JPH10301799A - System for applying test program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for applying a test program for applying a proper test program at a proper time. SOLUTION: This system is provided with a management processor 20 equipped with a management data base 26 for recording and maintaining an operation history for each of plural constituting modules constituting host computers 10-1-10-n, fault ratio parameter, module state information including repair and exchange history, failure information, and test program so that they can be updated. The management processor 20 plans the application schedule of a test program for the host computers 10-1-10-n based on the module state information and the failure information, and applies the test program according to the application schedule.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a test program inputting method for inputting a test program to a host computer, which is a core of an information processing system and configured by a plurality of constituent modules.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of inputting a test program of this kind, for example, a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-304562 (conventional example 1) and a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-45836 are disclosed.
There is a method (conventional example 2) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-209,878.

The prior art 1 is a system in which a test program predetermined as a menu is automatically selected and automatically input to a device under test. When a test program is updated, the system automatically refers to the update information of the program and automatically loads a test program to which the information is applied.

Further, in the conventional example 2, similarly to the method of the conventional example 1, when testing the device to be tested, a large number of test items which have been conventionally manually performed are externally controlled by an external control device (support system).
This is a method that collectively manages test and diagnostic programs automatically.

[0005]

In the conventional system including the conventional examples 1 and 2, a test program is inputted only based on a test item menu which has been determined. However, in order to safely perform user tasks, it is essential to input an appropriate test program at an appropriate time. In addition, due to human error or the like, an incorrect schedule may be created, or a test program that does not match the revision of the computer system type or device may be input. In this case, maintenance work is hindered. . This is because computer systems in recent years have a wide variety of management items, such as the types of devices that make up the system and the mixture of multiple revisions, and conventional maintenance work that relies on manual labor cannot achieve smooth business operations. Because there is.

Further, in the conventional method, when a failure has occurred at a certain user site, information on the failure has not been promptly taken into the maintenance menu creation work at another user site. As a result, there is a problem that the failure cannot be performed in advance in spite of the situation where the occurrence of the failure can be predicted, so that the failure occurs at another user site. This is because, in the conventional method, a maintenance person assembles a schedule after receiving a failure, and information about the failure is not immediately reflected on another user site.

An object of the present invention is to provide a test program input method that can input an appropriate test program at an appropriate time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a test program input method in which information relating to a fault occurring at a certain user site is immediately reflected on another user site.

[0009]

According to the present invention, in a method for inputting a test program of an information processing system having a host computer constituted by a plurality of constituent modules, an operation history of each of the plurality of constituent modules is provided. A failure rate parameter, and module status information including repair / replacement history, failure information, and a management processor having a management database for recording and storing the test program in an updatable manner, wherein the management processor has the module status information and the A test program input method is characterized in that a test program input schedule for the host computer is planned based on the failure information, and the test program is input according to the input schedule.

According to the present invention, the management processor further includes: failure information reading means for reading the failure information from the host computer when a failure occurs in any of the plurality of component modules; Management database updating means for updatingly recording the fault information read by the information reading means in the management database; and inputting a test program to each of the constituent modules based on the module state information and the fault information A test program input method including a schedule planning unit for preparing a schedule and a test program execution control unit for inputting a test program to the constituent modules according to the input schedule is obtained.

According to the present invention, furthermore, a remote maintenance which is connected to each management processor of a plurality of user sites each including the information processing system and the management processor via a communication line and performs maintenance of the plurality of user sites. Each of the management processors of the plurality of user sites further includes communication means for transmitting and receiving the fault information to and from the remote maintenance center via a communication line; Transfer capable of receiving the fault information from any of the management processors of the user sites via a communication line and transmitting the fault information to any of the management processors of the plurality of user sites via a communication line. Means and each of the host computers of the plurality of user sites is configured by any type of the configuration module. A maintenance database that records and stores the system configuration information indicating whether or not the system is configured and the failure information in an updatable manner in correspondence with both information, and updates the failure information received by the transfer unit to the maintenance database. A maintenance database recording means for recording, and searching for the user site having the component module corresponding to the failure information received by the transfer means with reference to the maintenance database, to the management processor of the user site And a search unit for instructing the transfer unit to transmit the fault information.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a method for inputting a test program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a test schedule input system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the management processor in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the remote maintenance center in FIG. 1 (hereinafter, referred to as RMC except for a part).

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the present system comprises user sites A and B, RMC 30 and communication line 40.
And Each user site is composed of a host computer 10-1 to 10-1 composed of a plurality of configuration modules.
0-n (n is a natural number), and module status information and failure information including operation history, failure rate parameter, and repair / replacement history for each of the plurality of constituent modules;
And a management processor 20 having a management database 26 for recording and storing test programs in an updatable manner.

The management processor 20 executes the host computer 10 based on the module status information and the fault information.
In addition to planning a test program input schedule for each of -1 to 10-n, the test program is input according to the input schedule.

As shown in FIG. 2, the management processor 20 further includes a failure information reading means 21 for reading failure information from a host computer when a failure occurs in any of the plurality of constituent modules, and a failure information reading means. The failure information read out at 21 is stored in the management database 2
Management database updating means 22 for updating and recording in database 6
Schedule planning means 2 for planning a test program input schedule for each of the constituent modules based on module status information and fault information
4, a test program execution control unit 23 for inputting a test program to the constituent modules according to the input schedule, and an operation terminal 27.

RMC 30 has user sites A and B
Is connected to each management processor 20 via a communication line 40 to perform maintenance of a user site.

Each of the management processors 20 of the user sites A and B further includes communication means 25 for transmitting / receiving failure information to / from the RMC 30 via the communication line 40.

The RMC 30 has user sites A and B
Receives the failure information from any one of the management processors 20 via the communication line 40, and sends the communication line 4 to any one of the management processors 20 at the user sites A and B.
0 and transfer means 34 capable of transmitting fault information via the host computer 1 for each of the user sites A and B.
A maintenance database (hereinafter referred to as a part) that records and stores system configuration information and fault information indicating what type of configuration module each of 0-1 to 10-n is associated with, and in an updatable manner. 33, and maintenance database recording means for recording the failure information received by the transfer means 34 in the maintenance DB 33 in an updated manner (hereinafter referred to as maintenance DB recording means except for a part). 32 and the maintenance DB 33, searching for a user site having a configuration module corresponding to the failure information received by the transfer unit 34, and transmitting the failure information to the management processor 20 of the user site so as to transmit the failure information. (Hereinafter, abbreviated as maintenance DB search means) 31.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a failure rate pattern of the entire device including the constituent modules. 5 to 9 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of this method.

Next, the operation of the present system will be described with reference to FIGS.

When a failure occurs in any of the constituent modules constituting the host computer, the host computer detects the failure and collects failure information. Next, the host computer transfers the collected fault information to the management processor 20. Management processor 20
Detects failure information from the host computer,
The fault information reading means 21 is activated and receives fault information (steps S11 to S12).

The management processor 20 manages the failure information D
B26, and RMC3
0 (steps S13 and S14).

When a repair or replacement is performed in any one of the constituent modules due to a factor such as a failure or a periodic replacement, the maintenance staff operates the operation terminal 27 to manage the repair and replacement of the constituent module. Instruct the processor 20. Upon receiving this instruction, the management processor 20 accesses the management DB 26 by the management DB updating means 22, and updates the management status of the component module.

The management processor 20 formulates a test program execution schedule for modules constituting the host computer according to a predetermined cycle.
First, the schedule planning unit 24 acquires, from the management DB 26, information on the failure rate parameter / operation history / repair / replacement history of the component module to be planned.

Here, the reliability of products and devices is generally
It is defined by a reliability function called failure rate. The failure rate is
Usually, as shown in FIG. 4, it is known to exhibit a bathtub-like curve (hereinafter, referred to as a bathtub curve). The bathtub curve is a curve having a horizontal axis as a time axis and a vertical axis as a failure rate. The stub curve is divided into the following periods.

Initial failure period (a period during which a failure occurs due to a defect or the like) Accidental failure period (a period during which the failure rate is constant and lowest and operates stably) Abrasion failure period (a failure occurs intensively due to the inherent life of the device) In the present method, in consideration of the bathtub curve, a test program input schedule is drafted based on the operation time of the constituent modules of the host computer and the specific failure rate. In addition, for a component module in which a failure occurs frequently or a component module in which a failure has occurred most recently, the schedule of the periodic maintenance is set shorter than that of a component module in which a failure occurs less frequently.

The schedule planning means 24 confirms the failure rate parameter, that is, information indicating which period on the bathtub curve in FIG. 4 the total operation time of the constituent modules is located. In general, it is presumed that the failure frequency of a component module is high when it is located in the initial failure period or the wear failure period. The schedule planning unit 24 plans a schedule in which the above-mentioned occurrence frequency is added to the schedule set for each configuration module. In addition, when it is located in the accidental failure period, the frequency of occurrence of the failure of the component module is relatively constant, so that a preset schedule is used. Further, the schedule planning unit 24 confirms the repair / replacement history of the constituent modules and corrects the schedule. This correction process addresses cases where it is necessary to pay special attention to trace the situation, such as a recent failure or repair, even if the component module is in the period of a random failure. To do that. (Step S
21-24).

The schedule planning means 24 performs the above-described processing on all the constituent modules to formulate a schedule.

After that, the management processor 20 stores the schedule in the management DB 26 (step S26). The management processor 20 refers to the contents of the management DB 26 at regular intervals and checks the test program input schedule.

The test program execution control unit 23 checks whether the schedule has been updated by referring to the management DB 26 for each component module. As a result of the schedule check, it is assumed that a test program is input to the constituent module. In this case, the test program execution control unit 23 displays a message on the operation terminal 27 and waits for a key input in order to ask the operator whether or not the test program can be input to this constituent module.

When the operator instructs the execution, the test program execution control unit 23 reads the test program corresponding to the configuration module from the management DB 26 and transfers it to the host computer. Thereafter, the test program execution control unit 23 instructs the host computer to execute the test program. In addition, when the operator instructs that the test program cannot be executed, the test program execution control unit 23 stops executing the test program (steps S31 to S38).

On the other hand, the management processor 20 having received the fault information from the host computer transmits the fault information to the RMC 30 via the communication line 40.

Upon detecting the transfer of the fault information from the management processor 20, the RMC 30 activates the transfer means 34,
Receive fault information. Next, the RMC 30 activates the maintenance DB recording means 32 and records this failure information in the maintenance DB 33. Further, the RMC 30 performs a maintenance DB search unit 31.
Start The maintenance DB search unit 31 accesses the maintenance DB 33, and searches and extracts a user site using the same configuration module as the configuration module in which the failure has occurred. As a result of the search, when there is a user site using the same configuration module, the RMC 30 transfers the failure information to all the extracted user sites via the transfer unit 34 (steps S41 to S47). .

The management processor 20 receiving the fault information activates the communication means 25 and receives this fault information. After the reception is completed, the management processor 20 stores the failure information in the management DB 2
6 (steps S51 to S54).

[0036]

The test program input method according to the present invention can update the module status information, failure information including the operation history, failure rate parameter, and repair / replacement history of each of a plurality of constituent modules, and the test program. A management processor having a management database for recording and storing the test program, the management processor plans a test program input schedule to the host computer based on the module state information and the fault information, and inputs the test program according to the input schedule. Therefore, an appropriate test program can be input at an appropriate time.

Further, in addition to the above-mentioned method, a remote maintenance center connected to each management processor of a plurality of user sites each including an information processing system and a management processor via a communication line to maintain the plurality of user sites is provided. Each of the management processors at the plurality of user sites further includes communication means for transmitting and receiving the fault information to and from the remote maintenance center via a communication line, and the remote maintenance center receives the information from any of the management processors at the plurality of user sites. A transfer means capable of receiving the fault information via the communication line and transmitting the fault information to any of the management processors at the plurality of user sites via the communication line, and each of the host computers at the plurality of user sites being of any type. System configuration information and failure information indicating whether the A maintenance database that records and stores information in an updatable manner, a maintenance database recording unit that records the failure information received by the transfer unit in the maintenance database in an updated manner, and a transfer unit that refers to the maintenance database. A search means for searching for a user site having a configuration module corresponding to the received failure information and instructing a transfer means to transmit the failure information to a management processor of the user site. The information about the failed failure is immediately reflected on other user sites.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a test program input method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a management processor in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of an RMC in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a failure rate pattern.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the test program input method shown in FIG. 1, and shows processing when a failure occurs.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the test program input method shown in FIG. 1, and shows processing at the time of planning a test program input schedule.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the test program input method shown in FIG. 1, and shows processing when the test program is input;

8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the test program input method shown in FIG. 1, and shows a process when the RMC searches for another user site.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the test program input method shown in FIG. 1, and shows a process when failure information is received from the RMC.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10-1 to 10-n Host computer 20 Management processor 21 Fault information reading means 22 Management DB updating means 23 Test program execution control unit 24 Schedule planning means 25 Communication means 26 Management DB 27 Operation terminal 30 RMC 31 Maintenance DB search means 32 Maintenance DB recording means 33 Maintenance DB 34 Transfer means 40 Communication line A, B User site

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A test program input method for an information processing system having a host computer constituted by a plurality of constituent modules, wherein an operation history, a failure rate parameter,
Module status information including a repair and replacement history, failure information, and a management processor having a management database that records and stores the test program in an updatable manner,
The management processor plans a test program input schedule for the host computer based on the module status information and the fault information, and inputs the test program according to the input schedule. method. 2. The management processor according to claim 1, further comprising: when a failure occurs in any of the plurality of constituent modules,
Failure information reading means for reading the failure information from the host computer; management database updating means for updatingly recording the failure information read by the failure information reading means in the management database; Schedule planning means for planning a test program input schedule for each of the component modules based on information and the fault information, and a test program execution control unit for inputting a test program to the component modules according to the input schedule The method for inputting a test program according to claim 1, comprising: 3. A remote maintenance center connected to each management processor of a plurality of user sites including the information processing system and the management processor via a communication line and performing maintenance of the plurality of user sites, Each of the management processors of the plurality of user sites further includes communication means for transmitting and receiving the fault information to and from the remote maintenance center via a communication line, wherein the remote maintenance center comprises:
The fault information can be received from any of the management processors at the plurality of user sites via a communication line, and the fault information can be transmitted to any of the management processors at the plurality of user sites via a communication line. Transfer means, system configuration information indicating what kind of the configuration module each of the host computers of the plurality of user sites are configured by, and the fault information are recorded in an updatable manner in correspondence with both information. A maintenance database to be stored, a maintenance database recording unit that updates and records the failure information received by the transfer unit in the maintenance database, and a failure database received by the transfer unit with reference to the maintenance database. Search for the user site that has the corresponding configuration module, and Turned scheme of the test program according to claim 1 or 2 and a retrieval means for instructing the transfer means so as to the management processor Zasaito transmits the failure information.