JP2006227684A - Data processor and its error information managing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data processor for confirming a defective HDD without performing any special processing even after a power source is turned off in a data processor having a mirroring function. <P>SOLUTION: When any significant error is generated in access to hard disk devices(HDD) 41 and 42, error information to specify the HDD to be exchanged is stored in an error history storing part, and when a power off request is made, error information is printed by a printing device 50 before a power source is turned off, and after the printing of the error information is completed, the power source of the power supply unit 31 is turned off. Thus, the error information to specify the defective HDD is printed without fail when the power source is turned off so that it is possible to confirm which is the HDD to be exchanged based on the printed error information even in a power-off state, and to prevent any exchange error. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus including a plurality of hard disk devices (hereinafter referred to as “mirroring”) for recording recording data in different hard disk devices. In particular, the present invention relates to a data processing apparatus including a settlement processing apparatus such as a POS terminal apparatus that performs purchase settlement of purchased goods in a store or the like, a stand-alone POS apparatus, and an error information management method thereof.

In order to ensure the reliability and high speed of data recording on the hard disk device, a disk array (RAID: Redundant Array of Independent Disks) technique is used in database systems, servers, and the like. Recently, it has been proposed to use a disk array having such a RAID1 mirroring function in various data processing apparatuses such as a cash registering machine or a settlement processing apparatus such as a POS terminal apparatus. In such a data processing apparatus that includes a plurality of hard disk devices and records the same data in different hard disk devices, the error status of the failed hard disk device is displayed on the operation screen of the data processing device as means for notifying the failure status of the hard disk device. And a system in which a lamp such as an LED is provided on each hard disk device and the lamp is lit when a failure occurs (Patent Document 1).
JP-A-9-305329

  However, the conventional technology for displaying a failed hard disk device on the screen turns off the power of the data processing device when replacing the hard disk device, so the screen display disappears at the time of replacement, and any hard disk device fails. I can't confirm that

  A function called hot swap that can replace the hard disk drive while the power is on can also be provided. However, since this function requires special dedicated parts (such as a dedicated case), it is costly. The storage area is also increased. Also, when an LED is provided in the hard disk device, it is necessary to provide a control unit that controls the LED, and the cost of the hard disk device increases.

  Although the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, in a data processing apparatus including a plurality of different hard disk devices that repeatedly record the same data, a failed hard disk device can be replaced at low cost and without error. An object of the present invention is to provide a data processing apparatus and an error information management method thereof.

  The present invention prints out error information for identifying a hard disk device that needs to be replaced before turning off the power supply when the data processing device power-off request signal (power-off signal) is received. Solve the problem.

  The data processing device according to the first aspect of the present invention has a host device that performs data processing based on a predetermined processing procedure stored in advance, and the host device controls the recording reliability by duplicating recording data. A data processing device comprising a plurality of hard disk devices having a mirroring function to be secured and a printing device that performs printing based on the control of the host device, and the host device has an error that requires replacement of one of the hard disk devices. An error storage unit that acquires and stores error information including specific information that identifies the hard disk device that needs to be replaced when the error occurs, and error information is read when a power-off signal is received, A power-off control unit that prints information by a printing apparatus and controls to turn off the power after printing is completed. .

  In this aspect, during the process of recording or reading data to the hard disk device, error information regarding the hard disk device in which a serious error such as inability to read / write has occurred is stored in the error history storage unit, and the power off request for the data processing device is stored. In such a case, before the power is turned off, data for identifying the failed hard disk is printed by a printing apparatus and then the power is turned off. As a result, even after the power is turned off, the hard disk device to be replaced can be confirmed by print output, and it is possible to prevent occurrence of a replacement error.

  The data processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the power-off control unit includes error contents as error information.

  In this aspect, in addition to the information that needs to be exchanged, it is possible to store detailed information about the error such as the error occurrence address and the like. This makes it possible to obtain repair information for the hard disk device. As for printing when the power is turned off, only the information specifying the hard disk device to be replaced may be printed, or only predetermined error information may be printed.

  The data processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the power-off control unit further prints out a replacement procedure of the hard disk device that requires replacement. In this aspect, in addition to the specific information of the hard disk device to be replaced, a description of the procedure for replacing the hard disk device is printed out. As a result, even those who are not accustomed to replacing the hard disk device can easily replace the hard disk device.

  The data processing device according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the power-off control unit specifies a hard disk device to be replaced by a figure, an illustration, or a photograph. In this embodiment, the identification of the hard disk device to be replaced is shown by a figure, an illustration, and a photograph. Thereby, the position of the hard disk device and the removal procedure can be shown more easily.

  In a data processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the host device includes a settlement processing unit that performs a settlement process for a purchased product based on the purchased product data input from the data input device. In this aspect, the present invention is applied to a settlement processing apparatus.

  An error information management method for a data processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a host device that performs data processing based on a predetermined processing procedure that is stored in advance; In a data processing device including a plurality of hard disk devices having a mirroring function for ensuring recording reliability and a printing device that performs printing based on control of a host device, (a) one of the hard disk devices needs to be replaced A step of acquiring error information including specific information for specifying a hard disk device that needs to be replaced when an error occurs; (b) an error information storage step for storing error information; and (c) a power-off request. When the signal is received, the error information stored in the error history storage unit is read, and the error information is read by the printing device. And error information printing step for printing, characterized in that it comprises a power-off process to turn off after completing the printing of (d) error information.

  The error information management method of the data processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that only predetermined information in the stored error information is printed in the error information printing step (c).

  In the error information management method for the data processing device according to another aspect of the present invention, the error information printing step (c) further includes (c-1) a step of reading a replacement procedure of a hard disk device that requires replacement, c-2) a step of printing out error information or predetermined information and a replacement procedure.

  The error information management method of the data processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the error information or the exchange processing procedure includes a figure, an illustration, or a photograph.

  According to the present invention, the information specifying the hard disk device to be replaced is printed out before turning off the power of the data processing device, so it is possible to check which hard disk device is broken even after the power is turned off. be able to. Further, by simultaneously printing the hard disk device replacement procedure, it is possible to proceed while looking at the printed replacement procedure, so that even a non-expert can easily replace the hard disk device.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention can be applied to a data processing device that includes a plurality of hard disk devices and has a mirroring function for recording the same data in duplicate on different hard disk devices. When the mirroring function is provided, even if one hard disk device fails and the predetermined data cannot be read, the same data can be read from the other hard disk device, so the reliability of data recording is improved. improves. The present invention is particularly suitable for application to a POS terminal apparatus or the like that is a settlement processing apparatus that performs a settlement process for purchased merchandise and has a mirroring function for a hard disk device. Therefore, in this specification, an example in which a POS terminal device is used as a data processing device will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram of a POS terminal apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the data processing apparatus of the present invention. The POS terminal device 10 includes a host device 20, a disk recording device 40 such as a disk array having a plurality of hard disk devices as peripheral devices connected to the host device 20, a printing device 50, a keyboard 61, a barcode scanner 62, a display. A device 63 and the like are provided. The disk recording device 40 includes at least two hard disk devices (hereinafter referred to as “HDDs”) 41 and 42 that can operate independently, and data recorded in the disk recording device 40 is different HDDs 41 and 42. Are recorded in duplicate. As a result, even if one HDD fails, the data recorded in the other HDD can be read, so that the reliability of data recording is improved.

  The POS terminal device 10 performs a checkout process for the purchased product under the control of the host device 20, and issues a receipt on which the checkout result is printed. It is also possible to acquire price information of purchased products by communicating with a server (not shown) or to update server sales information and inventory information at the time of product sales. These sales information, inventory information, and the like can be recorded in the disk recording device 40 as needed at the time of sale.

<Configuration of Host Device 20>
The host device 20 includes an interface 21 for communicating with peripheral devices, a main control unit 22, various control units 23 to 29, a storage unit (memory) 30, and a power supply unit 31 that supplies power to each unit. It has. The main control unit 22 controls the operation of the entire POS terminal device 10 including peripheral devices. The settlement process control unit 23 controls the settlement process operation, which is the main function of the POS terminal device 10. The input control unit 24 controls the keyboard 61, the barcode scanner 62, etc., and receives input information. The display control unit 25 controls the display device 63 to display predetermined information on the display device. The display device 63 includes an operator display unit and a customer display unit. The print control unit 26 controls the printing device 50 to perform predetermined printing such as slip printing and receipt issuance.

  The disk control unit 27 controls the disk recording device 40 to record predetermined data in the HDDs 41 and 42. At this time, the mirroring process in which the same data is recorded on the different HDDs 41 and 42 in duplicate is controlled by the disk control unit 27 of the host device 20, but the RAID control unit is provided and the disk recording device 40 performs the mirroring process. You may comprise so that it may perform. When the disk recording device 40 is provided with a mirroring function, error information is transmitted from the disk recording device 40 to the host device 20 when any of the HDDs 41 or 42 requires an exchange.

  The error history management unit 28 stores error information generated in the disk recording device 40 as an error history. The content of the error information to be stored as the error history can be arbitrarily set. However, when a failure with a serious error that requires replacement occurs, at least information specifying the HDD to be replaced is always stored. In addition to the information for specifying the HDD to be replaced, storing information about the error content that has occurred is also useful as repair data. In the present specification, the term “error information” includes only “specific information” for specifying an HDD in which a serious error has occurred.

  The power-off control unit 29 is a control unit that turns off the power of the POS terminal device 10 after executing a predetermined process when a power-off request is made. Specifically, among the error information stored in the error history management unit 28, control is performed so that at least error information for specifying the HDD to be replaced is printed by the printing apparatus 50 and then the power is turned off. As described above, before the data processing apparatus 10 is turned off, the error information for specifying the HDD to be replaced is printed, so that even after the data processing apparatus is turned off, the error information can be exchanged from the printed error information. It is possible to check which HDD should be used.

  At this time, the HDD to be replaced can be specified and printed by a figure, an illustration, a photograph or the like. By specifying using a figure or the like, it is possible to prevent occurrence of a replacement error such as replacing a normal HDD by mistake. More preferably, it is desirable to print the replacement procedure for the HDD to be replaced. Also at this time, explanations using figures, illustrations, photographs and the like can be printed. The graphic or the like to be printed out and information related to the replacement procedure are stored in advance in the storage unit 30 such as a memory.

  The power-off control unit 29 turns off the power supply unit 31 and stops supplying power after printing of predetermined error information and the like is completed.

  The main control unit 22 and the control units 23 to 29 configuring the host device 20 can be configured by a CPU, various registers, a control program for controlling the operation of the CPU, and the like.

<Power off control unit>
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram according to an embodiment of the power-off control unit 29 of the host device 20. When there is a recording or reading request (read / write command) to the disk recording device 40 from the settlement processing control unit 23 to the disk control means 27, the disk control unit 27 duplicates the same data in each of the HDDs 41 and 42. The disk recording device 40 is controlled to record. When a predetermined disk error occurs during writing (recording) to the HDDs 41 and 42 or reading from the HDD 41 or 42, the error history management unit 28 stores predetermined error information in the error information storage unit 36.

  The error history management unit 28 and the error information storage unit 36 cooperate to constitute the “error history storage unit” of the present invention. Instead of providing the error information storage unit 36 in the storage unit 30, the error information may be recorded in the HDD that has not failed. In this case, the error history management unit 28 and the HDD storing the error information constitute an “error information storage unit”. As described above, the error information to be recorded can be arbitrarily set, but includes at least information for specifying the HDD that needs to be replaced.

  When replacing the failed HDD, the power of the POS terminal apparatus 10 is turned off. When receiving the power-off request, the error information extraction unit 32 checks whether predetermined error information is stored in the error information storage unit 36. If predetermined error information is stored, the error information is read and output to the error print data generation unit 34. When various error contents are stored in the error information storage unit 36, what kind of error information is extracted as data to be printed can be arbitrarily set. For example, the error information storage unit 36 stores various errors including minor errors, and the error information extraction unit 32 is configured to extract and print only error information that identifies the HDD to be replaced. It is also possible.

  When receiving error information from the error information extraction unit 32, the error print data generation unit 34 generates error print data and transmits it to the print control unit 26. The print control unit 26 transmits the received error print data and print control data to the printing apparatus 50 and causes the printing apparatus 50 to print predetermined error information. When the printing of the printing apparatus 50 is completed, the print control unit 26 notifies the main control unit 22 that the error information has been printed. When the printing of the error information is finished, the main control unit 22 outputs a power off signal to the power off processing unit 35.

  When the power-off processing unit 35 receives the power-off signal, the power-off processing unit 35 performs a series of processes for stopping the power, such as clearing a work area, a register, and a flag, and then stops the power unit 31. If the predetermined error information to be printed does not exist in the error information storage unit 36, the error information extraction unit 32 outputs a power-off signal directly to the power-off processing unit 35. As a result, the power-off processing unit 35 stops the power supply unit 31.

  When printing error information, a repair information acquisition unit 33 is provided to print an illustration for identifying the HDD. The repair information acquisition unit 33 reads an illustration indicating the location of the HDD to be replaced and the HDD replacement procedure from the repair procedure storage unit 37 in the storage unit 30. For example, it is possible to prevent mistakes such as replacing a normal HDD by mistake by indicating the position of the HDD to be replaced from among a plurality of HDDs using a diagram (illustration) with the cover open. Become. Further, by printing the HDD replacement procedure, even an inexperienced person can easily replace the HDD. The repair procedure storage unit 37 of the storage unit 30 stores in advance repair information for replacing the HDD, such as an illustration showing the location of the HDD and a replacement procedure. Also, such repair information is recorded in duplicate in both HDDs 41 and 42, not in the repair procedure storage unit 37, and the repair information such as illustrations and replacement procedures is read from the HDD that has not failed. It is also possible.

  FIG. 3 shows a print example of error information printed when the power is turned off. In the printing example shown in FIG. 3, the HDDs 1 and 2 are shown by illustration. In particular, the HDD 1 to be replaced is specified by illustration as being removed, and the procedure for replacing the HDD 1 is also described in the document. Further, in addition to such information, information indicating the failure content may be printed.

<Error information recording process>
An example of the processing procedure at the time of data recording and power-off request of the data processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described using FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an error history recording process procedure when accessing the HDD in the data processing apparatus according to the present invention. In the following description, it is assumed that the data processing apparatus is the POS terminal apparatus 10 shown in FIGS. When a read / write command that is a data recording (writing) or read request to the HDD 41, 42 is received (S101), the disk control unit 27 accesses the disk recording device 40 and executes a read / write process according to the command. (S102). In the mirroring process, read / write processing is performed with one HDD as a main HDD and the other as a sub HDD. In the case of a write command, the disk control unit 27 records the same data in duplicate in the main and sub HDDs 41 and 42, respectively. In the case of a read command, the main HDD is accessed to read data.

  When a serious error that cannot be read / written occurs in any one of the HDDs (S103; Yes), error processing is performed (S105), and error information regarding the HDD in which the error has occurred is stored in the storage device 30. (S106). As the error process (S105), for example, a warning or notification of an error occurrence is performed, and a process such as designating only an HDD in which no error has occurred as an accessible HDD is executed. The error notification can display information notifying the occurrence of an error on the screen by opening a pop-up window or the like. Thereafter, the HDD that has not failed is accessed, and read / write processing corresponding to the read / write command is executed (S102). When a serious error occurs again (S103; Yes), when there are two HDDs, the read / write process is interrupted in the error process, and it is notified that a serious error has occurred in both HDDs 41 and 42. When three or more HDDs are provided, it is possible to designate a HDD that has not failed and to continue the read / write process.

  If a serious error does not occur in the read / write process (S103; No), it is checked whether the process corresponding to the command is completed (S104). If not completed (S104; No), the process is completed. The read / write process is repeated until (S102, S103, S104). When the reading / writing process is completed (S104; Yes). Access to the disk recording device 40 ends.

<Processing procedure at power off>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure when the power is turned off. This flowchart shows an example in which the replacement processing procedure is also printed. In the power-off process, a power-off request is monitored (S201). The power-off request method includes, for example, a configuration in which a power-off operation is performed through a screen with a mouse or the like under the management of a predetermined OS, a configuration in which a power-off request is output by a keyboard operation, and a physical power switch is operated. A configuration for outputting a power-off request is used.

  When there is a power-off request (S201; Yes), error information is first printed (S202), and the completion of error information printing is awaited (S203; No). When printing of error information processing is completed (S203; Yes), first, the power of peripheral devices such as the disk recording device and the printing device is turned off (S204), and then the power of the host device is turned off (S205). Peripheral devices that are not required for printing error information may be configured to be turned off before error information printing is completed.

  FIG. 6 shows a flowchart according to an example of the error information printing step (S201) in FIG. In the error information printing step, first, whether or not an error to be printed has occurred is confirmed based on the error history (S301). If no error has occurred (S301; No), error printing processing (S302 to S305). The process proceeds to the process step 204 in FIG. 5 and the power of each unit is stopped (S204, S205).

  If an error to be printed has occurred (S301; Yes), error history data necessary for printing is extracted (S302). Next, the HDD to be replaced is specified from the error history data, and illustration data indicating the corresponding HDD is read (S303). Further, information indicating the replacement processing procedure of the target HDD (an illustration may be included in addition to the text) is read (S304). The data read out in steps S303 and S304, that is, the illustration data specifying the HDD to be replaced and the replacement processing procedure information are error information printed when the power is turned off. The read error information is created as print data designating each print position, size, etc. (S305), and the error information is printed by the print controller (S306).

  In the above description, the case where error information is printed out when the power is turned off has been described. However, even when the power information is not turned off, the error information can be displayed and printed upon request. It is also possible to configure as described above.

It is a functional block diagram of the POS terminal device 10 concerning one Embodiment of the data processor of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the host device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of printing of error information. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the recording processing procedure of the error log | history of HDD of the data processor concerning this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence at the time of power-off. It is a flowchart concerning an example of a printing procedure of error information.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 POS terminal device 20 Host device 21 Interface 22 Main control part 23 Settlement control part 24 Input control means 25 Display control means 26 Print control part 27 Disk control part 28 Error history management part 29 Power-off control part 30 Storage part 31 Power supply unit 32 Error information extraction unit 33 Repair information acquisition unit 34 Error print data generation unit 35 Power off processing unit 36 Error information storage unit 37 Repair procedure storage unit 40 Disk recording device 41, 42 Hard disk device (HDD) 50 Printing device 61 Keyboard 62 Bar code Scanner 63 Display device

Claims (9)

A host device that performs data processing based on a predetermined processing procedure stored in advance, a plurality of hard disk devices that are controlled by the host device and have a mirroring function that ensures recording reliability by duplicating recording data, and a host A data processing apparatus including a printing apparatus that performs printing based on control of the apparatus,
The host device is
When an error that requires replacement occurs in any of the hard disk devices, an error storage unit that acquires and stores error information including specific information that identifies the hard disk device that requires replacement;
A power-off control unit that reads out the error information when receiving a power-off signal, prints the error information by the printing apparatus, and controls to turn off the power after printing is completed;
A data processing apparatus comprising:   The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power-off control unit includes the content of the error as the error information.   The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power-off control unit further prints out a replacement procedure of the hard disk device that requires replacement.   The data processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the power-off control unit identifies the hard disk device to be replaced by a figure, an illustration, or a photograph.   5. The data processing according to claim 1, wherein the host device includes a settlement processing unit that performs a settlement process for a purchased product based on purchased product data input from a data input device. apparatus. A host device that performs data processing based on a predetermined processing procedure stored in advance, a plurality of hard disk devices that are controlled by the host device and have a mirroring function that ensures recording reliability by duplicating recording data, and a host In a data processing apparatus comprising a printing device that performs printing based on control of the device,
(A) when an error requiring replacement occurs in any of the hard disk devices, obtaining error information including specific information for identifying the hard disk device requiring replacement;
(B) an error information storage step for storing the error information;
(C) when receiving a power-off request signal, reading error information stored in the error history storage unit and printing the error information by the printing apparatus;
(D) a power-off process step of turning off the power after completing the printing of the error information;
An error information management method for a data processing apparatus comprising:   7. The error information management method for a data processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in the error information printing step (c), only predetermined information in the stored error information is printed. The error information printing step (c) further includes:
(C-1) a step of reading a replacement procedure of a hard disk device that requires replacement;
(C-2) printing out the error information or the predetermined information and the replacement procedure;
An error information management method for a data processing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising: 9. The error information management method for a data processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the error information or the exchange processing procedure includes a figure, an illustration, or a photograph.

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