JP2790693B2 - Terminal control method in download processing - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Overview] The present invention relates to a terminal control method in a download process in a host / terminal distributed processing system in which a host and a terminal are connected via a line. In a host / terminal distributed processing system in which the host side and the terminal side are connected via a line for the purpose of enabling, the host side, the host side communication control means and the IPL time of the individual terminal are determined. Terminal IPL time setting means, host-side download control means for managing control of individual terminals, and host-side download execution means for performing actual processing, on the terminal side, terminal-side communication control means, its own power supply and Terminal IPL control means for controlling the IPL, and terminal-side download control / executing means for controlling and executing the download processing of the terminal, respectively. The communication control means notifies the terminal IPL control means of the scheduled download start time (IPL time) for each terminal determined in advance by the host terminal IPL time setting means, and the terminal sets the terminal IPL control means after the scheduled start time. Performs automatic IPL based on the IPL time specified by the host and automatically connects to the host, and the host manages each connected terminal by a pseudo queue generated by the host-side download control means. By instructing the start / wait of download through the exchange of messages, the download is always executed only to a certain number of terminals (terminal multiplicity).

The present invention relates to a terminal control method in a download process in a host / terminal distributed processing system in which a host and a terminal are connected via a line.

In a system in which a terminal device (hereinafter abbreviated as a host) cooperating with a host computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a host), a data (file) transfer function between host terminals is indispensable. Furthermore, in recent years, there are not a few systems (host / terminal distributed processing systems) in which a business program is incorporated in a terminal device itself and a close cooperation process is performed with an online business processing program on the host side.

In such a host / terminal distributed processing system, an existing simultaneous distribution process (equivalent to a broadcast process.
In addition to transferring data necessary for business processing to the terminal, download processing such as remote maintenance processing for maintenance of terminal programs is frequently performed.

[Prior Art] FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram of a configuration of a conventional system. Host 1
And a plurality of terminals 2 are connected by a bus 3. Bus 3
Instead of a line. One of these terminals 2 is an upload terminal, which uploads data to the host 1. The host 1 downloads the collected data to the terminal 2.

Here, in the conventional download method, in a mode in which tasks performing processing on the host 1 and the terminal 2 side are opposed to each other, both tasks execute downloading by exchanging messages (including data). Simultaneous download to a plurality of terminals is performed while a plurality of terminals 2 are connected to the host 1 at the same time and competing among the terminals 2, that is, in a form of competing for resources of the host 1.

For this reason, when the number of terminals is large, the load on the host 1 becomes large, and when the load is extremely high, the processing is delayed (slow down), and in some cases, the task is abnormally terminated due to buffer exhaustion. There is a risk of doing. For this reason, it is necessary to reduce the load on the host by providing a means for giving some kind of stopping.

The basic factor that determines the magnitude of the load on the host 1 is the task multiplicity for performing the download processing, and the other is the number of terminals that are performing the download. Regarding the setting of the task multiplicity, a measure for reducing the load differs depending on whether or not the task can perform multiple conversation processing.

If multi-conversation processing cannot be performed, one task occurs for one terminal, so a method of limiting the number of tasks is generally used. That is, for the terminal 2 that has exceeded the task multiplicity, the task waits and the process cannot be executed. As a result, the load on the host 1 can be kept constant.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the first place, one task is required by the host per terminal because a memory space is required for the task area corresponding to the number of terminals. Naturally, the maximum number of tasks, that is, the number of terminals capable of simultaneous processing is naturally determined from the size of the memory space. For this reason,
In the actual download processing, even when a large computer is used, the limit is to process about several tens of terminals. If the number of terminals is increased beyond this range, there is a risk that the task will be abnormally terminated due to buffer exhaustion.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal control method in a download process capable of enabling a host to automatically perform a download to a terminal.

[Means for Solving the Problems] FIG. 1 is a principle block diagram of the present invention. In the figure, 10 is a host-side communication control means, 11 is a terminal IPL time setting means for determining an IPL time of an individual terminal, 12 is a host-side download control means for managing control of an individual terminal, 13
Is a terminal control table in which terminal control information connected to the host side download control means 12 is stored. Reference numeral 14 denotes a host-side download execution unit for performing actual download processing, and 15 denotes a host resource data file reading unit connected to the host-side download execution unit 14. These are included on the host side.

20 is a terminal side communication control means, 21 is a terminal IPL control means for controlling its own power supply and IPL, 22 is a terminal side download control / execution means for controlling and executing a terminal download process, and 23 is a terminal side download control. A terminal file writing unit connected to the execution unit 22; These are included on the terminal side. Although only one terminal is shown in the figure, a plurality of terminals and a host are actually connected.

[Operation] In the present invention, terminals are managed in three stages. Here, the three-stage state includes a “waiting” state in which the terminal waits from the time when the terminal is connected to the host until the actual download processing is performed, and a state in which the terminal can execute the download and the actual download processing. "Running" state during the
This indicates a “completed” state in which the download processing is completed and the processing for the terminal is completed.

Adjustment of the terminal multiplicity is realized by regarding connected terminals as calls and managing each terminal by a pseudo queue. According to the state of the terminal described above, three queues of a download processing “waiting”, a download “executing”, and a download “completion” queue are generated at each stage, and each terminal transits on those queues. Manages the terminal state. By performing these queue managements through a conversation sequence (exchange of electronic messages) between the host and the terminal, it becomes possible to cause only the terminal in the “executing” state to perform the actual download processing.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the present invention. When each terminal connects to the host (LOGON) (T1), it waits once
Stored in the queue. When each terminal is in the waiting queue, the host control task (host side download control means)
12. The same applies hereinafter) to the terminal for "wait / wait" (T
Do 2). The terminal receives this, waits for the time designated by the host (wait), and after the specified time has elapsed, asks the host control task again whether or not to execute the "inquiry / C"
HECK) (T3). This is repeated until the terminal is in the executable state, that is, until the terminal transits to the “executing queue”.

The transition from the terminal's "waiting" queue to the "running" queue is basically when the terminal is at the head of the "waiting" queue,
The process is performed when the process of the other terminal that has been performing the download is completed. In other words, this means that the host side controls so as to start processing to another terminal after waiting for processing termination to a certain terminal. by this,
It is possible to keep the number of simultaneous processing terminals (terminal multiplicity) constant.

When a terminal becomes ready for execution, the terminal is normally waiting for time, and in order to know that it can be executed, it is necessary to ask the host control task again whether execution is possible. is there. In response to the terminal inquiry at this time, the host control task issues a "start / START" instruction (T4). In response to this, the terminal displays "Ready / READ
The response (T5) of "Y" is returned, and the flow shifts to the actual download processing.

On the host side, the download control task sends “execution instruction / EXEC” (T6) together with the terminal control right to the download execution task (host-side download execution means 14; the same applies hereinafter), so that the actual download processing is started. .

The actual download processing is a download execution task and the transfer of file data at the terminal (T7). Since the download execution task itself is divided into tasks, it operates independently of the control task. Since the queue management is performed by the control task, the download execution task (corresponding to the terminal-side download control / execution means 22) returns the terminal control right to the control task when the actual download processing to a certain terminal is completed. , "End of execution / EXI"
T "(T9).

After returning from the execution task, the control task sends “end instruction / STOP” (T10) to the terminal and “wait”.
The terminal at the head of the queue is transited to the “executing queue”. The terminal that has received the “end instruction” returns a response (T11) of “end / END” to the host, completes the process, and turns off its own power. Thereafter, the host control task causes the terminal to transition from the “executing” queue to the “completed” queue and disconnects from the terminal.

Through such a sequence, the host control task generates and manages each queue, so that it is possible to control the download terminal while maintaining a certain terminal multiplicity. As a result, automatic operation of download from the host to the terminal becomes possible.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a configuration block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.
This is for explaining normal business processing. Description will be made in correspondence with the principle diagram of FIG. In the figure, 30 is a communication control unit (CCU), 31 is basic software (OS, VTAM, AIM / DC,
NCP). The communication control device 30 and the basic software 31 constitute the communication control means 10 shown in FIG.

32 is a common control task, 33 is a console connected to the common control task 32, and 34 and 35 are business tasks that operate under the control of the common control task 32. Common control task 32 is the first
It corresponds to the terminal IPL time setting means 11 in the figure.

40 is a terminal control device, and 41 is a terminal emulator connected to the terminal control device 40. The terminal control device 40 and the terminal emulator 41 constitute the terminal-side communication control means 20 shown in FIG. 42 is the common control task, 43 is the common control task
A forced power-off task that operates under the control of 42, and business tasks 44 and 45 that also operate under the control of the common control task 42. The common control task 42 and the forced power-off task 43 constitute the terminal IPL control means 21 shown in FIG.

The following is a description of normal business processing in the apparatus configured as described above. The host and the terminal are connected by a line, and pass through a terminal control device 40 for connecting a plurality of terminals to one line. Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 has a configuration generally adopted in a host / terminal distributed processing system, a unique feature of the present invention is that a trigger for a download process is formed as part of a normal business process. It is a point to do.

That is, the IPL operation of the terminal, which is a trigger of the download processing, is set at the time of normal business processing. In the embodiment, the setting of the terminal IPL is performed in cooperation of the host-side common control task 32 and the terminal-side common control task 42. Both common control tasks 32 and 42 perform a process of allocating the task tasks 35 (or 34) and 45 (or 44) in the normal task processing.

The separation between the normal processing and the download processing depends on the activation of the online task in the host. In particular, both may be in a state where both coexist. Rather, the host connection (LOGON) processing by the initial startup task that starts up at the time of IPL on the terminal side holds the key to separation. In the embodiment, the power is turned on by a normal terminal user.
When the IPL is activated, the common control task 42 starts up, and when activated by the IPL control processing, the download control
It is assumed that an execution task (described later) is started. The two common control tasks 32 and 42 have a relationship of performing processing by exchanging messages.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.
This is for explaining the download process. The same components as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the figure, 36 is a host control task (also called a download control task), 37 is a host execution task (also called a download execution task), and 38 is a resource data file that provides data to the host execution task 37. Host control task
36 is composed of a single task, and the host execution task 37 is composed of multitasks.

The host control task 36 corresponds to the host side download control means 12 in FIG. 1, and the host execution task 37 corresponds to the host side download execution means 14 in FIG. It is assumed that the host execution task 37 includes the host resource data file reading means 15 shown in FIG.

46 is a terminal control / execution task, and 47 is a terminal file in which data is stored by the terminal control / execution task 46.
The terminal control / execution task 46 corresponds to the terminal-side download control / execution means 22 in FIG.

In the embodiment shown in the figure, the host control task 36 capable of performing multi-conversation for controlling the terminal at the time of download operates at the task multiplicity of 1, and the host execution task 37 for performing the actual download processing is multitask at the task multiplicity of n. Perform the operation.
The role of the host control task 36 is to control the terminal operation at the time of downloading by managing the terminal control table 13 in response to the connection from the terminal, and to properly execute the host execution task.
To pass terminal control to 37.

The host execution task 37 is a task for performing an actual download (file transfer) process. It does not matter whether or not a multi-conversation process is possible. It is assumed that the above-mentioned conditions of these multiple conversations and multitasks are basically provided by the host OS.

On the terminal side, the operation task is only the terminal control / execution task 46. However, the control task and the execution function may be separated and divided into tasks, similarly to the host side. Further, it is assumed that a task that operates on a terminal operates on a single task. The actual data location is stored in the resource data file 38 on the host side, and the content is transferred to the terminal file 47 on the terminal side by downloading. The tasks of both the host and the terminal are in such a relationship that the processing proceeds by exchanging messages in the same manner as in ordinary business processing. These messages are based on the sequence shown in FIG.

The messages exchanged between the host and the terminal are based on a common format, except for normal business processing. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a message format. The message itself has a variable length, and is divided into a fixed-length header portion having a common configuration and a variable-length body portion. The header part includes a message type code (for example, 2 bytes) 51 indicating the type of the message, a terminal ID (for example, 8 bytes) 52 for identifying the issuer / issuer terminal, and a command type code (for example, a detailed category of the message). (For example, 8 bytes) 53. The body part is composed of parameters or transfer data according to the command type.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal control table 13. Numeral 60 denotes a terminal SEQNO (sequential number) corresponding to the physical sequence number of the table. Reference numeral 61 denotes LOGON-SEQNO (LSEQ), which corresponds to the sequence number of each terminal performing LOGON. 62 is the terminal ID
(WSID) is the key to the table. Numeral 63 denotes a terminal status flag (CF) for managing the terminal status. A blank indicates no connection, W indicates standby, A indicates active, and F indicates completion. In other words, when blank, the terminal is not connected to the host
Indicates that the terminal is in the state before LOGON, W indicates that the terminal is on the “waiting” queue, A indicates that the terminal is on the “executing” queue, and F indicates the terminal. Is on the "Done" queue.

Numeral 64 denotes a terminal execution flag (XF) indicating whether or not download is being executed. Blank indicates pause, and * indicates execution. That is, the pause indicates that the terminal is not in the execution state, and * indicates that the terminal is performing the actual download process. 65 is a previous pointer (RP) indicating the pointer of the previous terminal on the queue, and indicates the serial number (SEQNO) of the previous terminal on the queue. 66 is the next pointer (NP)
Indicates the sequence number (SEQNO) of the terminal after the queue. 67 is L
LOGON time (LT) for recording the date and time of OGON, 68 is a download start time (ST) for recording the start time of download, and 69 is a download end time (ET) for recording the end time of download.

Various counters and pointers are attached to the terminal control table 13, and the host control task 36 also manages these counters and pointers. The various counters / pointers are as follows. (The abbreviations shown in FIGS. 9 to 15 are described.) LOGON terminal counter; indicates the total number of terminals that have performed LOGON (L-CNT) “Waiting” state terminal counter; indicates the number of terminals in the “Waiting” state ( W-CNT) "Executing" state terminal counter; indicating the number of terminals in the "executing" state (A-CNT) "Completed" state terminal counter; indicating the number of terminals in the "completed" state (F-CNT) "Executing""Status terminal counter; indicating the number of terminals in the" execution "state (X-CNT)" Effective "status terminal counter; indicating the number of terminals in the" effective "state (EA-CNT)" Wait "queue top pointer;" Wait " Pointing to the head / end of the status queue (W-FP, W-XP) "Executing" queue head pointer; having the head / end of the "executing" status queue (A-FP, A-XP) "Complete" Queue head pointer; indicates the head / end of the "completed" status queue (F-FP, F-XP) Current Execution pointer; LOGO of the terminal to be processed next
N serial number (CR-P) Terminal multiplicity; defines terminal multiplicity (MLT-WS) Work terminal serial number; work variable (pointer) (WK-SE)
Q) IX; Work variable (pointer) JX; Work variable (pointer)

Here, the differences between the “executing” state terminal counter, the “executing” state counter, and the “effective” state terminal counter are as follows. The “running” state refers to a terminal in which a terminal is in an executable state on a queue. Therefore, this state does not mean that the terminal is downloading immediately. The terminal that is actually performing the download process is indicated as an “executing” state terminal.

Further, in the adjustment of the terminal multiplicity, when a terminal that is no longer in the “running” state even in the “running” state occurs, the optimality of the multiplicity adjustment processing of setting the next terminal to the “running” state is optimized. For the purpose of implementation, an "effective" state terminal counter is provided separately from the "running" state terminal counter.
This counts the number of terminals that are in a state (called the "effective" state) from the "running" state to the "running" state once the terminal is no longer in the "running" state. Therefore, the following relationship is established between these three variables.

"Executed" state terminal counter≤ "effective" state terminal counter≤ "executing" state terminal counter≤terminal multiplicity Next, a method of expressing queues will be described. In the embodiment, a normal method is used as a method of expressing a queue. That is, the chain status of the terminals on the queue includes the leading pointer (FP) and the last pointer (XP) of each queue, the terminal serial number (SEQNO) of the terminal control table 13, and the previous pointer (RP).
And the next pointer (NP). FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a method of expressing a queue. Here, the number of terminals stored in the queue is CNT.

(A) shows a state where nothing is stored in the queue. In this case, FP = XP = CNT = 0. (B)
Indicates that the terminal i is stored in the queue.
In this case, FP = XP = i, RP (i) = NP (i) = 0, CNT
= 1. (C) shows a state where the information is stored in the queue in the order of terminal i → terminal j. In this case, FP = i,
XP = j, RP (i) = 0, NP (i) = j, RP (j) = i, NP (j)
= 0 and CNT = 2.

(D) shows a state where the information is stored in the queue in the order of terminal i → terminal j → terminal k. In this case, FP = i, XP
= K, RP (i) = 0, NP (i) = j, RP (j) = i, NP (j) =
k, RP (k) = j, NP (k) = 0, and CNT = 3.

(Overall Operation Flow) The present invention is broadly divided into terminals for ordinary business processing.
It is composed of two processes, a process of setting the IPL time and a download process, and is realized by the cooperation of these two processes. Of these, the download process is performed during a time period (at night) other than during normal operation because the host load is high. By adopting this operation, there is an advantage that sufficient host resources can be given to the download execution task 37, and it is not necessary to consider the influence on the normal operation. On the day when the nightly download is performed, the operation manager immediately starts the online task of the normal operation, for example, at 8:30, the download start time from the console 33 for the common control task 32, for example, 2
Set 1:00. In response, the common control task 32
The IPL time of each terminal is set during normal operation. Then, for example, at 18:00, the normal business process is completed online, and the batch job is completed, for example, by 20:00. At 20:30, the download process control and execution task 36,
Launch 37. After the start of the host control task 36, the terminal multiplicity can be set.

In parallel with this, in the terminal operating 30 minutes before the download start time, a timeout is detected by the forced power off task 43, and the terminal is forcibly turned off. Thereafter, automatic IPL is executed based on the IPL time set for each terminal after the download start time.

The terminal started by the automatic IPL is automatically connected to the host, and the download process is started thereafter. On the host side, the automatic operation / end of the download is executed thereafter by the operation of the host control task 36.

(IPL Control Operation of Terminal) The setting of the IPL time of each terminal is performed by the cooperative operation of the common control tasks 32 and 42 during the normal operation. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a conversation sequence between the host and the terminal during normal business processing. When each terminal is powered on by the terminal user during normal operation, the common control task of the host
Issue a logon (LOGON) message to T32 (T1).
In response to this, the common control task 32 of the host calculates the delay time of the terminal from the terminal ID in the message,
Notify the IPL time (T2). The IPL time of each terminal is a time obtained by adding the delay time of each terminal to the download start time. However, if the download is not performed on the day, all “9” shall be notified. Here, as the delay time, for example, the delay time of each terminal is calculated in advance and stored in a table according to the key of the terminal ID, so that the common control task 32 of the host refers to the value of this table at the time of setting It is conceivable to do so.

After receiving the set (SET) message T2, the terminal common control task 42 performs an operation as shown in FIG. First, as a premise, at the time of startup, the common control task 42 of each terminal holds the IPL time managed on the terminal side as all “9”. This state indicates that the forced power-off task 43 is not operating. After receiving the message T2 from the host (S1), the IPL time managed by this terminal is compared with the IPL time specified by the host (S2).

If they match, return an OK message to the host (S
3). If they do not match, it is determined whether the designated time of the host is all “9” (S4). In the case of all “9”, the IPL control of the terminal is turned off to invalidate the IPL time set on the terminal side before this (S5),
At the same time, the forced power-off task 43 is terminated (S6).

If not all “9”, based on host instructions
Change the IPL setting time and set the IPL control again (S
7). At the time of setting the IPL control, the terminal forcibly power off task 43 is started at the same time (S8). The terminal forcible power-off task 43 is a task for detecting a timeout 30 minutes before the terminal IPL time and automatically turning off the terminal. After performing the process of starting / stopping the forcible power-off task, it confirms its normal termination (S9). If the result is normal, an OK message is returned to the host (S10). If abnormal, an NG message is returned to the host (S11). This operation corresponds to T3 in FIG. According to the above sequence, the IPL time is notified from the host to the terminal, and is set in the terminal.

Returning to the description of FIG. After this, the common control task
32, 42 exchange menu (MENU) messages (T4) and select (SELECT) messages (T5). This allows
Control is transferred to the business task 34 selected by the terminal user by a run (RUN) message (T6). (T7) and (T8) show exchanges between the business tasks 34 and 44 of the host and the terminal. And return from business process (by return (RETURN) message)
After (T9), issue a SET message (T10) again,
The above processing is executed again.

(Download processing operation) On the host side, the scheduled download start time 30
Minutes before the download control task (host control task) 3
6. The download execution task (host execution task) 37 is started by the operation administrator.

On the terminal side, as described above, the power is forcibly turned off 30 minutes before the scheduled download start time, and after the scheduled start time, the automatic IPL is executed at the IPL time according to the delay time of each terminal. At this time, the terminal sends a LOGON message to the host and connects to the download control task (host control task) 36 of the host.

The operation of the download control task 36 is performed according to a message conversation sequence with the terminal control / execution task 46 (see FIG. 2). The main control operation of the download control task is as shown in FIG. Host control task 36
Initializes the terminal control table 13 before starting communication with the terminal (S1). In this initialization, except for the terminal serial number SEQNO (60) and the terminal ID (62), the values of each item are 0 for numeric items (61, 65 to 69) and blank for character items (63, 64). Is set to Also, all the counters / pointers attached to the terminal control table 13 are 0.

After completing the initialization, the host control task 36 receives the message (S2). Next, it is determined whether the received message is an instruction message from the console 33 (S3). There are two types of instruction messages from the console 33, usually the operator's console 33.
Issued by key input from. Post-end (PO
In the case of a telegram, the task is ended together with the download execution task 37. Thus, the task of the host processing of the download is completed.

If not, it is checked whether the message is a terminal multiplicity indication message (S4), and if so, a terminal multiplicity change process is performed (S5). This content includes a process of setting a parameter (terminal multiplicity) in the change instruction message as it is in the terminal multiplicity counter. When a change occurs in the terminal multiplicity (particularly when the multiplicity increases), it is necessary to operate the terminal control queue, so that “next processing” (details will be described later) is performed (S6). If none of the above applies, a “terminal control process” (details described later) is performed (S7).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the terminal control process. In the terminal control processing, first, the terminal control table
Perform 13 searches (S1). That is, the terminal ID of the key item of the terminal control table 13 is searched for the terminal ID which is a common item in the message. If there is a corresponding line on the terminal control table 13 by this search, the work terminal serial number WK-
SEQ is set as the terminal serial number of the line, and WK-SEQ is set to 0 if not found. If WK-SEQ is 0, it is a terminal not to be downloaded,
33 is notified of the fact and error processing is performed (S3).

If the corresponding terminal is found, branching is performed according to the command type in the message according to the determinations in S4 to S8.
S4 to S8 are events that occur step by step as far as a certain terminal is concerned.
Since 36 has multiple conversations with a plurality of terminals, these events actually occur randomly.

In the case of a LOGON message, "entry processing" (described later) is performed according to the determination in step S4 (S9). As a result of the “entry processing”, the terminal is at the head of the “waiting” queue,
In addition, when the number of terminals in the “execution” state is within the terminal multiplicity (waiting terminal counter W-CNT = 1, execution terminal counter EA-CNT <terminal multiplicity MLT-WS), it is determined (S1).
0), and if so, immediately perform a “next process” (S11) and send a start (START) message to the terminal (S12). If the condition of step S10 is not satisfied,
Send a wait (WAIT) message to the terminal.

When sending a WAIT message, the standby time of the terminal is calculated. The basic concept of the standby time is to compare the LOGON serial number LSEQ of the terminal with the current execution pointer CR-P. If the difference is large, the standby time is set large, and if it is small, the setting is made small. Shall be performed.
(S13).

Next, if the terminal waits once after receiving the WAIT message, and then asks the host again whether the download can be executed, that is, when the host control task 36 receives the CHECK message (S5), the state of the terminal is determined (S14, S15). That is, the value of the terminal state flag CF is determined, and if the terminal is in the execution state A, a START message is transmitted (S16). When the terminal is in the “waiting” state, that is, when CF = W (S15), a WAIT message is sent to the terminal. At this time, the standby time is calculated similarly to S13 (S17). If the value of the terminal state flag CF is invalid, it means that an inconsistency in the message sequence has occurred, and error processing is performed (S18).

Next, the terminal receives the START message and notifies the host
DY) When a telegram is returned (S6), 1 is added to the "execution" state terminal counter X-CNT (S19). Thereafter, an Exec (EXEC-execute) message is sent to the download execution task (host execution task) 37, and the terminal execution flag XF of the terminal is set to “*” (S20). As a result, the terminal is considered to be in the “execution” state thereafter.

Next, when the download execution task 37 returns the terminal control right to the download control task 36 by an EXIT message after completing the actual download processing with the terminal (S7), first, the “execute” "1" is subtracted from each of the "state terminal counter X-CNT" and the "execution" state terminal counter EA-CNT (S21). Then, a “next” process is performed (S22), a stop (STOP) message is sent to the terminal, and at the same time, the value of the execution flag XF for the terminal is set to blank (SPACE) (S23). Thereby, the terminal is thereafter considered to have returned to the “pause” state.

Finally, the terminal receives the STOP message and ends (EN
D) When a message is returned (S8), the host control task 36 performs a “quit” process (details will be described later) (S2).
Four). Thereafter, the connection with the terminal is disconnected (S25). At this point, the download processing to the terminal has been completed. If the message received by the host control task 36 does not correspond to any of the abnormalities, an error in the message processing is considered, and an error process is performed (S26).

"Entry" Process Operation The "entry" process described in S9 of FIG. 11 is a process of temporarily storing the terminal connected (LOGON) to the host in the "waiting" queue. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the "entry" process. First, the terminal LOGON
Thus, 1 is added to each of the LOGON terminal counter L-CNT and the "waiting" state terminal counter W-CNT (S1). Further, the terminal status flag CF of the terminal is set to “W”, and the terminal is set to a “waiting” state (S2).

Next, the storage state of the “waiting” queue is determined (S3).
Specifically, it is checked whether or not “waiting” queue head pointer W-FP> 0. When the “waiting” queue is empty, that is, when the head pointer W-FP of the “waiting” state queue is 0
In the case of, the process of S4 is performed, and the state is stored as the only terminal (the first and last position) on the “waiting” queue. If the “hold” queue is not empty, the process of S5 is performed, and the terminal is stored at the last position of the queue.

S4 processing waits for the work terminal serial number WK-ESQ
The queue head pointer W-FP and the “waiting” queue end pointer W-XP are set, and the previous pointer RP and the next pointer NP are set to 0. The processing of S5 is performed by the “waiting” queue final pointer W-XP.
Into the previous pointer RP, the work terminal sequence number WK-SEQ into the next pointer NP, the work terminal sequence number WK-SEQ into the "wait" queue final pointer W-XP, and the next pointer
Set NP to 0.

Next, the LOGON time (LT) of the terminal is recorded (S
6). Finally, the LOGON terminal counter L-CNT is
Enter the OGON serial number LSEQ (S7). By the above "entry" processing, each terminal is stored in the order of LOGON. The “waiting” queue is actually of the FIFO method, but the terminal is taken out of the “waiting” queue by the “next” processing described below.

"Next" Processing Operation The "next" processing is performed when a margin occurs in the terminal multiplicity (actually, either the change of the terminal multiplicity by the operator or the disappearance of the terminal in the "execution" state). ,
This is a process of taking out the terminal at the head of the "waiting" queue and storing / transferring the terminal to the "executing" queue. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the next process. First, it is checked whether the terminal multiplicity has a margin (S1). Specifically, the "effective" state terminal counter
It is checked whether the value of EA-CNT is smaller than the terminal multiplicity MLT-WS. "Effective" state When the value of the terminal counter EA-CNT is smaller than the terminal multiplicity MLT-WS, and the terminal is stored on the "wait" queue, that is, the head of the "wait" queue is the pointer W-FP. Is not 0 (W-
If FP> 0) (S2), the following processing is performed. W-FP
If it is not> 0, the process ends without doing anything.

When the above condition is satisfied, 1 is subtracted from the "waiting" state terminal counter W-CNT, and the value of the "waiting" state queue head pointer W-FP is stored in the work variable JX (S
3). Subsequent processing is performed on a terminal (hereinafter simply referred to as a terminal) whose terminal serial number SEQNO in the terminal control table 13 corresponds to JX.

Next, by the process of step S4, the current / execution pointer CR-P is updated, the terminal state of the terminal is set to the "executing" state, and the terminal is moved up by one in the "wait" queue (the terminal at the leading position). (S4). Specifically, the LOGON serial number LSEQ is put in CR-P, the terminal status flag CF is set to 1 "A", and the next pointer NP is put in the "waiting" queue head pointer W-FP. When the queue is emptied as a result of raising the queue ("Wait" queue head pointer W-
If FP = 0) (S5), the final pointer W-XP of the "wait" queue is cleared to 0 (S6).

Thereafter, 1 is added to each of the "executing" state terminal counter A-CNT and the "executing" state terminal counter EA-CNT (S
7). Here, the storage state of the “executing” queue is determined (S
8) If the "executing" queue is empty, that is, if the "executing" status queue head pointer A-FP is 0, the processing of S9 is performed, and the only terminal on the "executing" queue is ( (The first and last position). If the "executing" status queue head pointer A-FP is not 0, the process of S10 is performed and the terminal is stored at the last position of the queue.

The process of S9 is a process in which JX is “executing” the queue head pointer
FP, puts the "executing" queue last pointer A-XP, and sets the previous pointer RP and the next pointer NP9 to 0. The processing of S10 is
"Executing" queue last pointer A-XP value to previous pointer
Put in RP, put JX in next pointer NP (A-XP), put JX in "running" queue last pointer A-XP, and set next pointer NP (JX) to 0. Finally, the download start time ST (JX) of the terminal is stored (S11).

By the above “next” processing, the terminal multiplicity is maintained /
Management will be performed. A terminal stored in the “running” state queue is considered to be in the “running” state until it sends an END message to the host control task 36.

“Quit” processing operation “Quit” processing is a process in which when the host control task 36 receives an END message from the terminal, the host control task 36 takes out the terminal from the “executing” queue and stores / transfers to the “completed” queue. It is.

 The details are shown in FIG.

First, 1 is subtracted from the "executing" state terminal counter A-CNT (S1), the terminal state flag CF of the terminal is set to "F" (S2), and the terminal is set to the completed state. The previous pointer RP and the next pointer NP of the terminal are stored in the work variables IX and JX, respectively (S3), and the subsequent steps S4 to S13 are taken out from the "executing" queue.

In S4, the value of JX is checked. If JX is 0, that is, if the terminal is located at the head of the queue, the process of S5 is performed,
If not, the process of S6 is performed. In S5, the value of IX is stored in A-FP, and in S6, the value of IX is stored.
Store in NP (JX).

Next, the value of IX is checked (S7). If IX is 0, that is, if the terminal is located at the end of the queue, the process of S8 is performed; otherwise, the process of S9 is performed. In S8, the value of JX is stored in A-XP, and in S9, the value of JX is stored in RP (IX).

Next, in S10, the "completed" state terminal counter F-CNT
Add 1 to.

Further, the storage state of the "complete" queue is determined (S11),
If the “completed” queue is empty, that is, if the leading pointer F-FP of the “completed” state queue is 0, the processing of S12 is performed,
Only terminal on "Done" queue (first and last position)
Is stored. If the “completed” queue is not empty, the process of S13 is performed, and the terminal is stored in the last position of the queue. In S12, the work terminal serial number WK-SEQ is set to the head pointer FF of the "complete" queue.
P and the last pointer F-XP, and the next pointer NP and the previous pointer are both set to 0. In S13, the leading pointer F-FP of the "complete" queue is placed in the previous pointer RP, and the work terminal serial number WK-SEQ is placed in the next pointer NP (F-FP) and the last pointer F-XP of the "complete" queue. Put in.

Through the processing of S3 to S13 described above, the consistency of the queue can be maintained regardless of the position of the terminal in the “executing” queue.

Finally, the download end time ET of the terminal is recorded (S14).

At this point, one terminal is in the completed state. At this time, it is determined whether all the terminals are in the “completed” state, that is, whether or not the download processing can be terminated ( S15). This determination is based on the LOGON terminal counter L
True if the value of -CNT is equal to the "completed" state terminal counter F-CNT. At this time, the terminal terminal W-CNT in the "waiting" state and the terminal counter A-CNT in the "executing" state are identified.
Are both 0. If termination is possible by the determination in S15, a POSTEND message is issued (S16). As a result, the host download process (control and execution task 3
6,37) are all finished.

(Operation of Download Execution Task) FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the download execution task (host execution task) 37. The download execution task 37 operates after the host control task 36 issues an EXEC message in response to the terminal's READY message and receives the terminal control right (S1). Thereafter, the actual download processing for the terminal is performed. After that, the task is operated until S8 when the terminal control right is returned to the host control task 36 by the EXIT message.

After acquiring terminal control right (S1), resource data file
The following processes are repeated until the records in 38 are read one by one from the beginning (S2) and the end of the file is detected (S3). That is, the SEND message is edited based on the read record and sent to the terminal (S4). Then, a response message is received from the terminal (S5), and the result of the terminal processing is determined (S6). If the response message is an OK message, return to S2 and process the next record. In the case of an NG message, processing such as displaying an error message on the console 33 is performed (S7), and then the processing is completed normally, that is, as in the case where the end of the file is detected. Is returned to the host (S8).

Operation of (download control / execution task) Fig. 16 shows download control / execution task 46 (terminal side)
6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment. In the download processing in the embodiment, the host is initiative in the message protocol of the host / terminal. For this reason, the processing on the terminal side, that is, the operation of the download control / execution task 46 depends on the message sent by the host.

First, after connecting to the host by automatic IPL (S1),
Contains a message from the host (S2). When a message is received from the host, a branching process based on the determinations in S3 to S6 is performed. First, in the case of a WAIT message (S3), a wait is performed during a wait time designated by the host (S7). After waiting for time,
A CHECK message, which is an executable inquiry, is sent to the host (S8).

If the received message is a START message (S4), after performing creation preparation / initial processing (file opening processing, etc.) of the terminal file 47 (S9), a READY message which is a notification of the completion of preparation to the host. Is sent (S10).

After sending the READY message, a conversation is executed with the download execution task 37 of the host. When a SEND message in this case is received (S5), one record is written to the terminal file 47 based on the received file data (S11). It is determined whether or not this processing is normal (S1
2) If OK, return OK message to host (S13); if abnormal, return NG message to host (S14).

In the case of the end of the host resource data file 38 or an NG message, the terminal control right is transferred to the host control task 36, and the ST
When receiving an OP message (S6).

At this time, post-processing of the terminal file 47 (close processing, etc.)
(S15), and sends an END message to the host (S16). E
Since the ND message notifies the end on the protocol, no reply from the host is required here, and the terminal task itself is ended, and the terminal is turned off at the same time. If the message from the host does not correspond to any of the above, there is a possibility that the host processing has caused an error. In this case, error processing was performed on the terminal side (S1
7) After that, an END message is sent to the host to match the formulation on the protocol (S16).

In the above embodiment, the terminal is connected to the host within the maximum delay time after the download start time while maintaining the order of the download start by LOGON by the terminal IPL setting control between the common controls in the normal operation. You. In the download process, the host side is divided into a control task for performing “waiting” control / queue management for the terminal and an execution task for performing actual download processing / file transfer, thereby performing actual download processing. It becomes possible to control the number of terminals, that is, the terminal multiplicity, to be kept constant. In addition, the control task itself can determine the end of the download processing by queue control and automatically end the download processing. That is, the automatic operation of the download process can be performed by combining with the conventional automatic IPL control of the terminal.

The present invention does not particularly limit the method of the download process itself as long as the download execution task has a basic file transfer function and can operate in a multitasking manner.

Further, the configuration of the terminal control table, which is the core of the present invention, and the generation / management of the queue based on the message sequence by the terminal / host is not limited to the download processing, but is a high-traffic processing for a large number of terminals. ,
In the case of business processing that does not require immediacy, various applications / application forms can be taken by replacing the execution task with various types of business.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention has the following three advantages.

Ease of Operation by Various Automations According to the present invention, the IPL setting for each terminal is performed without any special operation of the terminal user during normal operation. In addition, the terminal side automatically processes from the automatic IPL to the automatic power-off after the download is completed, and the host can control both the control / execution tasks to be automatically terminated. For this reason, operation such as automatic driving at night in the download processing becomes possible. The nighttime automatic operation of the download process can eliminate the operation time loss caused by the conventional terminal remote maintenance that has to be performed during the normal operation, and can increase the operation rate of the business system.

Shortening of download time In the nighttime execution of the download process, the host process (memory, buffer, etc.) can be used only for the download process because the download process and the normal operation do not conflict. Thereby, download processing can be shortened.

Limitation and control of host load by terminal multiplicity This guarantees that the load ratio of the host involved in the download process is kept to a safe level. Thereby, the reliability of the download operation can be improved.
The setting of the terminal multiplicity can be dynamically changed by an operator inputting a command from the console. If this function is incorporated in the automatic operation function of the OS that supports the start of the host load / performance measurement tool and the automatic issuance of console commands, etc., it is possible to process while adjusting the optimal terminal multiplicity by the system itself. It is possible.

As described above, according to the present invention, automatic operation of download from the host to the terminal can be enabled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a message format, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a terminal control table, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a queue expression method, and FIG. 8 is a normal business process FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a conversation sequence between a host and a terminal in FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an IPL setting operation of a terminal common control task, FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a main control operation of a download control task, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the entry process, FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the next process, FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the quit process, FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the download execution task, FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the download control / execution task, and FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram of the configuration of the conventional system. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes host-side communication control means, 11 denotes terminal IPL time setting means, 12 denotes host-side download control means, 13 denotes a terminal control table, 14 denotes host-side download execution means, and 15 denotes a host resource diff file. Reading means, 20 is terminal-side communication control means, 21 is terminal IPL control means, 22 is terminal-side download control / execution means, and 23 is terminal file writing means.

Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kazuhiro Tanaka 1015 Kamiodanaka Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fujitsu Co., Ltd. Reference JP-A-64-76135 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06F 13/00 G06F 9/06

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A host-terminal distributed processing system in which a host and a terminal are connected via a line, a host-side communication control means (10) on the host, and an IPL time for an individual terminal. Terminal IPL time setting means (11), host-side download control means (12) for managing control of individual terminals, and host-side download execution means (14) for performing actual processing
The terminal side communication control means (20) on the terminal side, and the terminal IPL control means (21) for controlling its own power supply and IPL
And terminal-side download control / executing means (22) for controlling and executing the terminal download processing, respectively, and the host determines in advance the scheduled download start time for each terminal determined by the terminal IPL time setting means (11). (IPL time) is transmitted to the terminal IPL control means (2) by the communication control means (10) and (20).
1), and after the scheduled start time, each terminal performs automatic IPL based on the IPL time instructed by the host by the terminal IPL control means (21) and automatically connects to the host. Each of the terminals is managed by a pseudo queue generated by the host-side download control means (12), and download start / wait is instructed through exchange of messages, so that terminals within a certain number (terminal multiplicity) are always maintained. A terminal control method in a download process, characterized in that a download is executed only for a terminal.