JP2006053942A - Information processing system and device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide necessary services of function and performance of each device of an information processing system (client server system) to a user not having knowledge. <P>SOLUTION: Information processors 101, 104, 111, 117 connected with each other through a network 110, are provided with QOS tables 102, 105, 112, 118 for registering the function and performance, the QOS table is automatically registered in a local directory 108 of the network when a device is connected with the network 110, and agents 103, 106, 113, 119 convert contents of the QOS tables into the service information to provide the service information to the user through a user interface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing system and method for providing a service to an end user in devices connected via a network, and a service providing method in the information processing system.

  A configuration in which a large number of devices such as a server machine having resources such as a large-capacity disk and a plurality of client machines used by individual users are connected to the network, and these connected devices generally exchange information with each other. It is called a client server system (CSS). The actual usage form of CSS is mainly due to the sharing of resources of the server machine, such as file sharing using disk resources of the server machine and sharing of printers connected to the printer server. In recent years, with the advancement of basic software such as a network operating system (hereinafter referred to as network OS) and hardware of servers and client machines, it has become possible to realize a CSS environment having a more advanced usage form.

  As a specific example, OSF DCE (hereinafter abbreviated as DCE) proposed by the Open Software Foundation (hereinafter abbreviated as OFS), one of the standardization organizations in the computer industry, is known. This DCE provides services called directory service, yellow page service, authentication service, access right service, etc. in a heterogeneous network environment.

  The directory service converts a name that is easy to understand for a user into address information in an actual network system, and is like a telephone number indexing service using a telephone directory. The yellow page service is an additional function of the directory service, but can be searched by a function / attribute instead of a name. In addition, the authentication service and access right service are services for performing security checks such as whether or not a legitimate access is held when subscribing to and using the system, both of which are for system management. It can be said.

OSF DCE Technical Explanation (Soft Research Center, Inc .; issued on August 25, 1992, ISBN 4-915778-15-0)

  Many of the services provided in the current CSS environment as described above are not provided unless the end user using the client machine is aware of using a specific service. For example, when sharing a file with another client, specify the file name of the other party to whom the file is to be shared, and specify where in the client machine to set the shared file (this operation is called mounting) This makes it possible to share files.

  In addition, even if there is a service that can be used without the end user being aware of a specific service, the service is provided by the system administrator setting it in advance. It can be said that the DCE mainly aims to enhance services for managers who perform system management. Therefore, the end user has a problem that it is practically difficult or impossible to use information / services that are not set by the system administrator.

  Further, as the range of devices that can be connected by CSS is expanded, end users who use the system are diversified, and opportunities for users who do not know the operation method / knowledge of information processing devices are increasing. In such a case, there is a problem that the end user can hardly utilize the service available to the end user provided by CSS.

  In addition, the end user often uses the device without special knowledge about the specifications and characteristics of the device. For example, there are cases where the devices / disks of a device have sufficient capacity, transfer performance is high, data storage reliability is high, etc. Unless you became a system expert, you could not use the resources of the system properly, and you were using it inefficiently.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to enable a person who has no knowledge about the service provided by the information processing system to use the service that the information processing system has appropriately. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing system and method, and a service providing method in an information processing system.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system and method, and an information processing system capable of appropriately using a service possessed by a CSS even for those who have no knowledge about the service provided by the CSS. It is to provide a service providing method.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system and method for guaranteeing the quality of service provided by the system to an end user, that is, Quality of service (hereinafter abbreviated as QOS), and a service providing method in the information processing system. It is in.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides two types of agent functions: a personal agent that manages user information for associating a service provided by an information processing system with a process requested by a user, and a terminal agent that manages a device. Is provided. The terminal agent grasps information such as functions and performance provided by each device connected to the network and converts it into service information required by the user, and at the same time manages the terminal and client operated by the user. It is. The personal agent is adapted to manage customized data and provide services corresponding to individual users.

  In the present invention, a service information conversion unit is provided for conversion from information such as the function / performance of each device to service information. Furthermore, the service information conversion unit includes a general service conversion table unit used by the terminal agent for converting service information, and a personal service conversion table for converting service information customized by the personal agent for each user. It consists of.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the terminal agent is in charge of the basic part of the user interface of the terminal / client operated by the user, and the function / performance information provided by each device connected to the network is converted into service information on the user interface. It is converted. The personal agent is further in charge of a customization function corresponding to each user such as a security function in the user interface.

  Further, the present invention provides a QOS table that defines functions and performances provided by each device in each device connected to the network, and has a plurality of QOS tables in a cell unit that is a range of a small network. It is managed in the directory. The local directory of the entire network system is managed by the global directory.

  In the present invention, the QOS table is automatically registered in the local directory when a device is connected to the network. In addition, when a change is made to the registered contents of the local directory, the contents are notified to the global directory.

  In the present invention, broadcast communication is used as means for registering the QOS table in the local directory.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a network interface used only by the state monitoring unit, provided with a state monitoring unit for monitoring the state of each unit in the information processing apparatus, provided with a unit for storing information on the state of each unit collected by the state monitoring unit. Is provided.

  That is, the present invention provides a plurality of information processing apparatuses having a table for registering function and performance information, a network that interconnects the plurality of information processing apparatuses, and a table of the information processing apparatus connected to the network. And an agent function for providing the user with information on the function and performance of the information processing apparatus registered in the table with reference to the management contents of the directory in the desired information processing apparatus. An information processing system characterized by In the information processing system according to the present invention, the agent function in the desired information processing apparatus performs customization corresponding to each user, and provides service information that does not depend on a user-corresponding portion that provides the service information and a specific user. It is characterized by comprising the part which provides In the information processing system, the information on the function and performance registered in the table includes transfer rate, random I / O performance, access time, bit error rate, MTTDL (Mean Time to Data Loss), MTDA. (Mean Time for Data Availability), including any one or all of the bit costs. In the information processing system, the function and performance information registered in the table may be any one of the name of the information processing apparatus, the type of the I / O device included in the information processing apparatus, and the function / performance. One or all of them.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system in which an information processing apparatus having a QOS table for registering functions and performance provided to a user via a network is connected to the network. The present invention also provides a plurality of information processing apparatuses having a table for registering function and performance information, a network connecting the plurality of information processing apparatuses to each other, and a table of the information processing apparatus connected to the network. An information processing system comprising a management directory. The present invention also provides a plurality of information processing apparatuses having a table for registering function and performance information, a network connecting the plurality of information processing apparatuses to each other, and a table of the information processing apparatus connected to the network. An information processing system comprising a local directory to be managed and a global directory to manage the local directory. The present invention also provides a plurality of information processing apparatuses having a table for registering function and performance information, a network connecting the plurality of information processing apparatuses to each other, and a table of the information processing apparatus connected to the network. A directory to be managed, the function and performance information of the information processing apparatus registered in the table is converted into service information by referring to the management contents of the directory in the desired information processing apparatus, and the converted service An information processing system having an agent function for providing information to a user. In addition, the present invention is a small set that includes a plurality of information processing apparatuses having a QOS table for registering function and performance information, a network that interconnects the plurality of information processing apparatuses, and the network. A local directory for managing a plurality of the QOS tables in units of local areas; and a global directory for managing a plurality of the local directories in a global area in units of local areas. It has an agent function for referring to the contents of a local directory and converting the function and performance information of the information processing apparatus registered in the QOS table into service information representing service quality and providing it to the user. Information processing system. In the information processing system according to the present invention, the agent function in the desired information processing apparatus performs customization corresponding to each user, and provides service information that does not depend on a user-corresponding portion that provides the service information and a specific user. It is characterized by comprising the part which provides According to the present invention, in the information processing system, the agent function in the desired information processing apparatus reads the contents of a plurality of QOS tables registered in the local directory and reads a plurality of common information registered in the QOS tables. A service menu is created by detecting the function. Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the information processing system, the agent function in the desired information processing apparatus further creates a QOS menu for each service and provides it to the user. According to the present invention, in the information processing system, the QOS table in the information processing apparatus includes at least one of response time, processing capacity per unit time, and transfer speed as information indicating the function and performance of the information processing apparatus. It is characterized by including one. In addition, the present invention is a small set of a plurality of information processing apparatuses having a QOS table for registering function and performance information, a network for connecting the information processing apparatuses to each other, and the plurality of information processing apparatuses. A local directory for managing a plurality of the QOS tables in a certain local area unit, and a plurality of the local directories in a global area in the local area unit, and when the contents of the local directory are changed, the local directory is changed. A global directory that receives the change notification of the contents, and has an agent function that provides information on the function and performance of the information processing apparatus to the user in the desired information processing apparatus, and the agent function is a change content of the global directory According to user An information processing system, characterized in that to change the contents of-bis information. In the information processing system according to the present invention, when the information processing apparatus is newly connected to the network, the local directory reads and registers the QOS table of the newly connected information processing apparatus. And In the information processing system according to the present invention, when the information processing apparatus is disconnected from the network, the local directory deletes the QOS table of the information processing apparatus that has been disconnected. Further, the present invention provides a local information which is a small set including a plurality of information processing apparatuses having a QOS table for registering functions and performances, a network connecting the information processing apparatuses to each other, and the plurality of information processing apparatuses. A local directory for managing a plurality of the QOS tables for each area; and a global directory for managing a plurality of the local directories in a global area for each local area. In the desired information processing apparatus, the global directory and local The function and performance of the information processing apparatus registered in the QOS table with reference to the contents of the directory are converted into service information representing service quality and provided to the user through a user interface. Or service An information processing system characterized by having an agent function to change the contents of the service information to be provided through the user interface according to the usage content. According to the present invention, in the information processing system, the agent function in the desired information processing apparatus includes a service access agent that controls a user interface and a personal agent that performs customization corresponding to each user and provides the service information It comprises a service and a public agent service that provides a common service among a plurality of users. According to the present invention, in the information processing system, the personal agent service is provided in a client that is a terminal in the plurality of information processing apparatuses, and a copy of the personal agent service is used as a server that controls the plurality of information processing apparatuses. It is characterized by providing. In the information processing system according to the present invention, the agent function in the desired information processing apparatus monitors a state of a plurality of application software activated by a user, and performs the operation according to the operation state of the application software. The content of the service information provided through a user interface is changed.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method and system in which the information processing apparatus collects information of an I / O device connected at startup and notifies the other information processing apparatus via a network. . Further, according to the present invention, the information processing apparatus transmits an I / O apparatus information request to another information processing apparatus via the network when the information processing apparatus is activated, and acquires the I / O information of the other information processing apparatus. Information processing method and system thereof. The present invention also provides an information processing method and system for executing a predetermined benchmark program on an information processing apparatus newly connected to a network and registering the result in a QOS table or directory. The information processing method and system according to the present invention is characterized in that the notification is broadcast communication.

  According to the present invention, in a service providing method in an information processing system in which an information processing apparatus is connected to a network, when a request for information regarding the state of each part of the information processing apparatus is received through the network, the operation is independent of the operation of the information processing apparatus. A method for providing a service of an information processing system, characterized in that the collected status information of each unit is sent to a network through a network interface of a status monitoring unit that monitors the status of each unit. According to the present invention, in a service providing method in an information processing system in which an information processing apparatus is connected to a network, when a request for information regarding the state of each unit of the information processing apparatus is received through the network using a communication protocol, Is a service providing method for an information processing system, wherein the collected information on the status of each unit is converted into a communication protocol through a network interface of a status monitoring unit that monitors the status of each unit and sent to a network. is there.

  The present invention further includes a plurality of information processing apparatuses having a QOS table for registering function and performance information, and a network connecting the information processing apparatuses to each other, and the desired information processing apparatus is connected to the network. Users refer to the QOS tables of each of a plurality of connected information processing devices and refer to each other to convert function and performance information of the information processing devices registered in the QOS table into service information representing the quality of service. It is an information processing system characterized by having an agent function to be provided. Further, the present invention provides a service providing method in an information processing system in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses having a QOS table for registering function and performance information are connected via a network, and connects to the network in an agent function of the desired information processing apparatus. The information on the functions and performances of the information processing apparatus registered in the QOS table is converted into service information representing the quality of the service by referring to the QOS tables of each of the plurality of information processing apparatuses. A service providing method in an information processing system characterized by providing. According to the present invention, the user interface for displaying the QOS information representing the function, performance, and service provided by the information processing apparatus is any one or all of menu information of online storage, moving image quality, and backup storage. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, the terminal agent inquires about the QOS table of each device connected to the CSS with respect to the global directory and the local directory via the network, and the function / performance of each device obtained as a result thereof. Therefore, the service information can be directly provided to the user.

  Further, when the terminal agent converts the service information, the function / performance information of the device is converted into service information required by the user based on the registered contents of the general service conversion table of the service information conversion unit. Therefore, the service information provided to the user can be changed according to the registered contents of the service information conversion unit.

  In addition, the terminal agent is responsible for the basic part of the user interface of the terminal and client used by the user, and displays the functions common to each user and provides common services. It is possible to change the interface and service information to be provided.

  In addition, the personal agent issues an inquiry to the global directory and local directory about the functional performance of each device connected to the CSS, as with the terminal agent, and obtains the function / performance of each device obtained as a result. The service information required by the user is converted and provided to the user. When the service information is provided from the personal agent to the user, the terminal agent can be requested to provide the service information to the user, and the terminal agent can notify the user of the information through the user interface.

  Further, when the personal agent receives a service request from a user, the personal agent inquires about the contents of the QOS table of each device registered in the global directory and the local directory, and has a function / performance corresponding to the user's service request. The user's service request can be notified.

When the personal agent converts the function / performance information of each device connected to the CSS into service information required by the user, the conversion information registered in the personal service conversion table of the service information conversion unit is added. Since the conversion is performed based on the number of users, personalized service information corresponding to each user can be provided by providing a personal service conversion table for each user.
The personal agent rewrites the contents of the personal service conversion table in accordance with the degree of service request of each user and the usage frequency of a specific service.

  As described above, the two agents grasp the service information of each device connected to the CSS, the terminal agent is in charge of the user interface and notifies the user of the service, and the personal agent is the user's service request. By grasping the contents, it is possible to realize the mapping of user requests to services provided by the system by exchanging information between the terminal agent and the personal agent.

  Further, according to the present invention, the state monitoring means performs input / output with the information processing system via the network interface used only by the state monitoring means, and when there is a request for information regarding the state of each part of the information processing apparatus. Can send the information collected by the state monitoring means through the network interface independently of the operation of the information processing system.

  According to the present invention, information related to the functions and performances of information processing devices connected to each other via a network is converted into service information for the user and provided to the user. Therefore, the user needs more directly. The effect which can receive service is produced.

  Also, since service information is provided to the user through the agent, the user only needs to interface with the agent, and does not need to be aware of the configuration of the devices connected to the network.

  Furthermore, since a common service is provided to each user by the terminal agent, the contents of service provided to all users can be changed at once by changing the function of the terminal agent.

  Furthermore, the personal agent changes the service information provided through the user interface according to the usage pattern of each user, such as the operation method of each user and the frequency of use of a specific service, so the user interface optimized for each user Can be provided.

  Furthermore, since the agent converts the information on the function / performance of each device on the network into the service information for the user according to the registered contents of the service information conversion table, each content can be changed by changing the contents of the service information conversion table. The contents of the service information provided to the user can be changed without changing the contents of the QOS table that the apparatus has.

  In addition, according to the present invention, even when an information processing apparatus is newly connected to the network, information on functions and performances of each apparatus is automatically registered in the system, so that the user is connected to the network. It is possible to obtain information on necessary services without being aware of the configuration of the devices and the change in the configuration.

  Furthermore, since broadcast communication is used as a means for registering information on the function / performance in the information system, even when a new device is connected, the information on the function / performance is not conscious of the network configuration. You can register.

  In addition, according to the present invention, a predetermined benchmark test is executed for each device that does not have a QOS table, and the QOS table is created based on the result. There is an effect that function / performance information can be registered in the system.

  In addition, by changing the contents of the above benchmark test, executing the changed benchmark test on each device on the network and registering the result in the QOS table, the QOS standard of the entire system is changed, and the service provided to the user The content of information can be changed.

  Furthermore, by supplying the benchmark test created by the user to the system, executing it on each device and registering the result in the service information conversion table, the function / performance of each item of each device in the system can be There is an effect that information can be added as service information.

  Examples of the computing service of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. Here, a case where a user operates an information processing apparatus D as a client will be described. When the information processing apparatus D is activated, the terminal agent 113 and the personal agent 115 make an inquiry about the resources on the network registered in the local directory 108 to the information processing apparatus 107 which is a server on the LAN 110. The terminal agent 109 of the information processing device C107 sends the contents of the local directory 108 to the information processing device D111.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the local directory. In FIG. 2, the QOS table registration unit 301 includes registration items 302 and registration contents 303, and one QOS registration unit 301 corresponds to the QOS table of one information processing apparatus. In the registration item 302, an item representing the function / performance of the information processing apparatus is registered, and in the registration content 303, content corresponding to the item is registered. The network address registration unit 304 includes a network address 306 corresponding to the connected resource name 305.

  When the user uses the information processing apparatus A from the information processing terminal D, the user requests and exchanges services through the terminal agent 113 and the personal agent 115 and the service menu 116. The terminal agent, personal agent, and service menu will be described in detail in the user interface section, and will be omitted here. When there is a use request of the computing resource from the user, the terminal agent 113 makes an inquiry about the computing resource to the information processing apparatus C107 which is a server. The terminal agent 109 of the information processing apparatus C searches the contents of the local directory 108 and sends information regarding the function / performance of the registered computing resource to the information processing apparatus 111 via the LAN 110. The terminal agent 113 converts the received information into service information for the user at the service information conversion unit 114 and notifies the user through the personal agent 115 and the service menu 116.

  FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the service information conversion unit. In FIG. 3, the service information conversion unit includes a general service information conversion table 307 for converting service information common to a plurality of users and a personal service conversion table 310 corresponding to a specific user.

  The general service conversion table includes a table 308 for storing information indicating the function / performance of the resource connected to the network acquired from the local directory 108 of the server, and a user corresponding to the information indicating the function / performance. It comprises a table 309 for storing service information. The personal service conversion table includes service conversion information for the personal agent 115 to optimize the service menu 116 for each user according to the service usage status of the user and the operating state of the application software in the information processing apparatus D. Storing.

  For example, FIG. 3 shows a case where the display order of each service in the service menu 116 is changed according to the usage status of each service. The personal agent 115 registers the usage frequency of the user in the usage frequency table 311 for each of the service information provided by the terminal agent 113, and displays the services on the service menu in any order according to the usage frequency. Is registered in the display order table 312. Based on the registration information of the personal service conversion table, the user agent displays a menu according to the proficiency level and usage status of each user.

  Next, the case where the information processing apparatus B (processor) 104 is connected to the LAN 110 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. When a new information processing apparatus is connected to the information processing system connected via the network, the QOS table 105 of the information processing apparatus B is newly registered in the local directory 108 managed by the information processing apparatus (server) C. . FIG. 4 shows a registration flow of the QOS table. When the information processing apparatus B104 is connected to the LAN 110 (operation 401), the terminal agent 106 notifies the connection and activation of the information processing apparatus B104 using broadcast communication (402).

  The terminal agent 109 of the information processing apparatus C107, which is a server on the network, requests the information processing apparatus B104 to transmit the contents of the QOS table 105 (403). The terminal agent 106 sends the contents of the QOS table 105 (404). The terminal agent 109 registers the contents of the QOS table in the local directory 108 (405). Further, the information processing apparatus C107 notifies the global directory 121 managed by the information processing apparatus F120, which is a server on the WAN 123, via the communication server 117 that the contents of the local directory 108 have been changed (407). The terminal agent 122 registers the change of the local directory 108 in the global directory 121 (407) and completes the operation.

  One embodiment of the global directory 121 is shown in FIG. The global directory includes a local directory registration unit 313 for registering a plurality of local directories and a resource registration unit 316 for registering the type of each resource registered in the local directory. The local directory registration unit 313 includes a local directory name 314 managed by the global directory 121 and a LAN gateway address 315 managed by each local directory. In the gateway address 315, a logical address or a physical address determined by a network protocol is registered. Further, the resource registration unit 316 registers the resource type 317 managed by each local directory and the connection directory 318 of each resource.

  When there is an inquiry about a resource from an arbitrary terminal agent, the global directory 121 first checks the resource type 317 and the connection directory 318 with reference to the resource registration unit 316, and further matches the corresponding from the local directory registration unit 313. The gateway address 315 of the local directory to be sent is sent. Further, instead of the gateway address 315, the network address of each server that manages the local directory may be transmitted.

  Further, FIG. 6 shows a flow when an information processing apparatus not provided with the QOS table is connected. If the information processing apparatus does not have a QOS table, for example, if it is a computing resource, a predetermined benchmark program may be executed and the result registered in the local directory 108 as a QOS table. In FIG. 6, when the information processing apparatus B104 in FIG. 1 is connected to the LAN 110 and the information processing apparatus B104 does not have a QOS table (processing 408, 409), the information processing apparatus C107 is connected to the information processing apparatus B104. In response, a predetermined benchmark program is sent (410). The information processing B104 executes the benchmark program and sends the result to the information processing apparatus C107. Subsequent operations are the same as when the QOS table is provided.

  FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the service information conversion unit 114 in FIG. In FIG. 7, the service information conversion unit converts function / performance information of the information processing apparatus into service information for the user. In the general service conversion table 319, the system computing is used as the function / performance information. The number of effective arithmetic digits 320 of each processor of the resource is registered, and this is converted into service information 321 to the user indicating a suitable use of each processor. Further, in the personal service conversion table 324, the number of effective arithmetic digits 322 of each processor is converted into service information for the user as a predetermined benchmark result 323. By using what the user has selected as a predetermined benchmark, the user can determine the number of significant digits of each processor by the user's necessary evaluation method.

  Further, the agent function according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 shows the configuration of an embodiment of the agent function of the present invention. The agent function 150 is software that operates on the information processing apparatus 160, and each part of the agent function 150 operates as follows. The hardware virtualization layer 159 absorbs the differences between the plurality of information processing apparatuses 160 so that the hardware differences do not affect the operation of the software. The file system 157 controls the file system 171 of the information processing apparatus 160, and the network I / F 155 similarly controls the network I / F 163. The DCE support 156 has a function of supporting an OFS (Open Software Foundation) / DCE environment. Since OFS / DCE has been described in the prior art, it is omitted here.

  The general service conversion table 173 and the personal service conversion table 172 correspond to the service information conversion unit in FIG. The general service conversion table 173 is a registration table for converting system function / performance information common to a plurality of users into user service information. The personal service conversion table is a service information table for a specific user. It is a table for storing information corresponding to individual users, such as conversion and customization information of the user interface 152. The kernel 154 is a main body function of the agent and controls other functional blocks. The shell 151 and the user interface 152 are on the application interface 153, and the user interface 152 controls the CRT 161 of the information processing apparatus 160 to interface with the user.

  The information processing apparatus 160 includes peripheral devices such as a keyboard (K / B) 168, a ROM 169, and a flash memory 170, and these are connected to the CPU 161 and the main memory 162 by a system bus 164. Normally, the agent is stored in a non-volatile memory such as the ROM 169 or the flash memory 170 or a secondary storage device such as the file system 171, and is loaded into the main memory 162 and executed by the CPU 161 after the system is activated. Further, the QOS tables 102, 105, 112, and 118 in FIG. 1 are normally stored in a non-volatile memory such as the ROM 169 or the flash memory 170, and are stored in the main memory 162 or the file system 171 by the agent 150 when the system is started. .

  FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the agent. In FIG. 9, the agent includes a terminal agent 175 that converts services common to a plurality of users and a personal agent 174 that customizes a service conversion method and user interface for a specific user. The personal agent 174 passes all information through the terminal agent 175. The operation of the other parts in FIG. 9 is the same as that in FIG.

  Next, an example of the QOS user interface according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is an example of access from a satellite office to a home office. When an arbitrary terminal in the satellite office is started up, a terminal agent of the terminal appears, and a service menu (FIG. 10R> 0) indicating what kind of service can be received at the terminal is displayed. The service menu shown in FIG. 10 is managed by the terminal agent of the terminal so that the services are displayed in order of use frequency.

  When connecting to the host computer in the home office, the user selects and clicks “Connect to Host” from the menu. In response to this, the terminal agent of the terminal displays the QOS menu (FIG. 11) for ordering the connection method. In the present embodiment, four options are displayed in the QOS menu of FIG. 11: “Nothing in particular”, “Fast even if it is expensive”, “Cheap because it is slow”, and “Set finely”. When the user selects “None”, the terminal agent selects a route according to the default setting and connects to the home office host computer.

  When the user selects “fast even if it is expensive”, a route capable of performing communication as fast as possible is selected. When the user selects “because it may be late, it is cheap”, a route that allows communication as cheap as possible is selected. When the user selects “Set finely”, the selection of the route is a user setting. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user has selected “None”. In this case, the terminal agent performs route selection according to the default setting, connects to the home office host computer, and displays the login screen (FIG. 12) of the home office host computer on the terminal.

  The login screen of FIG. 12 is the same as the conventionally known login screen, but the terminal agent icon of the terminal is displayed in the upper left, and the user clicks the icon as necessary to display the terminal. The terminal agent can be called to change settings such as the screen size. When the login is normally performed, the personal agent on the home office host computer is activated, and an initial service menu screen (FIG. 13) corresponding to the individual user is displayed.

  In FIG. 13, the personal agent guides the user that three e-mails and two circulation documents by the workflow software have arrived. As the service menu, “E-mail (read e-mail)”, “circulation (view)”, and “return” are shown. When the user selects “E-mail”, the e-mail software is activated to display the first mail, and when “circulation” is selected, the workflow software is activated to display the first circulation document. When the user selects “delay”, the personal agent displays another service menu. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user selects “circulation”. In this case, the personal agent activates the workflow software and displays the circulation 1 that is the first circulation document (FIG. 14).

  In FIG. 14, the workflow software screen is displayed, and the user can process the circulation document according to the operation method of the software. The screen in FIG. 14 is the same as the conventionally known login screen, but the terminal agent and personal agent icons of the terminal are displayed on the upper left, and the user clicks these icons as necessary. As a result, one of the agents can be called. In the present embodiment, a case where the user calls the personal agent by clicking on the personal agent icon is shown.

  In this case, the workflow software is hidden in the background, and a service menu screen (FIG. 15) by the personal agent is displayed. When the user wants to print the circulation 1, the user selects and clicks “Print circulation 1” from the service menu of FIG. The service menu of FIG. 15R> 5 is managed by the personal agent in order of frequency, and the personal agent monitors the status of the background workflow software and displays “print circulation 1” and “next circulation” on the service menu. ] Etc. are added.

  When the user selects “print circulation 1”, the personal agent displays a print QOS menu screen (FIG. 16). In the present embodiment, the QOS menu of FIG. 16 shows three options of “None”, “Home Office”, and “Other Settings”. In showing the screen of FIG. 16, the personal agent recognizes that the user is logged in from the satellite office based on the information from the terminal agent. Thus, in the QOS menu of FIG. 16R> 6, when the user selects “None”, printing is performed at the satellite office, and “Home Office” is added to the QOS menu. When the user selects “Home Office”, printing is performed at the home office, and when the user selects “Other Settings”, the selection of the print location or the like is user settings.

  In this embodiment, a case where the user selects “None” is shown. In this case, printing is executed at the satellite office, and the personal agent redisplays the service menu screen (FIG. 17) if there is no particular problem with printing. The screen of FIG. 17 is basically the same as the screen of FIG. 15, but the contents of the service menu are different. This is because the personal agent reconfigured the service menu based on the printed circulation document.

  As described above, in the user interface of the present invention, the agent reconfigures the contents of the service menu or the QOS menu according to the use frequency or work contents of the user. The terminal agent and the personal agent in the agent embodiment described above correspond to the terminal agent 113 and the personal agent 115 in the above-described embodiment of the computing service, respectively.

  Next, an embodiment of the file service of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In order to implement the present invention, two methods are required: (1) a user interface of a file service in a computer network and (2) a QOS (Quality Of Service) management method of a file service device connected to the computer network. is there. Of these, (1) is described in the embodiment of the user interface, so here, information to be passed from (2) to (1) in the management method and file service of (2) is described.

  First, the QOS management server of the file service device shown in FIG. 18 will be described. The computer network is hierarchically managed in units called zones and domains. However, a QOS management server is placed in each management unit such as a zone and a domain, and the QOS information 205 of the file service device 208 and the devices on the network hierarchically. An ID for specifying the ID or a name corresponding to the ID is registered and managed.

  In FIG. 18, the local area 201 managed by the lower-layer QOS management server and the global area managed by the upper-layer QOS management server composed of a plurality of collections of the local areas 201 with respect to the hierarchical structure of zones, domains, and the like. 202. In FIG. 18, the QOS information 205 included in each information processing apparatus connected to the LAN 206 in the local area 201 and an ID for identifying a device or a name corresponding to the ID are registered in the local QOS management server 203. .

  Further, part or all of the registered contents of the QOS management server are registered in the global QOS management server 204 through the gateway 205 and the backbone LAN 207 of the global area 202 which is a set of the local areas 201. The operations of the other parts in FIG. 18 are the same as those in the embodiment relating to the computing service, and are therefore omitted here.

  Next, the contents of the QOS of the file service device will be described. There are various levels of QOS for file service devices, ranging from classification based on service quality that is most closely related to lower-level device characteristics to classification that is closely related to higher-level file characteristics. As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lower level QOS and the upper level QOS are set as follows.

1. Lower level QOS
Transfer rate (sequential performance), random IO performance, access time; bit error rate, MTTDL (Mean Time to Data Loss), MTDA (Mean Time for Data Availability); bit cost Higher level QOS
Online storage (ordinary file); moving image (for example, MPEG format, resolution 640 × 480, HDTV quality, etc.); backup storage, followed by a file service device registration method to the QOS management server will be described. In the present invention, it is desirable that the file service device is automatically registered in the QOS management server when connected to a computer network or a computer on the computer network. For that purpose, each device only has to hold its own QOS on the nonvolatile storage device and notify the management server of the QOS when connected to the network or computer.

  In the case of a device that is directly connected to the network, it automatically notifies its own QOS to the management server when the power is turned on or connected to the network. In the case of a device connected to a computer, the QOS of the device may be read and registered in the management server when the computer detects the connection. The computer can detect the connection of the device by periodically polling for the presence or absence of the device, or by using an input / output bus that can detect the device connection according to the rules of the input / output bus such as a power supply line and a signal line. For example, in the case of a small computer system interface (SCSI), the device (in this case, the initiator in the case of SCSI) responds to the mode sense command from the device (in this case, the target in this case) in response to the QOS notification from the device to the computer.

  In FIG. 18, when the file service device 208 is connected to the LAN 206, the file service device 208 reads the QOS information 209 of the apparatus when the apparatus is activated and notifies the local QOS management server 203. The local QOS management server 203 registers part or all of the QOS information 209 in the global QOS management server 204 on the backbone LAN 207 at the same time as registering the QOS information 209.

Next, information passed from the QOS management server to the user interface will be described. Information on the file service device passed from the QOS management server to the user interface is composed of the following two contents.
1. Name or ID for identifying the device on the network
2. QOS at each level
The user interface selectively determines which level of QOS to present to the user according to the user's level and request. In FIG. 19, a QOS management server 210 and a user client 212 are connected to each other via a LAN 211. The user interface 213 that is an application that operates on the user client requests the QOS management server 210 via the LAN 211 for QOS information at each level in response to a user request. The QOS management server 210 sends the requested QOS information. If the QOS management server 210 does not have the requested QOS information, it sends a request for the QOS information to the QOS management server in a higher layer.

  Since the operation of the user interface in FIG. 19 has been described in detail in the embodiment of the user interface and the embodiment of the computing service, the description is omitted here.

  In the following, network-related embodiments will be described. FIG. 20 is an example of the system configuration of the present invention. Information processing apparatus A601, information processing apparatus B605, information processing apparatus C609, information processing apparatus D613, information processing apparatus E619, and information processing apparatus E625 are connected to LAN612. In this embodiment, the information processing apparatus A601, the information processing apparatus B605, the information processing apparatus C609, and the information processing apparatus E625 are servers that mainly provide services, and the information processing apparatus D613 and the information processing apparatus E619 are mainly provided with services. It is a client. A high-reliability RAID disk 604 is connected to the information processing apparatus A601, and a high-speed disk 608 having a high access speed is connected to the information processing apparatus B605. The information processing device E625 is a higher-level server that is also connected to another LAN 628.

  Next, the operation of the present invention will be described. The information processing apparatus A 601 connected to the LAN 612 executes initial settings in the apparatus when the power is turned on, loads a program such as an OS or a monitor, executes the initialization process of the program, starts up the terminal agent 603, and finally Use environment.

  The QOS information of the connected I / O is collected during the initialization or the OS initialization process. As a collection method, for example, when the I / O connection interface is SCSI, the function of the device is collected using an inquiry command. In the case of an individual I / O interface, information is collected by the collection method provided by the interface. Examples of the individual interface include RS232C, Centronics, bidirectional Centronics, GPIB, and the like.

  Collected I / O QOS information is a value related to function and performance, such as capacity and transfer performance for disks, and print speed, print line density, color / monochrome, paper feed size, etc. for printers. .

  If the connected I / O does not have an interface that provides QOS information, the QOS information is collected from the outside by manually setting the QOS information in a file or a non-volatile memory, and reading out the contents when the information processing apparatus is started. Realize. If the connection I / O provides only partial information, it can be supplemented manually, or the system default value can be set in a file or non-volatile memory, and the contents can be read at startup to complete the QOS table information. Collect I / O QOS information.

  The collected QOS information is stored in the QOS table 602 in the information processing apparatus. FIG. 21 shows a configuration example of the QOS table 602.

  When the information processing apparatus A 601 completes the creation of the QOS table 602 of the connected I / O, the information processing apparatus A 601 notifies the other information processing apparatus to start up its own system. At this time, the QOS table 602 of the own system is also notified. Notification is made to all devices by using a broadcast address on the network. The information processing apparatus C609, which is the management server in the network having the local directory that received the notification, stores the notified QOS table 602 in the local directory. Other information processing apparatuses store the notified QOS table 602 as necessary. Specifically, it is determined whether the terminal agent of the information processing apparatus is necessary information, and if necessary, it is stored as internal data. Whether it is necessary is determined based on whether it is set in advance or includes I / O information requested by the end user.

  Next, when there is QOS table information of another information processing apparatus in the QOS table 602 information requested in the past, the terminal agent 603 of the information processing apparatus A 601 uses that QOS table information as the corresponding other information processing apparatus. Contact

  As an example of this inquiry, there is a method of using a broadcast address for the inquiry. The information processing apparatus connected to the request I / O from the other information processing apparatus that has received the inquiry notifies the information processing apparatus A 601 of the QOS table information of the information processing apparatus that has made the inquiry. When the information processing apparatus A 601 receives QOS table information as a result of an inquiry from a plurality of other information processing apparatuses, the information processing apparatus A 601 performs prioritization according to a predetermined criterion. Predetermined determination criteria are based on the position of the same network or the like, or a difference in I / O performance. The determination criteria are set by a system default or a system administrator.

  Another example of the inquiry is a method of making an inquiry to the information processing apparatus C609 having a local directory. When a server having a global directory is not connected in the network, the information processing apparatus A 601 obtains necessary QOS table information by transmitting the QOS table in the local directory 610 of the information processing apparatus C 609. When there is a server having a global directory (in this example, the information processing device E625 corresponds), the information processing device C609 notifies the QOS table information of the local directory to the server information processing device E625 having the global directory at the time of activation. Upon receiving a QOS table inquiry from the information processing apparatus A601, the information processing apparatus C609 makes an inquiry to the information processing apparatus E625, and transmits the response QOS table and the QOS table information of the local directory from the information processing apparatus E625. As a result, the information processing apparatus A 601 can obtain necessary QOS table information.

  As described in the information processing apparatus A601, the information processing apparatus serving as a server can exchange and create QOS table information by the same method.

  Next, the operation of the client information processing apparatus D613 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the information processing apparatus D613 is activated, the terminal agent 615 is activated. The terminal agent 615 has a QOS table 614 and a terminal service information conversion table 629 for converting terminal services. The end user 618 activates his personal agent 616 via the terminal agent 615 and implements login to the information processing apparatus D613. The activated personal agent 616 has a personal agent service information conversion table 630 and user environment information 631, and displays a service menu 617 based on the user environment information 631. FIG. 22 shows the configuration of the service information conversion table, and FIG. 23 shows the user environment information table. An example of the displayed service menu is shown in FIG. FIG. 25 shows a menu for saving data. Here, the RAID 604 of the information processing apparatus A 601 is displayed as a highly reliable file with a backup function, and the high-speed disk of the information processing apparatus B 605 can be stored in a short time. When the user instructs according to the service menu 617 and I / O access becomes necessary, the personal agent 616 searches the personal agent service information conversion table 630, and if there is necessary information, executes the I / O access. If there is no necessary information, the terminal agent 615 is requested to search the necessary terminal service information conversion table 629. If the requested information is already registered, the terminal agent 615 returns the terminal service information conversion table to the requesting personal agent 616, and if there is no requested information, the terminal agent 615 performs the same operation as the above inquiry, Get QOS table information. The terminal service information conversion table is updated based on the acquired QOS table information, and the terminal service information conversion table is returned to the personal agent 616. As described above, the construction of the service access environment of the end user 618 in the information processing apparatus D613 is realized.

  Next, the operation of the client information processing apparatus E619 will be described with reference to FIGS. Unlike the information processing apparatus D613, the information processing apparatus E619 includes a terminal agent 621 and a personal agent 622 in parallel. As a result, the end user 624 can switch agents as necessary. When the information processing apparatus E619 is activated, the terminal agent 621 is activated. The terminal agent 621 has a QOS table 620 and a terminal service information conversion table 633 for converting terminal services. The end user activates his personal agent 622 via the terminal agent 621 and realizes login to the information processing apparatus E619. Processing switches from the terminal agent 621 to the personal agent 622 by login. The switched personal agent 622 has a personal agent service information conversion table 634 and user environment information 635 as with the information processing apparatus D613, and displays a service menu 623 based on the user environment information 635. An example of the displayed service menu is shown in FIG. FIG. 27 shows a data saving menu. Here, the RAID 604 of the information processing apparatus A 601 is displayed as a highly reliable file with a backup function, and the high-speed disk of the information processing apparatus B 605 can be stored in a short time. In the display of the service menu 636, the terminal agent and the personal agent are both graphically displayed in the upper left to indicate that the agent can answer the service request. When the user 624 instructs the service menu 623 so that I / O access is required, the personal agent 622 searches the personal agent service information conversion table 634, and executes the I / O access if there is necessary information. . If there is no necessary information, the information processing device C609 is requested to search the necessary terminal service information conversion table 633. If the requested information is already registered, the terminal agent 611 of the information processing device C609 returns the information of the terminal service information conversion table 633 to the requesting personal agent 622. If there is no requested information, the same operation as the above inquiry is performed. As a result, necessary QOS table information is finally obtained. The terminal service information conversion table 633 is updated based on the acquired QOS table information, and the information of the terminal service information conversion table 634 is returned to the personal agent 622 of the information processing device E619. As described above, the service access environment for the end user 624 in the information processing apparatus E619 is realized.

  In FIG. 25 and FIG. 27, the service selection is realized in a menu format. However, as in the display of the terminal agent or personal agent, the service is provided, that is, the disk is iconized and the service is visually displayed. It is also possible.

  Finally, FIG. 28 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment for realizing the present invention. In this embodiment, information regarding the RAS function of the information processing apparatus is handled as service information. In FIG. 28, 181 is a CPU, 182 is a main storage device, 183 is a host bus, 184 is a bridge for converting between the host bus 183 and the I / O bus 186, and 187 is connected to the network line 190 on the I / O bus. The network interface module 188 that converts the data of 188 includes information on the power source (whether it is energized for 24 hours, whether it has a backup power source, whether the power source is duplicated, etc.), information on the file system ( Whether it is duplicated, whether it is a disk array configuration, what kind of file system is represented by NFS, etc.) and other information related to system devices (whether it has failure monitoring, detection, reporting, recovery function, Or information on the reliability of the system, such as what functions it has) The RAS information storage unit 189 that holds RAS information) observes a signal on the network line 190, and if a signal or message that requests information on reliability is detected, This is a multi-protocol translator that performs processing of reading information from the RAS information storage unit 188 and outputting it to the network line 190 independently of the state.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 28, it is assumed that EITHERNET in which information conforming to three communication protocols of TCP / IP, IPX / SPX, and Apple Talk is transferred on the network line 190, and the multi-protocol translator 189 uses the TCP / IP described above. It is assumed that it can support three communication protocols of IP, IPX / SPX, and Apple Talk.

  FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a processing flow of the multi-protocol translator 189 of FIG. In FIG. 28, the multi-protocol translator 189 observes a signal on the network line 190 (STEP1, TCP / IP, IPX / SPX, Apple Talk). In this case, the process proceeds to STEP 2, and the RAS information is read from the RAS information storage unit 188. From STEP 2, the process proceeds to STEP 3, and the process proceeds to one of STEP 4, STEP 5, and STEP 6 according to the communication protocol of the signal detected at STEP 1.

  If the communication protocol detected in STEP 1 is TCP / IP, the process proceeds to STEP 4 to convert the read RAS information into the TCP / IP protocol. Similarly, if the communication protocol detected in STEP 1 is IPX / SPX, the process proceeds to STEP 5 and the read RAS information is converted to IPX / SPX. Similarly, when the communication protocol detected in STEP 1 is AppleTalk, the process proceeds to STEP 6 and the read RAS information is converted to AppleTalk. When the processing of STEP4, STEP5, and STEP6 is completed, the process proceeds to STEP7, and the RAS information converted into each communication protocol is output to the network line.

  After the processing of STEP 7 is completed, the process proceeds to STEP 1 and the same processing flow is repeated. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a format example of the RAS information data held in the RAS information storage unit of FIG. In FIG. 30, the character code “RAS_INFO” is stored as the header representing the beginning of the RAS information data for the beginning of the data, that is, 8 bytes from the offset address 0H. In the byte area following this header, RAS information of the system device such as whether or not the system has a fault monitoring, detection, notification, and recovery function, and what function it has is stored.

  In the first byte of this data area, a code indicating the type of RAS information is written (here, type 0 indicating system information). The next n bytes of area store information relating to the power source, such as whether power is supplied for 24 hours, whether a backup power source is provided, and whether the power source is duplicated.

  Similarly, a code indicating the type of RAS information is written in the first 1 byte of this data area (here, type 1 which means power supply information). The next p-byte area stores information about the file system, such as whether the file is duplicated, whether it has a disk array configuration, and what kind of file system (for example, NFS). To do. Similarly, a code indicating the type of RAS information is written in the first byte of this data area (in this case, type 2 which means file information).

  As described above, in this embodiment, when information on reliability is requested from another information processing apparatus on the network, the RAS information of the apparatus can be transmitted regardless of the operation state of the terminal apparatus. .

  Further, the multi-protocol translator 189 in this embodiment may be controlled by the DCE support 156 and the network I / F 155 in FIG.

It is a block diagram showing the system configuration | structure of one Example of this invention. It is a figure showing one Example of a local directory. It is a figure showing the structure of one Example of a service information conversion part. It is a figure showing the registration flow of a QOS table. It is a figure showing one Example of a global directory. It is a figure showing automatic generation of a QOS table. It is a figure showing the other Example of the service information conversion part. It is a figure showing the structure of one Example of an agent. It is a figure showing the other structure of an agent. It is a figure showing a service menu. It is a figure showing a QOS menu. It is a figure showing a login screen. It is a figure showing an initial service menu. It is a figure showing the example of a display of a personal agent. It is a figure showing the service menu of a personal agent. It is a figure showing the QOS menu of a personal agent. It is a figure showing the service menu of a personal agent. It is a figure showing one Example of the file service of this invention. It is a figure showing the flow of QOS information of a file service. It is a block diagram of a network related Example. It is a block diagram showing one Example of a QOS table. It is a figure showing one Example of a service information conversion table. It is a figure showing one Example of a user environment information table. 2 is a diagram illustrating details of an information processing device D. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a service menu of the information processing apparatus D. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating details of the information processing apparatus E. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a service menu of the information processing apparatus E. FIG. It is a block diagram showing the example of a service of RAS information. It is a figure showing the flow of RAS information transmission. It is a figure showing the format of RAS information.

Explanation of symbols

101: Information processing device A (processor), 102: QOS table 103: Terminal agent, 107: Information processing device C (server)
108 ... Local directory 110 ... LAN
111 ... Information processing apparatus D (client)
117: Information processing device E (communication server)
120 ... Information processing device F (server)
121 ... Global directory 123 ... WAN, 150 ... Agent 151 ... Shell, 152 ... User interface 153 ... Application interface 154 ... Kernel, 155 ... Network I / F
156 ... DCE support, 157 ... file system 159 ... hardware virtualization layer, 160 ... information processing device 161 ... CPU, 162 ... main memory 169 ... ROM, 170 Flash memory 172 ... Personal service conversion table 173 ... General service conversion table 174 ... Personal agent 175 ... Terminal agent 187 ... Network interface module 188 ... RAS information storage unit 189 ... Multi-protocol translator 201 ... Local area 202 ... Global area 203 ... Local QOS server 204 ... Global QOS server 205 ... Gateway 208 ... File service device 210 ... User User client 301 ... QOS table registration table 304 ... Network address registration unit 307 ... General service conversion table 310 ... Personal service conversion table 313 ... Local directory registration unit 316 ... Resource registration 319 ... General service conversion table (calculation accuracy)
324 ... Personal service conversion table (calculation accuracy)
601... Information processing apparatus A (server)
602 ... QOS table, 603 ... terminal agent 604 ... backup file device 605 ... information processing device B (server)
606 ... QOS table, 608 ... high speed file 610 ... local directory, 612 ... LAN
616... Personal agent 617 Service menu 618 User 622 Personal agent 626 Global directory 632 Service menu 633 Terminal service information conversion table 634 Personal agent service information conversion table 635... User environment information

Claims (2)

An information processing system having a storage device to which at least one disk drive is connected and an information processing device connected to the storage device,
The information processing apparatus includes a first QOS related to the performance of the storage device in response to a user request, and converts the first QOS into a second QOS related to a file attribute. A network that connects a processor, a storage device, and a plurality of storage devices having the storage device;
The processor receives first service information including performance and functions of the storage device via a network, converts the first service information into second service information related to a file attribute used by a user, and An information processing apparatus that outputs second service information.

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