divided data to the network communication device 52A. (Resend) When the switching instruction is supplied from the abnormality determination unit 122, the command processing unit 121 switches the supply destination of the child command from the active network communication device 52A to the standby network communication device 52B.

  The abnormality determination unit 122 acquires the transmission result information of the child command from the state table stored in the log storage unit 103A or 103B. This transmission result information includes the time when the network communication device 52 processed the child command, the command ID of the processed child command, and the status code. The time also includes the date (year / month / day), and the status code indicates, for example, that the child command has been processed normally, or that a hardware trouble has occurred in the network communication device 52 (in the network communication device 52). This is a code representing status information).

  Based on the acquired transmission result information, the abnormality determination unit 122 determines whether or not the network communication device 52 that processes the child command needs to be switched from the active network communication device 52A to the standby network communication device 52B. judge. When it is determined that the network communication device 52 needs to be switched, the abnormality determination unit 122 supplies a switching instruction to the command processing unit 121 and the switching unit 123. When it is determined that switching is not necessary, the abnormality determination unit 122 sets the status code of the child command. The corresponding normal end status or retransmission instruction is supplied to the command processing unit 121.

  When the switching instruction is supplied from the abnormality determination unit 122, the switching unit 123 switches the network communication device to be processed from the operating network communication device 52A to the standby network communication device 52B. More specifically, the switching unit 123 outputs a command (off command) for turning off the connection with the network 53 to the operating network communication device 52A, and connects the network 53 to the standby network communication device 52B. A command to turn on (on command) is output. Note that immediately after the computer 51 is started up, the switching unit 123 outputs an ON command to the network communication device 52A that is initially enabled, and outputs an OFF command to the network communication device 52B.

  The log storage unit 103A stores child command transmission result information supplied from the network communication device 52A in a status table as a log. In this state table, transmission result information of child commands supplied from the network communication device 52A is stored in time series, and when the number of transmission result information reaches a predetermined number, transmission result information with the oldest time is transmitted. Is deleted, and instead, newly supplied transmission result information is stored. The log storage unit 103B is the same as the log storage unit 103A except that the device that outputs the transmission result information is the network communication device 52B.

  In the computer 51 configured as described above, transmission result information for the child command supplied from the command processing unit 121 to the network communication device 52A is stored in the state table of the log storage unit 103A. If the abnormality determination unit 122 determines that it is necessary to switch the network communication device 52 to be processed with reference to the state table, the abnormality determination unit 122 outputs a switching instruction to the command processing unit 121. Receiving the switching instruction, the command processing unit 121 supplies the untransmitted child commands and the divided data remaining in the command table to the switched network communication device 52B.

  FIG. 4 shows a list of status codes included in the transmission result information.

  The child command transmission result information includes any number from “600” to “607” as the status code.

  The status code “600” indicates that the child command has been normally completed (sent). The status code “601” indicates that a timeout has occurred. The status code “602” indicates that a checksum error has occurred. The status code “603” indicates that the connection with the network 53 has been lost. The status code “604” represents that the route is invalid. The status code “605” indicates that a trouble (TOE hardware trouble) has occurred in the hardware (TOE processing unit 81) that performs the TOE processing. The status code “606” indicates that the TOE driver is invalid. The status code “607” represents an unknown error, in other words, an error other than the status codes “600” to “606”.

  Among the above status codes, the abnormality determination unit 122 determines that the network communication device 52 needs to be switched when a hardware trouble that cannot be processed by the network communication device 52 occurs, that is, “605” to This is a case where the status code “607” is stored in the state table as transmission result information.

  Next, processing when an image file as actual data is supplied from the user application 101 to the device management application 102 will be described.

  When the user application 101 transmits an image file to another computer, the command shown in FIG. 5 is supplied from the user application 101 to the command processing unit 121 together with the image file.

  The command shown in FIG. 5 is in the format of sendFile (socketID, destinationAddress, fileID, dataLength), where sendFile is a command that indicates the transmission of the file, and the socket ID (socketID) that identifies the socket is sent as an argument to the command. A destination address (destinationAddress) which is the address of the other party, a file ID (fileID) for identifying the image file (actual data), and a data length (data length) of the image file (dataLength) are given. The unit of data length is megabyte (hereinafter referred to as MB).

  Accordingly, in FIG. 5, the command sendFile in which “sock1”, “host1”, “file1”, and “1000” are specified as arguments as the socket ID, destination address, file ID, and data length is “file1”. This means that it is supplied from the user application 101 to the command processing unit 121 together with the identified image file.

  The command processing unit 121 divides the image file identified by “file1” into assembly sizes, and each of the divided data obtained as a result is a child of the format of sendAssemblePacket (socketID, destinationAddress, fileID, assemblePacketID, dataLength). Generate a command. Here, sendAssemblePacket is a child command that indicates file transmission. SocketID, destinationAddress, fileID, assemblePacketID, and dataLength are socket ID, destination address, file ID, divided data ID that identifies the divided data, and divided data ID This is an argument that represents the data length. The assembly size is 300 MB.

  Therefore, a 1000 MB image file is divided into 300 MB divided data, 300 MB divided data, 300 MB divided data, and 100 MB divided data. For each, sendAssemblePacket (sock1, host1, file1, assemblePacket1, 300), Four child commands are generated: sendAssemblePacket (sock1, host1, file1, assemblePacket2, 300), sendAssemblePacket (sock1, host1, file1, assemblePacket3, 300), and sendAssemblePacket (sock1, host1, file1, assemblePacket4, 100). When the data length of actual data (image file) is smaller than the assembly size, the command and the child command correspond one-to-one.

  Then, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the command processing unit 121 assigns a command ID to each of the generated four child commands and caches the command table. FIG. 6 shows an example of the command table.

  The command processing unit 121 assigns the command ID “001” to the child command of sendAssemblePacket (sock1, host1, file1, assemblePacket1, 300), and the command to the child command of sendAssemblePacket (sock1, host1, file1, assemblePacket2, 300). ID “002” is assigned, command ID “003” is assigned to the child command of sendAssemblePacket (sock1, host1, file1, assemblePacket3, 300), and child command of sendAssemblePacket (sock1, host1, file1, assemblePacket4, 100) is assigned. Assigns the command ID “004” and caches it in the command table.

  FIG. 7 shows a state table after child commands from command ID “001” to command ID “003” cached in the command table of FIG. 6 are supplied from the command processing unit 121 to the network communication device 52A. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the state table first stores time T1, command ID “001”, and status code “600” as transmission result information (at time T1). This transmission result information indicates that transmission of the child command with the command ID “001” (that is, the sendAssemblePacket command that transmits assemblePacket1) has been normally completed at time T1.

  Accordingly, since the status code “600” is not a status code that requires switching of the network communication device 52 (not status codes “605” to “607”), the abnormality determination unit 122 sets the network communication device 52 to the network communication device 52. It is determined that there is no need to switch. Then, the abnormality determination unit 122 supplies the command processing unit 121 with the normal end status of the command ID “001” corresponding to the status code “600” of the command ID “001”.

  When the command processing unit 121 receives the normal end status of the command ID “001” from the abnormality determination unit 122, the command processing unit 121 deletes the child command of the command ID “001” from the command table. As a result, the command table shown in FIG. 6 is in the state shown in FIG. Therefore, the command processing unit 121 supplies the child command of the command ID “002” (that is, the sendAssemblePacket command that transmits assemblePacket2) to the network communication device 52A and causes it to be transmitted.

  At time T2 after time T1, time T2, command ID “002”, and status code “601” are stored in the state table (FIG. 7) as transmission result information. This transmission result information indicates that a timeout has occurred in the child command with the command ID “002” processed at time T2.

  Accordingly, since the status code “601” is not a status code that requires switching of the network communication device 52, the abnormality determination unit 122 determines that there is no need to switch the network communication device 52. However, since the timeout represented by the status code “601” indicates that the divided data of assemblePacket2 has not been delivered to the transmission partner, the abnormality determination unit 122 uses the status code “601” of the command ID “002”. In response to this, a retransmission instruction of the command ID “002” is supplied to the command processing unit 121.

  When the command processing unit 121 receives a retransmission instruction of the command ID “002” from the abnormality determination unit 122, the command processing unit 121 supplies the child command of the command ID “002” to the network communication device 52A again. The command table at this time remains as shown in FIG.

  At time T3 after time T2, time T3, command ID “002”, and status code “600” are stored in the state table (FIG. 7) as transmission result information. This transmission result information indicates that transmission of the child command with the command ID “002” has been normally completed at time T3.

  Accordingly, since the status code “600” is not a status code that requires switching of the network communication device 52, the abnormality determination unit 122 determines that there is no need to switch the network communication device 52. Then, the abnormality determination unit 122 supplies the command processing unit 121 with the normal end status of the command ID “002” corresponding to the status code “600” of the command ID “002”.

  When the command processing unit 121 receives the normal end status of the command ID “002” from the abnormality determination unit 122, the command processing unit 121 deletes the child command of the command ID “002” from the command table. As a result, the command table changes from the state shown in FIG. 8 to the state shown in FIG.

  Next, the command processing unit 121 supplies the child command of the command ID “003” (that is, the sendAssemblePacket command that transmits assemblePacket3) to the network communication device 52A and causes it to be transmitted.

  At time T4 after time T3, time T4, command ID “003”, and status code “605” are stored in the state table (FIG. 7) as transmission result information. This transmission result information indicates that a trouble has occurred in the hardware that performs the TOE processing when the child command having the command ID “003” is transmitted at time T4.

  The abnormality determination unit 122 that has acquired the status code “605” determines that the network communication device 52 needs to be switched, and supplies a switching instruction to the command processing unit 121 and the switching unit 123.

  The switching unit 123 switches the network communication device 52 to be processed by outputting an off command to the active network communication device 52A and outputting an on command to the standby network communication device 52B.

  When receiving a switching instruction from the abnormality determination unit 122, the command processing unit 121 recognizes that the network communication device 52 to be processed is the network communication device 52B. Then, the command processing unit 121 supplies untransmitted child commands remaining in the command table to the switched network communication device 52B. Since the state of the command table when the switching instruction is received is the state shown in FIG. 9, the command processing unit 121 first supplies the child command of the command ID “003” to the network communication device 52B. After receiving the normal end status of the command ID “003”, the next child command of the command ID “004” is supplied from the command processing unit 121 to the network communication device 52B.

  As described above, each time the new child command transmission result information is added to the status table of the log storage unit 103A, the abnormality determination unit 122 acquires the added child command transmission result information, and the transmission result. Based on the information, it is determined whether the network communication device 52 to be processed needs to be switched from the active network communication device 52A to the standby network communication device 52B.

  When it is determined that the network communication device 52 needs to be switched, the abnormality determination unit 122 supplies a switching instruction to the command processing unit 121 and the switching unit 123, and when it is determined that switching is not necessary. Supplies the command processing unit 121 with a normal end status or a retransmission instruction corresponding to the status code.

  With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 10, actual data transmission processing for transmitting actual data supplied from the user application 101 will be described.

  First, in step S11, the command processing unit 121 receives a command and actual data from the user application 101. In step S12, the command processing unit 121 divides the received actual data into assembly sizes that are processing units of the network communication device 52A. In step S12, the command processing unit 121 generates a child command in correspondence with the divided data obtained by dividing the assembly size. Thereby, for example, four child commands (sendAssemblePacket command) shown in FIG. 6 are generated in response to the sendFile command from the user application 101 shown in FIG.

  In step S12, the command processing unit 121 assigns command IDs to the generated child commands in the order of transmission and caches them in the command table. For example, the command processing unit 121 assigns command IDs “001” to “004” to the four child commands (sendAssemblePacket command) shown in FIG. 6 and caches them in the command table.

  In step S13, the command processing unit 121 sends one child command cached in the command table together with the divided data to the network communication device 52A (the active network communication device 52) based on the command IDs assigned in the transmission order. ). For example, when the command table is in the state shown in FIG. 6, the command processing unit 121 supplies a sendAssemblePacket command for transmitting assemblePacket1 to the network communication device 52A together with the divided data.

  In step S14, the log storage unit 103A receives the child command transmission result information supplied from the network communication device 52A and stores it in the state table. For example, the log storage unit 103A receives the time T1, the command ID “001”, and the status code “600” from the network communication device 52A as the transmission result information for the sendAssemblePacket command that transmits assemblePacket1, and stores it in the state table.

  In step S15, the abnormality determination unit 122 acquires the transmission result information of the child command from the state table of the log storage unit 103A. The child command corresponding to the transmission result information acquired here is hereinafter referred to as an acquired child command.

  In step S16, the abnormality determination unit 122 needs to switch the network communication device 52 to be processed from the active network communication device 52A to the standby network communication device 52B based on the transmission result information of the acquisition child command. It is determined whether or not. Here, the abnormality determination unit 122 determines whether or not the network communication device 52 needs to be switched depending on whether the status code of the acquisition child command is “605” to “607”.

  If it is determined in step S16 that the network communication device 52 does not need to be switched, that is, if the status code of the acquisition child command is not “605” to “607”, the abnormality determination unit 122 acquires in step S17. It is determined whether or not the child command has ended normally.

  When it is determined in step S17 that the acquired child command has been normally terminated, the abnormality determining unit 122 supplies the command processing unit 121 with the normal termination status of the acquired child command in step S18.

  In step S19, the command processing unit 121 receives the normal termination status of the acquired child command from the abnormality determining unit 122, and deletes the acquired child command from the command table. Thereafter, the processing proceeds to step S25 described later.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S17 that the acquired child command is not normally terminated, the abnormality determining unit 122 supplies a command processing unit 121 with a retransmission instruction for the acquired child command in step S20. Thereafter, the process returns to step S13, and the child command instructed for retransmission is supplied to the network communication device 52 (52A).

  If it is determined in step S16 described above that the network communication device 52 needs to be switched, that is, if the status code of the acquisition command is “605” to “607”, in step S21, the abnormality determination unit 122 supplies a switching instruction to the switching unit 123.

  In step S22, the switching unit 123 supplies an on command or an off command to the network communication devices 52A and 52B. That is, the switching unit 123 outputs an off command to the operating network communication device 52A and outputs an on command to the standby network communication device 52B to switch the network communication device 52 to be processed.

  In step S <b> 23, the abnormality determination unit 122 supplies a switching instruction to the command processing unit 121. In step S24, the command processing unit 121 recognizes that the network communication device 52 to be processed has become the network communication device 52B based on the switching instruction.

  In step S25, the command processing unit 121 determines whether or not all the child commands stored in the command table have been supplied to the network communication device 52. If it is determined in step S25 that all the child commands have not been supplied yet, that is, if the child command is still stored in the command table and all the divided data has not been transmitted, the process proceeds to step S13. Returning, the next child command in the command table is supplied to the network communication device 52 together with the divided data, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S25 that all the child commands stored in the command table have been supplied, that is, if all the divided data obtained by dividing the actual data are transmitted, in step S26. The command processing unit 121 returns command result information for the command received in step S11 to the user application 101, and ends the processing.

  The above-described processing is repeatedly executed for commands and actual data sequentially supplied from the user application 101.

  Next, the divided data transmission processing of the network communication device 52 that transmits the divided data supplied from the device management application 102 to another computer will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S41, the network communication device 52 determines whether an on command or an off command is received from the device management application 102 (the switching unit 123 thereof). For example, immediately after the computer 51 is started, an ON command is supplied to the network communication device 52A to be processed first, and an OFF command is supplied to the network communication device 52B to be put on standby.

  If it is determined in step S41 that an on command or an off command has been received, in step S42, the network communication device 52 turns on or off the SW 82 in response to the on command or the off command. Connect or disconnect. Then, the process returns to step S41.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S41 that an on command and an off command have not been received, in other words, if a child command and divided data are received from the device management application 102 (command processing unit 121 thereof), in step S43 The TOE processing unit 81 of the network communication device 52 performs TCP / IP protocol processing on the received divided data.

  In step S44, the network communication device 52 performs MAC processing and PHY processing on the divided data after the TCP / IP processing, and transmits the divided data to another computer via the network 53.

  In step S45, the network communication device 52 returns the transmission result information for the received child command to the device management application 102 (the log storage unit 103A or 103B). Thereafter, the process returns to step S41, and the subsequent processes are repeated. As a result, the network communication device 52 transmits the divided data supplied together with the child command until the off command is supplied, and returns the transmission result information as a result to the device management application 102.

  As described above, since the network communication device 52 performs the TCP / IP protocol processing with dedicated hardware, transmission / reception of an image file (divided data) can be speeded up. The computer 51 can provide high-speed communication by using the network communication device 52.

  Also, the computer 51 is equipped with two network communication devices 52. When a failure (hardware trouble) occurs in the network communication device 52 that is operating, the failure is detected immediately and the computer 51 is on standby. Since the network communication device 52 can be switched to the network communication device 52, the reliability of communication via the network 53 can be improved.

  Further, when a failure occurs in the network communication device 52 that is operating during the transmission of actual data, the computer 51 refers to the command table and supplies unsent child commands and divided data to the switched network communication device 52B. In this way, the command (actual data transmission request) from the user application 101 can be completed. In other words, when a failure occurs in the network communication device 52A that is operating during the transmission of actual data, the real data is requested again from the user application 101, and the actual data is retransmitted from the beginning by the switched network communication device 52B. There is no need. As a result, the transmission process of actual data can be completed at high speed (in a short time) without imposing a burden (load) on the user application 101.

  In the example described above, the command IDs are assigned in the order of transmission, but the command IDs may be assigned regardless of the order of transmission.

  In the above-described example, two network communication devices 52 are mounted on the computer 51. However, it is also possible to perform switching control by mounting three or more network communication devices 52. It is.

  The network communication device 52 can be configured as a chip (including a multi-chip module) using an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Alley), or the like in addition to a removable card shape. That is, the physical shape of the network communication device 52 is not particularly limited as long as it has the above-described functions as hardware. Therefore, the network communication device 52 is a video camera having a function of communicating via the network 53 in addition to the computer 51, a recording / reproducing device that records or reproduces data on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or It can also be incorporated into an information processing apparatus such as a television receiver.

  In this specification, the steps described in the flowcharts include processes that are executed in parallel or individually even if they are not necessarily processed in time series, as well as processes that are executed in time series in the described order. Is also included.

  The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a figure explaining the difference between the conventional NIC and the network communication apparatus which is NIC which employ | adopted TOE. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of one Embodiment of the computer (information processing apparatus) to which this invention is applied. It is a functional block diagram of the computer of FIG. It is a figure explaining a status code. It is a figure which shows the example of the command supplied from a user application. It is a figure which shows the example of the command table of a command processing part. It is a figure which shows the example of the state table of a log memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows the example of the command table of a command processing part. It is a figure which shows the example of the command table of a command processing part. It is a flowchart explaining the real data transmission process of a computer. It is a flowchart explaining the division | segmentation data transmission process of a network communication apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  51 Computer, 52 (52A, 52B) Network communication device, 53 Network, 101 User application, 102 Device management application, 103A, 103B Log storage unit, 121 Command processing unit, 122 Abnormality determination unit, 123 Switching unit

Claims (7)

An information processing apparatus that controls switching of a network communication apparatus that communicates by connecting to a network,
Data processing means for dividing the data to be transmitted into transmission data for each processing unit of the network communication device and supplying the data to the network communication device in operation;
Determination means for determining whether to switch the network communication device based on transmission result information returned from the network communication device in operation for the transmission data;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a switching unit configured to switch a network communication apparatus that processes the transmission data from the operating network communication apparatus to the standby network communication apparatus when it is determined to switch the network communication apparatus. If the determination unit determines to switch the network communication device, the determination unit supplies a switching instruction to the data processing unit,
The data processing unit stores a list of the transmission data in a table, and when the switching instruction is supplied from the determination unit, based on the table, transmits the untransmitted transmission data to the network communication after switching. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is supplied to the apparatus. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines to switch the network communication apparatus when the transmission result information represents a hardware error of the network communication apparatus. The network communication device has connection means for turning on or off the connection with the network,
The switching means outputs a command to turn off the connection to the network to the network communication device in operation, and outputs a command to turn on the connection to the network to the network communication device on standby. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a network communication apparatus that processes transmission data is switched. Storage means for storing the transmission result information as a log;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit acquires the transmission result information from the storage unit. An information processing method for switching control of a network communication device that communicates by connecting to a network,
The data to be transmitted is divided into transmission data for each processing unit of the network communication device, and supplied to the network communication device in operation,
Based on transmission result information returned from the network communication device in operation for the transmission data, determine whether to switch the network communication device,
An information processing method including a step of switching the network communication device that processes the transmission data from the operating network communication device to the standby network communication device when it is determined to switch the network communication device. A program that causes a computer to execute switching control processing of a network communication device that communicates by connecting to a network,
The data to be transmitted is divided into transmission data for each processing unit of the network communication device, and supplied to the network communication device in operation,
Based on transmission result information returned from the network communication device in operation for the transmission data, determine whether to switch the network communication device,
When it is determined that the network communication device is to be switched, a program including a step of switching the network communication device that processes the transmission data from the operating network communication device to the waiting network communication device.

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