FI101835B - Communication system for a modular computer system - Google Patents

Description

101835

The present invention relates to a modular information system communication system, in which the various operating units or modules of the information system 5 are connected to different parts of the system via a serial communication bus in order to maintain a data connection.

Figure 1 shows a generalized physical implementation for managing a prior art telecommunications network. The management network, which corresponds to CCITT recommendation M.30, consists of the operating system OS, the data communication network DCN (Mediation Device), the mediation device MD (Mediation Device) and the local area network LAN (Local Area Network). Different interfaces, such as interfaces F and Q1, are used between the different parts of the management network and between the network on the one hand and the network elements NE (Network Elements) on the other hand and the workstations WS (Workstation) of the telecommunication system. - Q3. Some of these interfaces, such as the F interface commonly used at the top level for network management, are; , 20 relatively loosely defined non-standardized interfaces, the manufacturer defining the respective implementation. Other interfaces, such as the CCITT Interconnection Protocol Q3, can be fully defined and thus vendor-independent-25 towers. Figure 1 shows the many interfaces and connections required in prior art systems to connect different modules of the system.

• · ·

When designing multi-module information and communication systems, there is an obvious need to interconnect different modules. This is done by normal • ·. · * ·. list one or more busses, i.e. the so-called by means of a back-up bus which runs in the device rack from one module card to another and by means of which the cards in the rack can communicate with each other.

2 101835 In this type of device, the buses as such cannot be extended from one device rack to another, but in larger systems, 5 high-speed serial interfaces are usually used to provide communication for modules that are physically further apart. In this case, in order to arrange communication, e.g. between different device assemblies, it is usually necessary to convert the background buses of the different device assemblies into a series connection. In addition, the de-10 bug operation of the modules is usually arranged to take place either by module-specific or card-specific testing, or by means of an asynchronous debug interface arranged on the card, whereby the processor operation of the card in question can be monitored by the terminal.

It is clear that finding software or hardware failures in a large multi-module road-15 communication system is a time consuming and cumbersome operation, as the modules must always be monitored and repaired individually, installed on a test rig, or through their own debug port. The whole system covers-. There is no 20 debugging tool, and thus no remote access option.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for establishing a new type of communication channel between modules of information and communication systems consisting of several modules. The system according to the invention is thus characterized in that the serial communication bus is configured in such a way that each module is addressable for read and / or write operations at different hardware and software levels. Said levels include the level of network management, network modules and system development and maintenance to provide at least network management, communication between network modules, and system testing and troubleshooting via a terminal connected to the system.

35 The advantages of the invention include direct interconnection between modules without bus conversions, direct monitoring and debug connection to all modules from one terminal, remote access, easy scalability and the possibility to use standard network or LAN technology in the practical implementation of communication. . The extensibility of the system is achieved in such a way that each device is connected to the system via only one interface, so that the modules can be placed and connected freely within the system.

The invention is thus based on the utilization of a serial bus as a multi-level channel, in which different tasks are handled in each level, from normal data transmission to system maintenance and development.

Other preferred embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is set out in the claims below.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures, in which

Figure 1 shows a generalized physical implementation for managing a telecommunication network according to the prior art 20; and • · · j Figure 2 shows the interconnection of different modules of an information system with a system according to the invention.

»I I

v · Figure 2 shows two devices 1 and 2, 25 each containing eight modules (circuit boards). The devices typically consist of a frame structure into which the cards are inserted and which have ready-to-connect contacts for the terminals on the card to connect the module, i.e. the V ;; ’card, to the system. According to the invention, the modules of each device • · * ... * 30 ton 1.2 and the devices are interconnected on the same serial communication bus 3, e.g. with a LAN network such as Ethernet. A coaxial Ethernet link is used between the hardware and to connect the workstation 4 to the system.

4 101835

Only one physical interface is required for each module, ie the same interface can be used for communication between modules, monitoring of their operation, system development, data maintenance, functional testing at 5 module and system levels, and troubleshooting. All functions can be implemented either with the help of a workstation brought to the site or by remote operation, for example via telephone or other cable. All these functions can be implemented without installing, for example, the different F and Q1 to Q3 interfaces and buses according to Fig. 10 1. In the system according to Figure 2, the operations can be performed either from the local workstation 4 or remotely, for example via a telephone or other interface. Communication between network modules means, for example, traffic between modules assigned to the same task. The traffic between the modules then forms higher-level hardware, which consists of several modules reserved for the task.

Referring to Figure 2, three examples are shown on the workstation display for 20 examples. a window where two modules and the network are analyzed simultaneously. Module faults are repaired using the module's built-in debug interface, which provides direct access to monitor and control card processor functions. The operating system debug program, the source language debug program, and the dissassembler program can be used as tools. Working in this environment, by connecting an on-site repair terminal *. module after module is familiar to a person skilled in the art.

• · ·

In the system according to the invention, the same local • · · ... * 30 1 is network connection established for communication between the modules is also used for correcting module faults. The system is open in nature, after all

«I I

the modules are connected directly to the network, and the network is used for all internal communication between the various modules.

5 101835

Multiple modules can be monitored and repaired simultaneously over the same bus / by connecting workstations directly to the network. Thus, troubleshooting diagnostics and software debugging can be performed without interrupting the normal operation of the modules. The system according to the invention also offers the possibility of transferring and / or copying software, e.g. when developing or updating the system.

A network analyzer or debug program can be used to examine and debug the network. This also provides a ready-made interface for testing the overall operation of the system.

The monitoring / debug interface can be connected from the network to a line along which work can be performed remotely.

When a workstation with the appropriate software is connected to a network, a number of debug tools are available, ranging from network analysis to examining the memory location of a particular module. Troubleshooting and repair can be performed in several different levels in a fully integrated way. The different levels can be formed, for example, as follows: • «• - network management with an ana- *> · *: lysator / debug tool. The analyzer monitors the data • whose network units (network address holders) send checks for errors, etc. . for. This analyzer may be a separate tool, run from the workstation simultaneously, but separate from other debug tools, or it may be integrated in the troubleshooting layer used (network management layer); . * “• 30 - Assigning a Network Module for Troubleshooting •« • · · .. *. at the system level, allowing messages and processing to be • • ·: monitored by the module's operating system debug tool 11a | <·· ’(network module level); - the ability to examine the source code using the de-35 bug tool in the source language (source code level); 6 101835 - possibility for low-level troubleshooting and correction, with the help of a dissassembler, memory examination, etc. (register level); - the ability to use any mix of de-5 bug tools for one or more modules.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various embodiments of the invention are not limited to the above example, but may vary within the scope of the claims below.

• · ♦ · · • · · ♦ ♦ · · • * · • · · «• · · · · · · · ♦« · • · · ·· · • · · · ·

Claims (5)

101835 A modular information system communication system, wherein the different functional units of the information system, i.e. the 5 modules, are connected to different parts (1, 2) of the system via a serial communication bus (3), characterized in that the serial communication bus (3) is configured so that each module is addressable for read and / or write operations at different hardware and software levels known to the serial communication bus (3), said levels being network management level, network module level, network system development and maintenance level, at least for network management, network module interconnection, system tes-15 to perform maintenance and debugging tasks using a workstation (4) connected to the system. Communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that the functions related to network management and system development and maintenance are performed at different hardware and software levels known by the serial communication bus (3). Communication system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the functions related to the examination of memory locations and low-level troubleshooting and correction are performed at the lowest level of hardware and software known to the serial communication bus (3). A communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the workstation (4) to be connected to the system is a remote terminal which connects to the system by telephone or similar connection. . 4 4 Communication system according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the various operating units or modules of the information system are connected in a single local network-like configuration. 101835