JP2001350514A - Testing method for plant monitor control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem such that it is inefficient to test all functions of monitor control software incorporated in a newly structured plant monitor control system individually and in combination and it takes a long time to conduct the tests since nearly the same operation confirming operation with initial development is carried out each time a plant monitor control system is newly structured. SOLUTION: This method has a single-body test step wherein operation tests of a communication process between processes and reference to and/or an update process of a database are conducted by programs of middleware which has functions corresponding to the processes, a combinational test step wherein the program units are combined and operation tests of the above processes are conducted, and a system total test step wherein monitor control software tests whether or not the newly structured plant monitor control system operates exactly as designed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operation test performed when a new plant monitoring and control system is constructed in a plant monitoring and control system for monitoring and / or controlling each facility of a plant, and more particularly to a plant monitoring and control system. Focuses on the content of the process by the computer mainly for the communication process between processes and the reference and / or update process of the database, and conducts operation tests focusing on these processes to improve the quality of the new system. The present invention relates to a method for testing a plant monitoring and control system that can effectively and efficiently check operation in a short time without deterioration.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent improvement of general-purpose information processing technology, there is a demand for a system that can easily apply a model on which general-purpose software operates even in plant monitoring control. As such a plant monitoring control system, there is a system to which distributed processing for distributing a plant monitoring control function to a plurality of computers is applied.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of a power system monitoring and control system as a plant monitoring and control system to which the above-described distributed processing is applied. In the figure, 1a is a system monitoring computer which calculates information of the target system as data which can be displayed on the system monitoring panel 4 and outputs the data to the system monitoring panel 4, 1b is a system monitoring computer which monitors the entire power system monitoring control system, 1c is a supervisory control computer that supervises and controls the entire power system supervisory control system, 1d is a recording statistical computer that performs data recording and statistical processing by supervisory control, and 1e is a supervisory control schedule for improving operability by system operators. 1f is a maintenance computer that changes the data held by each computer when the power system equipment is changed, etc., 1g
Buffer the output signal from each computer and
A printer computer that functions as a printer server for printing on a and 5b, 2a is a duplicated control LAN, a system monitoring panel computer 1a, a system monitoring computer 1b, a monitoring control computer 1c, a recording statistical computer 1d, a support computer 1e, The maintenance computer 1f is connected to each other, and sends and receives system data such as a change in the state of the plant to and from each computer. 2
b denotes a duplicated man-machine LAN, which includes a system monitoring computer 1b, a monitoring control computer 1c, a recording statistical computer 1d,
The support computer 1e, the maintenance computer 1f, the printer computer 1g, and the console 3 are connected to each other, and man-machine data is transmitted and received between the computers. Also, the control LAN 2a,
By dividing the LAN into the man-machine LAN 2b and the man-machine LAN 2b, the functions of the system are distributed. Furthermore, each LAN2
The operating ratio of the system is improved by duplicating the computers a and 2b and connecting them separately to a normal computer and a backup computer when a failure occurs. 3 is a console for the operator to monitor and control the system, 4 is a system monitoring panel for displaying the current state of the target system by lamps or digitally based on an output signal from the system monitoring panel computer 1a to grasp the current state of the target system, Reference numeral 5a denotes a color printer that prints output data from each computer, and 5b denotes a monochrome printer that prints output data from each computer.

Next, the outline will be described. By adopting the distributed processing, first, the electric power system monitoring and control system can be easily introduced into electric power equipment distributed widely. Thereby, the space occupied by the system and the power supply capacity can be reduced. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of computers each having a high processing capacity include a system monitoring panel computer 1a, a system monitoring computer 1b, a monitoring control computer 1c, a recording statistical computer 1d, a support computer 1e,
By distributing the functions and load of the system like the maintenance computer 1f and the printer computer 1g,
High processing performance can be realized. In the example of FIG. 4, functions such as configuration control of the entire system, system monitoring, and management of a dual LAN are performed by the system monitoring computer 1b and the monitoring control computer 1c.
In addition, functions such as operation / failure management and peripheral device management are provided by a system monitoring panel computer 1a, a recording statistics computer 1d, and a support computer 1
e, and a maintenance machine 1f, and a man-machine I for controlling the configuration of the console 3 and the printers 5a and 5b.
Functions such as / F and system operation
a, system monitoring computer 1b, and printer computer 1g
Is dispersed.

Next, monitoring and control software of the power system monitoring and control system will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of monitoring and control software of the power system monitoring and control system. In the figure, 2a and 2b are control LANs.
Alternatively, a man-machine LAN is similar to that shown in FIG. Reference numeral 6 denotes monitoring and control software for the power system monitoring and control system, which is built in a computer constituting the power system monitoring and control system and realizes system monitoring and / or control functions. 6a is one of the components of the monitoring control software, which monitors and / or monitors the computers constituting the system.
Alternatively, business software for executing a control business exchanges data with the OS 6c via the middleware 6b. Reference numeral 6b denotes middleware that is configured between the business software 6a and the OS 6c and has a role of extending the function of the OS 6c, and realizes functions such as data management, distributed process management, and communication management. In addition, business software 6
A logical interface excluding the dependency of hardware and OS 6c is provided for a. 6c is the OS (O
operating system, UNIX (X / Open Co.L), which is widely used in workstations.
td. Licensed in the United States and other countries).

Next, the outline will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the monitoring and control software 6 is built in computers constituting the power system monitoring and control system, and these computers are connected to the control LAN 2a and the man-machine LAN 2b and can transmit and receive data to and from each other. . Among the components of the monitoring control software 6, the business software 6a
Except for those that perform image processing, etc., when a certain input signal is given to the system, the result of performing a specific process is transmitted to another process, or the processing result is stored in a database etc. Is the main processing content. In the illustrated example, the processes A and B are executed in one computer by the business software 6a, and the process C is executed in another computer. Here, the data communication between the process A and the process C executed by the business software 6a and the operation of referring to the database of another computer from the process B executed by a certain computer are performed by the control LAN 2a and the man-machine LAN 2b. The middleware 6b causes each computer to execute this process.

[0007] Middleware 6b is business software 6a.
And OS 6c, and is composed of distributed process management middleware, distributed data management middleware, communication management middleware, etc., operates on the OS 6c in the illustrated example, and connects TCP / IP, UDP / IP (US Te
xas Instruments Inc. Registered trademark). The middleware 6b also includes middleware for man-machine management and error management in addition to the above, and is omitted in FIG. 5 for simplicity of description. Explaining each middleware that constitutes the middleware 6b, the distributed process management middleware that constitutes the system realizes the activation of processes between distributed computers and the transfer and synchronization of information between processes. The distributed data management middleware is distributed. Realize data access between computers. The communication management middleware performs communication between distributed computers, and a large amount and less frequent communication is realized on TCP / IP, and a small amount and frequent communication is realized on UDP / IP.

[0008] Data communication between the process A and the process C executed by the business software 6a shown in FIG. 5 is performed via the distributed process management middleware. At this time, the exchange of data between the computers is managed by the communication management middleware, and TCP / IP, UD
This is realized by P / IP. In addition, the operation of referring to the database of another computer from the process B executed on one computer is realized by the distributed data management middleware.

Here, the relationship between the components constituting the monitoring control software 6 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a relationship between components constituting the monitoring control software of FIG. In the figure, reference numerals 6a1 to 6a3 denote processes 7a1 in the respective computers constituting the system.
Business software running 7a3 to 7a3
7a3 is a process executed by each computer constituting the system. The same components as those in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] In brief, FIG. 6 shows a process 7a1 executed by business software 6a1 to 6a3.
Middleware 6b is drawn so as to surround each process 7a1-7a3 in order to show that middleware 6b always intervenes when ~ 7a3 performs inter-process communication and data access. As described above, the business software 6a1 to 6a3 does not directly access the OS 6c (the business software 6a1 to 6a3 does not directly use the function interface of the OS 6c but uses the interface of the middleware 6b).

Next, a processing pattern of the monitoring control software 6 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a processing pattern of the monitoring control software of FIG. In the figure, reference numerals 6b1 and 6b3 denote distributed data management middleware for realizing data access between distributed computers;
b2 is a distributed process management middleware for realizing process startup between distributed computers and transfer / synchronization of information between processes, 7b1, 7b2, 7c1, and 7c2 are processes executed by the business software 6a, and 8 is a state of a power system. This is a database that stores data related to changes and the like, and is distributed so that data can be transmitted and received to and from each computer constituting the system.

Next, the outline will be described. First, in the processing pattern A, when a certain input signal A is given to the system, the process 7b1 executed by the business software 6a is executed.
The result of performing a specific process (for example, four arithmetic operations) is transmitted to the business software 6a in another computer by using the function of the distributed process management middleware 6b2.
To the process 7b2 to be executed. At this time, when data is received from the database 8 to perform the above-described specific processing, the processing is realized using the function of the distributed data management middleware 6b1.

In the processing pattern B, when a certain input signal B is given to the system, the result of performing a specific process (for example, four arithmetic operations) in the process 7c1 executed by the business software 6a is distributed. By using the function of the data management middleware 6b3 to send and receive data to and from the database 8, the database 8 is referenced and updated. The reference to the contents of the database 8 can be appropriately performed using the function of the distributed data management middleware 6b3 even when the input signal is not supplied to the system and the process 7c2 and the process 7c1 are asynchronous.

In the power system monitoring and control system constructed as a distributed type system, since the functions of the system are distributed to each computer, the processing content of this system is a combination of the processing patterns A and B shown in FIG. It is no exaggeration to say that it is composed.

Next, an operation test for the power system monitoring and control system will be described. When the above-described power system monitoring and control system is newly constructed, it is necessary to test the supervisory control software to make sure that the newly constructed system operates normally. The test process includes a unit test, a combination test, and a system comprehensive test, and each test is described below. The unit test is a test performed for each program constituting the monitoring control software, and its purpose is to guarantee the quality for each program. In addition, a program having a large program scale is divided into smaller units for testing. By performing a test for each program constituting the monitoring control software, debugging / correction work is facilitated.

The combination test is a test that is performed after the unit test, and is performed on a software system or a subsystem that combines the programs that have been subjected to the unit test. Specifically, an error detection test is performed on an interface between programs constituting the software system or subsystem, and finally, a test is performed to determine whether the software system or subsystem satisfies specifications.

The system comprehensive test is to comprehensively test whether or not the power system monitoring and control system operates as designed by using the monitoring and control software. The main test items are to confirm the function under external conditions. A function test to be performed, an overload test to check the function at the time of overload by inputting data from each terminal of the system at the same time, a stability to increase the multiplicity of the job and check the continuous operation for a long time Jobs run in the order and method according to the specified operation schedule, such as testability, system failure due to various conditions, file failure, hardware device failure, etc., and confirmation of recovery processing, switching processing, etc. Operation test to confirm that processing efficiency for various loads and memory usage efficiency, usage amount, etc. are measured and are as designed Confirmation to performance testing, and, there is a protection test to check the security features of the files and data due to such as a password.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a conventional test method of the power system monitoring and control system. The conventional test method will be described with reference to FIG. Conventionally, when a power system monitoring and control system is newly constructed, first, a unit test is performed on all functions of the middleware 6b constituting the monitoring and control software 6 (step ST8-1). Here, for example, A middleware is distributed process management middleware,
B middleware is data management software, and C middleware is middleware other than the above. This step S
In T8-1, an operation test of all functions of the distributed process management middleware, data management software, and other middleware is performed for each program constituting the middleware.

Next, A middleware, B middleware,
And a middleware combination test using the C middleware (step ST8-2). In this combination test, for example, in the case of A middleware, starting of processes between computers and transmission / synchronization of information between processes to a software system or a subsystem that combines programs constituting distributed process management middleware. All functions such as are tested.

When the combination test of the middleware 6b is completed, a unit test of the business software 6a is performed similarly to the middleware 6b (step ST8-).
3). Here, α business software, β business software, and γ business software indicate business software that implements different functions on a computer, and a test is performed on all functions of each business software in program units in this unit test. .

Next, a combination test of the business software 6a is performed similarly to the middleware 6b (step ST).
8-4). In this combination test, all functions are tested for a software system or a subsystem that combines programs constituting α business software, β business software, and γ business software.

Finally, a system comprehensive test of the newly constructed power system monitoring and control system is performed (step S).
T8-5). In this system comprehensive test, it is tested whether the power system monitoring and control system operates as designed comprehensively using the monitoring and control software.

Thus, in the conventional test method,
With respect to all functions of the components of the monitoring and control software 6 except for the OS 6c, operation tests have been performed on a software system or subsystem basis by a combination test from a program unit by a unit test.

[0024]

Since the conventional plant monitoring and control system test method is configured as described above, all the functions of the monitoring and control software incorporated in the newly constructed plant monitoring and control system are performed. Since the unit test of each program unit and the combination test by the combination of program units are performed, every time a new plant monitoring and control system is constructed, the operation confirmation work almost equivalent to that at the time of initial development is performed, which is inefficient. In addition, there was a problem that a long time was required for the test.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the processing contents of the plant monitoring and control system are mainly the communication processing between processes by each computer and the reference and / or update processing of the database. The plant monitoring control enables effective and efficient operation confirmation in a short time without deteriorating the quality of the new system by focusing on the operation tests for these processes. The aim is to obtain a test method for the system.

[0026]

A method for testing a plant monitoring and control system according to the present invention is a plant monitoring and control system including a plurality of computers having distributed monitoring and / or control functions for plant equipment. It includes middleware that is included in the monitoring control software of the plant monitoring and control system that it has and that has a function of performing communication processing between processes by each computer in monitoring and / or control and referencing and / or updating the database held by the system. In the test method of the plant monitoring and control system, the communication process between processes and the reference and / or updating process of the database by each computer configuring the plant monitoring and control system are performed on the newly constructed plant monitoring and control system. Middleware with a function to perform processing A unit test step for performing an operation test in program units and a program unit of the middleware subjected to the operation test in the unit test step are combined to perform an operation test of communication processing between processes and reference and / or update processing of a database. It comprises a combination test step and a system comprehensive test step for testing whether the plant monitoring and control system newly constructed by the monitoring and control software operates as designed.

The method for testing a plant monitoring and control system according to the present invention is characterized in that a new plant monitoring and control system is constructed by changing a model of a computer constituting an existing plant monitoring and control system in a unit test step. In addition, an operation test is performed for communication processing between processes and reference and / or update processing of a database by each computer constituting a newly constructed plant monitoring and control system in units of middleware programs having a function of performing this processing. .

The test method for a plant monitoring and control system according to the present invention is a method for testing a new system by changing an OS (Operating System) included in monitoring and control software possessed by an existing plant monitoring and control system in a unit test step. When a plant monitoring and control system is constructed, communication processing between processes and reference and / or updating of a database by each computer constituting the newly constructed plant monitoring and control system are performed by a middleware having a function of performing this processing. An operation test is performed for each program.

According to the test method of the plant monitoring and control system according to the present invention, in the unit test step, the compiler used by the monitoring and control software possessed by the existing plant monitoring and control system is changed to newly perform the plant monitoring and control. When a system is constructed, communication processing between processes and reference and / or update processing of a database by each of the computers constituting the newly constructed plant monitoring control system are operated in units of a middleware program having a function of performing this processing. To be tested.

[0030]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Embodiment 1 FIG. The hardware configuration of the plant monitoring and control system according to the present invention, the configuration of the monitoring and control software, the relationship between the components constituting the monitoring and control software, and the processing pattern of the monitoring and control software are as follows:
This is the same as that described in the related art. Here, a description will be given of the operation of a test apparatus that tests whether the monitoring control software held by the newly constructed system normally operates when the plant monitoring control system is newly constructed. In addition, a power system monitoring and control system similar to that described above will be described as an example of a plant monitoring and control system. As a plant monitoring and control system to be newly constructed, a system that uses a new model of computer when the computer model of the existing system is discontinued may be considered. The parameters corresponding to the hardware of the copied supervisory control software are changed so that the contents of the supervisory control software held in the system are copied to the physical layer level and all the contents are copied to the new system hardware. Be changed.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a test method of the power system monitoring and control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of the test apparatus that executes a test using the test method according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, in the power system monitoring and control system constructed as a distributed system, since the functions of the system are distributed to each computer, the processing content of the system is a combination of the processing patterns A and B shown in FIG. It is mainly composed of In other words, the processing content of the power system monitoring and control system is configured by combining data transmission / reception between processes executed by business software, data transmission / reception between a process and a database, and processing in which a process individually refers to and updates a database. ing. These processes are not executed by the business software 6a as described above. Among the middleware 6b configured between the business software 6a and the OS 6c, the distributed process management middleware (middleware) and the distributed data management middleware (Middleware) is executed using a specific function.

Therefore, in the test apparatus that executes the test method according to the first embodiment, when a new power system monitoring and control system is constructed, first, the communication processing function between processes in the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management With respect to the database reference and / or update processing function in the middleware, a test unit, which will be described later, focuses on a plurality of patterns obtained by combining the above functions. The test apparatus includes a system-side input / output unit connected to the power system monitoring and control system so that data can be transmitted / received, a test executor can externally set parameters relating to a test, and test a test result. Tester-side input / output means that can be displayed to the executor, storage means for storing a test program for executing each test described below, test means for reading the test program from the storage means and performing the test, Processing means for processing data relating to the test results obtained by the test means.

Step ST1-1 (unit test step)
In the test apparatus that executes the test method according to the first embodiment, the communication processing between the processes of the distributed process management middleware (middleware) and the distributed data management middleware (middleware) among the middleware 6b configuring the monitoring control software 6 The function and the hardware of the system related to the function of referring to and / or updating the database in the distributed data management middleware are recognized, and a unit test is performed on them. Specifically, the hardware is recognized by the system-side input / output means,
The test means reads a test program related to the unit test from the storage means for the recognized hardware and executes the unit test. In this unit test, the test means performs a test for debugging / correcting a program corresponding to a specific function of the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware, and the processing means only needs to perform processing on the result. Not only the test time is shortened as compared with the unit test, but also the work becomes much easier.

Further, since the program to be subjected to the unit test is limited to some extent, the test program stored in the storage means may be a program having a simple configuration, and the tester-side input / output means is used. By setting certain parameters in advance, the test can be automated. As a result, the test time can be further reduced.

Further, at the time of automating the unit test as described above, the test means is also made to perform a performance test for the above functions at the same time. More specifically, since the power system monitoring and control system performs online real-time control on the order of seconds, a program for testing the responsiveness of the function program in the middleware 6b in the unit test is added, and Store it. As a result, the reliability with respect to the performance of the system can be improved, so that the unit test can be performed more effectively.

Next, the test means reads a test program related to the combination test from the storage means and performs a combination test on specific functions of the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware (step S).
T1-2, combination test step). In this combination test, the test means tests the operation of a software system or subsystem formed by combining the above-described unit-tested programs of the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware.

As in the unit test described above, the software system or subsystem to be tested is limited to some extent as compared with the conventional combination test of the middleware 6b. The test can be automated by setting a certain parameter in advance using the tester-side input / output means. As a result, the test time can be further reduced.

Further, when the above-described combination test is automated, the test means is also made to perform a performance test for the above functions at the same time as in the above-described unit test. More specifically, since the power system monitoring and control system is controlled on-line in real time on the order of seconds, a software system including a program for testing the functions of the middleware 6b subjected to the unit test in the combination test is used. Alternatively, a test program for testing the responsiveness of the subsystem is stored in the storage means. As a result, the reliability of the system in terms of performance can be improved, so that the combination test can be performed more effectively.

As described above, the test means performs a unit test, a communication processing function between processes, and a database reference and / or update processing function, which are specific functions of the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware. If the processing means does not find any defect during this time, the test means executes a test program for executing a system comprehensive test from the storage means for all functions of the supervisory control software including the business software 6a. The reading and the system comprehensive test are performed (step ST1-3, system comprehensive test step). In this system comprehensive test, whether the test means operates as designed for all processing functions of the system including the processing not using the above-mentioned specific functions of the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware. To test.

More specifically, as in the prior art, the main test items include a function test for confirming the function under external conditions, and a method of simultaneously inputting data from each terminal of the system. Overload test to check the function of the job, increase the multiplicity of the job, and stability test to check the continuous operation for a long time, system failure due to various conditions, file failure, hardware device failure, etc. Failure test to confirm recovery processing, switching processing, etc., operation test to confirm that jobs operate according to the prescribed operation schedule and method, processing efficiency for various loads, memory usage efficiency, usage amount, etc. Performance test to confirm that the data is as designed, and to confirm the security function of files and data using a password, etc. There is such protection test to perform.

After the system comprehensive test is completed and the processing means confirms that the newly constructed power system monitoring and control system operates as designed, the operation test of the power system monitoring and control system is completed.

As described above, in the test method of the power system monitoring and control system according to the first embodiment, the main processing contents of the power system monitoring and control system constructed as a distributed system are the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware. Focusing on communication processing between processes and database reference and / or update processing using the functions described above, unit tests and combination tests are performed with emphasis on these main processing, and other processing is performed by the system Test comprehensively in the test. As a result, the test time and the cost of the test can be reduced to about half that of the conventional test method, and the main processing of the system is mainly checked for operation, so that the new system is effective, efficient and efficient. There is no deterioration in the quality of the product.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the communication process between the processes by the computers constituting the power system monitoring and control system and the database processing are performed on the newly constructed power system monitoring and control system. The reference and / or update processing is subjected to an operation test in units of the programs constituting the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware, and the unit tests of the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware are combined with each other. The operation test of the communication process between processes and the reference and / or update process of the database is performed, and it is tested whether the newly constructed power system monitoring and control system operates as designed by the monitoring and control software. Effective in a short time without deteriorating quality, One effect that can be efficiently carried out the operation check.

Embodiment 2 According to the second embodiment, when a new plant monitoring and control system is constructed by changing the models of the computers constituting the existing plant monitoring and control system, the processes performed by the respective computers constituting the newly constructed plant monitoring and control system The operation test is performed on the communication process between the devices and the reference and / or update process of the database in units of programs constituting the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware. In addition, a power system monitoring and control system similar to that described above will be described as an example of a plant monitoring and control system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the relationship between business software and computer-dependent functions in the supervisory control software of the power system supervisory control system. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a computer model-dependent function in the monitoring control software, which corresponds to a function of managing physical resources of the OS 6c. For example, a hardware configuration (CPU, main storage device, input / output Functions for managing devices (input / output control, memory management, task management, interrupt processing)
There is. Further, the business software 6a1 to 6a3 accesses the function 1 depending on the model of the computer via the middleware 6b and the OS 6c (that is, the business software 6a1).
6a3 do not directly use the function interface provided by the OS 6c, but use the interface provided by the middleware 6b).
a1 to 6a3 are located at the top, and middleware 6b and O
S6c follows this, and the function 1 depending on the model of the computer is drawn at the lowest level. The same components as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

Next, the outline will be described. When the model of the computer constituting the existing power system monitoring and control system is changed, the function 1 of the monitoring and control software depending on the model of the computer is also changed. Therefore, the second embodiment focuses on the point that the business software 6a accesses the function 1 depending on the model of the computer via the middleware 6b and the OS 6c as shown in FIG. Similarly, the test apparatus uses the system-side input / output means to perform communication processing between processes using the functions of the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware and to refer to and / or update the database of the above-described system hardware. Recognize and conduct unit tests and combination tests with emphasis on these. The specific operations of these unit test, combination test, and system comprehensive test are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

As described above, when the function 1 depending on the model of the computer is changed, the OS 6 having an interface with the function 1 is changed.
c and middleware 6b are changed. Than this,
By intensively testing the operation of the middleware 6b that directly accesses the machine-dependent function 1 of the changed computer, the changed portion can be intensively tested, which is more effective in a shorter time than the conventional test method. The operation can be checked efficiently. Also, this test does not degrade the quality of the new system.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, when a new power system monitoring and control system is constructed by changing the models of the computers constituting the existing power system monitoring and control system, The operation test of the communication process between the processes and the reference and / or update process of the database by each computer constituting the power system monitoring and control system constructed in the above is performed in units of programs constituting the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware. Even if the model of the computer constituting the system is changed, the function test of the middleware 6b that directly accesses the function 1 depending on the model of the computer in the changed monitoring control software 6 is performed with emphasis on the operation test. The same effect can be obtained.

Embodiment 3 In the third embodiment, an OS (Operating System) included in monitoring and control software held by an existing plant monitoring and control system is used.
em), when a new plant monitoring and control system is constructed, communication processing between processes and reference and / or update processing of a database by each computer constituting the newly constructed plant monitoring and control system are performed. The operation test is performed for each program constituting the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware. In addition, a power system monitoring and control system similar to that described above will be described as an example of a plant monitoring and control system.

In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the business software 6a runs the OS via the middleware 6b.
Focusing on the point of access to the OS 6c, the operation test in the case where the OS (Operating System) included in the monitoring control software held by the existing power system monitoring and control system is changed, similarly to the first embodiment. , The test apparatus uses the system-side input / output means,
Recognize the hardware of the above system related to the communication process between processes using the functions of the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware, and referencing and / or updating the database. Do. The specific operations of these unit test, combination test, and system comprehensive test are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

As described above, by changing the OS 6c, the middleware 6b having an interface with the OS 6c is changed.
Is also changed. Accordingly, the operation test of the middleware 6b that directly accesses the changed OS 6c can be intensively tested, so that the changed portion can be intensively tested. This is more effective and efficient in a shorter time than the conventional test method. The operation can be checked in an efficient manner. Also, this test does not degrade the quality of the new system.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the OS (Operating) included in the monitoring control software possessed by the existing power system monitoring and control system.
System), when a new power system monitoring and control system is constructed, communication between processes and reference and / or update processing of the database by each computer constituting the newly constructed power system monitoring and control system Is tested for each program constituting the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware, so that even if the OS 6c included in the monitoring control software is changed, the middleware that directly accesses the OS 6c in the changed monitoring control software 6 Since the function of 6b is mainly tested, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

Embodiment 4 In the fourth embodiment, when a new plant monitoring and control system is constructed by changing the compiler used by the monitoring and control software possessed by the existing plant monitoring and control system, the newly constructed plant monitoring and control system is configured. The operation test of the communication process between processes and the reference and / or update process of the database by each computer to be performed is performed for each program constituting the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware. In addition, a power system monitoring and control system similar to that described above will be described as an example of a plant monitoring and control system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a relationship between business software and a compiler in the supervisory control software of the power system supervisory control system. In the figure, 6d
Is a processing program of the OS 6c, and is a compiler that compiles a program used in the system so as to be directly executable by a computer configuring the system. In order to indicate that the compiler 6d is one of the processing programs of the OS 6c and belongs to the category of the business software 6a1 to 6a3, the business software 6a
1 to 6a3 are positioned at the highest level, the middleware 6b and the compiler 6d follow, and the OS 6c is positioned at the lowest level (for simplicity of description, it depends on the model of the computer shown in FIG. 2). The function 1 is not shown in FIG. 3). The same components as those in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

Next, the outline will be described. Embodiment 4
Then, even when the compiler 6d used when a new program is created is changed, the test apparatus uses the system-side input / output unit, as in the first embodiment.
Recognize the hardware related to the communication process between processes using the functions of the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware and the reference and / or update process of the database, and perform unit tests and combination tests intensively for these. The specific operations of these unit test, combination test, and system comprehensive test are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

As described above, even if the compiler 6d in the supervisory control software is changed, the processing pattern to be subjected to the operation test is limited by limiting the middleware 6b to one corresponding to a specific function. . As a result, similarly to the first embodiment, the operation can be confirmed more effectively and efficiently in a shorter time than the conventional test method, and the quality of the new system is not deteriorated.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, a new power system monitoring and control system is constructed by changing the compiler used by the monitoring and control software possessed by the existing power system monitoring and control system. When you do
The operation test of the communication process between processes and the reference and / or update process of the database by each computer constituting the newly constructed power system monitoring and control system is performed for each program constituting the distributed process management middleware and the distributed data management middleware. Even if the compiler 6d included in the monitoring control software is changed, the processing patterns to be subjected to the operation test are limited to those corresponding to a certain specific function of the middleware 6b, thereby achieving the above-described first embodiment. Similar effects can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the power system has been described as the target system equipment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to any distributed system such as a water system.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a plant monitoring and control system including a plurality of computers in which monitoring and / or control functions for plant equipment are distributed, wherein the plant monitoring and control system possessed by the computers is provided. Of a plant monitoring and control system including middleware having a function of performing communication processing between processes by each computer in monitoring and / or control and referring to and / or updating a database held by the system in monitoring and / or control software In the test method, the plant monitoring control system has a function of performing a communication process between processes and a database reference and / or update process by each computer configuring the plant monitoring control system with respect to a newly constructed plant monitoring control system. Unit test for operation test in middleware program units A combination test step of combining the middleware program units subjected to the operation test in the unit test step with each other to perform an operation test of communication processing between processes and reference and / or update processing of a database; Since the system has a system comprehensive test step to test whether the plant monitoring and control system newly constructed by software operates as designed, the operation can be confirmed quickly and effectively without deteriorating the quality of the new system. There is an effect that can be performed.

According to the present invention, when a new plant monitoring and control system is constructed by changing the types of computers constituting the existing plant monitoring and control system in the unit test step, the newly constructed plant The operation test of the communication process between the processes and the reference and / or update process of the database by each computer constituting the monitoring control system is performed for each middleware program having a function of performing this process. Even so, the same effect as in the above paragraph 0059 can be obtained because the operation test focuses on the function of the middleware that directly accesses the model-dependent function of the computer in the changed supervisory control software.

According to the present invention, in the unit test step, the OS (Operating) included in the monitoring control software possessed by the existing plant monitoring control system
System), when a new plant monitoring and control system is constructed, communication processing between processes and reference and / or update processing of a database by each of the computers constituting the newly constructed plant monitoring and control system are performed. Since the operation test is performed for each middleware program having the function of performing this processing, even if the OS in the monitoring control software is changed, the operation test is focused on the function of the middleware that directly accesses the changed OS. The same effect as in paragraph 0059 can be achieved.

According to the present invention, when a new plant monitoring and control system is constructed by changing the compiler used by the monitoring and control software possessed by the existing plant monitoring and control system in the unit test step,
The operation test of the communication process between the processes and the reference and / or update process of the database by each computer constituting the newly constructed plant monitoring control system is performed in a middleware program unit having a function of performing this process.
Even if the compiler 6d included in the monitoring control software is changed, a specific function of the middleware (communication processing between processes and reference and / or update processing of a database)
By limiting the processing patterns to be subjected to the operation test to the above, the same effect as in the above paragraph 0059 can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a test method of a power system monitoring and control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a relationship between business software and computer-dependent functions in the monitoring control software of the power system monitoring and control system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a relationship between business software and a compiler in the monitoring control software of the power system monitoring and control system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of a power system monitoring and control system.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of monitoring and control software of the power system monitoring and control system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a relationship between components constituting the monitoring control software of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a processing pattern of the monitoring control software of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a conventional test method of the power system monitoring and control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Computer model-dependent functions, 1a System monitoring panel computer, 1b System monitoring computer, 1c Monitoring control computer, 1d Recording statistical computer, 1e Supporting computer, 1f
Maintenance computer, 1g printer computer, 2a control LAN, 2b man-machine LAN, 3 console, 4
System monitoring panel, 5a color printer, 5b monochrome printer, 6 monitoring and control software, 6a business software, 6b middleware, 6c OS (Opera
ting System), 6a1-6a3 business software, 6b1, 6b3 distributed data management middleware (middleware), 6b2 distributed process management middleware (middleware), 6d compiler, 7a1
7a3 processes, 7b1, 7b2, 7c1, 7c2 processes, 8 databases.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A plant monitoring and control system comprising a plurality of computers in which monitoring and / or control functions for a plant facility are distributed, wherein the computer is included in monitoring and control software of the plant monitoring and control system owned by the computer.
In a test method of a plant monitoring and control system including middleware having a function of performing communication processing between processes by the respective computers in the monitoring and / or control and referring to and / or updating a database held by the system, For the constructed plant monitoring and control system, the process of communication between processes and the referencing and / or updating of the database by each computer constituting the plant monitoring and control system operate in units of middleware programs having a function of performing this process. A unit test step to be tested is combined with the middleware program units subjected to the operation test in the unit test step to perform communication processing between the processes, reference to the database, and / or
Or a combination test step of performing an operation test of an update process, and a system comprehensive test step of testing whether the newly constructed plant monitoring control system operates as designed by the monitoring control software. Supervisory control system test method. 2. The unit test step comprises: changing a model of a computer constituting an existing plant monitoring and control system, thereby constructing a new plant monitoring and control system.
The communication test between the processes and the reference and / or update process of the database by each computer constituting the newly constructed plant monitoring and control system are operated in a middleware program unit having a function of performing the process. The method for testing a plant monitoring and control system according to claim 1. 3. The unit test step is performed when a new plant monitoring and control system is constructed by changing an OS (Operating System) included in monitoring and control software held by the existing plant monitoring and control system. The operation test is performed on the communication process between processes and the reference and / or update process of the database by each computer constituting the newly constructed plant monitoring and control system in units of middleware programs having a function of performing this process. A test method for the plant monitoring and control system according to claim 1. 4. The unit test step comprises the steps of: changing a compiler used by monitoring and control software possessed by the existing plant monitoring and control system; 2. The operation test of communication processing between processes and reference and / or update processing of a database by each computer constituting the plant monitoring and control system in units of middleware programs having a function of performing this processing. Test method of plant monitoring and control system.