JP2013125397A - Method for evaluating system and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for evaluating systems capable of detecting a trouble reducing reliability as an entire system before operating the system.SOLUTION: The method for evaluating systems according to the present invention is provided for evaluating reliability of an open type process control system configured by connecting a plurality of devices via a network. The method for evaluating systems includes: an execution step of executing an endurance test program that asynchronously executes a plurality of test execution tasks executed in a device and between devices; and an evaluation step of comparing the execution result of the endurance test program with a result planned value and evaluating the reliability of the process control system.

Description

  The present invention relates to a system evaluation method and a computer program for evaluating reliability in an open process control system.

  Due to the high performance and low price of personal computer servers provided for business / office operations in a wide market, such personal computer servers are also used in process control systems. In such an open process control system, real-time performance is required. However, in a scene where real-time performance is required, a high load tends to be concentrated, and a failure / failure may occur when adverse conditions overlap. At this time, there is a possibility that processing delay or communication timeout may occur due to the deterioration of the response of the open process control system. In addition, since these troubles are generated by a combination of rare timings with rare conditions, they may occur after system operation even if they do not occur during system testing.

  Conventionally, prior to system operation, a test program that places a heavy load on each of the CPU, disk, network, and the like of a server that constitutes the system has been executed for a long time, thereby aiming to eliminate the trouble beforehand. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a load test execution control device that can easily perform a test similar to an actual system using a virtual device before shipping an online system. The load test execution control device generates action data that is a load generation specification from the system specification, the load specification, and the test specification. By inputting this action data to the load generating means, a load is automatically generated, and the performance of the system with respect to the load can be evaluated by the monitoring unit.

JP-A-4-237359

  However, in Patent Document 1, a transaction load is generated from an external device connected via a network to a business / office business system whose reliability is to be evaluated. However, asynchronous processing that is caused by the combination of rare timings, which is a characteristic of the process control system, is not generated on the server that actually operates, and when the system actually operates It cannot be said that the situation is almost identical.

  Furthermore, since actual application software (hereinafter also referred to as “AP software”) executed in the process control system uses a CPU, a disk, a network, and the like asynchronously, their combination and timing cannot be covered by the test program. There is a case. In addition, even after the AP software that is actually executed in the process control system is completed and a failure is found by testing it immediately before system operation, it is particularly useful for hardware and OS refurbishment. Time is required and the system operation time is greatly delayed. Furthermore, for example, there is no problem even if AP software that is actually executed in the process control system is executed in the process A. However, if it is executed in the process B, a problem may occur.

  In this way, there is a total potential including the processing functions of the server equipped with the hardware, OS, middleware, AP software of the open system process control system, and transmission to other devices connected to the server via the network. It was difficult to get rid of all the malfunctions before the system was fully operational.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method capable of detecting a problem that reduces the reliability of the entire system before the system is operated. A system evaluation method and a computer program are provided.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system evaluation method for evaluating the reliability of an open process control system configured by connecting a plurality of devices via a network. The system evaluation method of the present invention compares an execution step of executing an endurance test program that asynchronously executes a plurality of test execution tasks executed in and between devices, and an execution result of the endurance test program and a planned result value. And an evaluation step for evaluating the reliability of the process control system.

  Here, each test execution task executed in the execution step may be set based on the configuration of application software executed during actual operation of the process control system.

  In addition, the endurance test program includes a file asynchronous endurance test program that performs read / write processing on a plurality of files stored in one of the devices by a first test execution task group executed in the device that executes the endurance test program; Reading and writing of a predetermined file by a lower-level transmission asynchronous endurance test program that performs data transmission / reception processing between devices by the second test execution task group and a third test execution task group executed by the device that executes the endurance test program The process may be composed of at least one of a fixed-cycle startup asynchronous endurance test program that starts processing at a fixed cycle, and the execution step may be executed by changing the execution cycle of the endurance test program.

  Furthermore, in the execution step, the number of operations of each test execution task is output as the execution result of the endurance test program, and in the evaluation step, the planned result value calculated based on the execution result of the endurance test program and the execution time of the endurance test program And the process control system may be evaluated as reliable when the difference between the execution result of the endurance test program and the expected result value is within a predetermined value.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of computers executed in and between a plurality of devices constituting an open process control system connected via a network. An execution unit that executes an endurance test program that executes a test execution task asynchronously, and an evaluation unit that evaluates the reliability of the process control system by comparing the execution result of the endurance test program with the planned result A computer program is provided which is characterized by functioning as a system evaluation apparatus.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a system evaluation method and a computer program capable of detecting a problem that reduces the reliability of the entire system before the system is operated.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the open system process control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the program structure of the durability test program which concerns on the same embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the scenario structure of the file asynchronous durability test which concerns on the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the scenario structure of the low-order transmission asynchronous durability test which concerns on the same embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the scenario structure of the fixed period starting asynchronous durability test which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the system evaluation process by execution of the durability test program which concerns on the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a file asynchronous durability test execution process. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a file asynchronous durability test execution process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a report of the result of reliability evaluation by the execution result of an endurance test program, and the comparison with the said execution result and a result scheduled value. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the control server which concerns on the same embodiment.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

<1. System configuration example>
First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure of the open process control system which is the object of reliability verification will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the open system process control system 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a state when a test program is executed before the process control system 1 is operated.

  The process control system 1 in the steel industry or the like that requires high reliability in 24-hour operation has so far been configured with a computer and a network dedicated to heavy electrical equipment manufacturers. In recent years, the introduction of process control systems, which are open systems using devices such as general-purpose computers whose specifications are disclosed, has been in progress. An open system is an open computer system composed of software that conforms to open standards and computers that use the open standard. An operating system (OS) that performs basic computer control, Application software (AP software) that performs control processing and middleware that is common software positioned between them are included. An open system process control system in which an open system is applied to the process control field can be configured, for example, by connecting a control server and an external device via a general-purpose network. Here, as an external device, an electrical instrumentation control device (Programmable Logic Controller, hereinafter referred to as “PLC”), a database server, a control server in another process, and the like are targeted.

  An example of the process control system 1 according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. 1. The process control system 1 is configured by connecting a control server 100, a disk 200, an information processing terminal 300, and a PLC 400 via a network 10. Has been.

  The control server 100 is a device for executing an application program (AP software) for performing process control. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the control server 100 includes application software 110, middleware 120, an OS 130, a CPU 140, and a network unit 150.

  The application software 110 is a layer that executes AP software, and performs business processing and control processing in each process. The AP software is stored in the disk 200, which is a storage device connected to the control server 100. The AP software corresponding to the function for which the execution instruction has been received is acquired from the disk 200, installed in the application software 110, and executed. To do.

  In the reliability evaluation of the process control system 1 according to the present embodiment, an endurance test program 112 that applies the same load to the system 1 as when the AP software is executed is used instead of the AP software that is actually operated. Run. The endurance test program 112 is used by being installed in the application software 110 during a test before the system is operated. Further, the application software 110 is provided with a test start / end instruction unit 114 for instructing execution start and end of the durability test program 112. The test start / end instruction unit 114 executes the durability test program 112 based on the test start instruction input from the information processing terminal 300 for operating the control server 100 by the user, and the test end input from the information processing terminal 300 Based on the instruction, the execution of the durability test program 112 is terminated.

  The middleware 120 is a layer that executes common software positioned between the application software 110 and the OS 130, and the OS 130 is a layer that performs basic control of the computer. The CPU 140 functions as an arithmetic processing device that performs arithmetic processing of software executed by the control server 100, and also functions as a control device that performs control processing of the control server 100. The network 150 is an interface to which the network 10 is connected, and connects the control server 100 to the information processing terminal 300 and the PLC 400 so that they can communicate with each other.

  The disk 200 is a storage unit that stores information. For example, as described above, the disk 200 stores the AP file 210 that is AP software, the test file 220 that is the execution result of the durability test program 112, and the like. The disk 200 is communicably connected to the control server 100. Thereby, the control server 100 can acquire the information stored in the disk 200 as needed, and can store the generated information in the disk 200. As shown in FIG. 1, a test confirmation terminal 500 for confirming the execution result of the endurance test program 112 can be connected so that the test file 220 on the disk 200 can be read. Thereby, the user can confirm the execution result of the durability test program 112 by the test confirmation terminal 500.

  The information processing terminal 300 is a terminal for operating and confirming the process executed by the control server 100. For example, a general-purpose personal computer can be used. A specific configuration example of the information processing terminal 300 will be described later (FIG. 9). The information processing terminal 300 outputs information input from the user to the control server 100 via the network 10 and receives information output from the control server 100 to notify the user.

  The PLC 400 is an electrical instrumentation control device for performing sequence control of a machine or device that is a control target. By using the PLC 400, the control circuit can be simplified and automated, and high-speed processing can be realized, and further, the data to be controlled can be acquired in real time. The data obtained by the PLC 400 is output to, for example, the server 100 via the network 10 and is analyzed by the server 100 or stored in the disk 200, so that the operation status of the control target can be confirmed or trouble can be detected. Can be used.

<2. Durability test>
In the present embodiment, an endurance test program 112 for evaluating the reliability of the system 1 is installed and executed on the control server 100 constituting the process control system 1. At this time, the process control system 1 before the operation is in a state in which the devices 100 to 400 are connected via the network 10 as shown in FIG. 1, and the AP software for process control is not installed. To do. By executing the durability test program 112 according to the present embodiment, the performance of the following devices 100 to 400 and the communication performance of information transmitted between them are evaluated.

  That is, the control server 100, the disk 200, the information processing terminal 300, and the network 10 surrounded by the broken line in FIG. 1 are tested, and the devices 100 to 300 are subjected to the same load as the actual operation by executing the durability test program 112. And communication processing via the network 10 are performed. The user can determine the reliability of the process control system 1 based on whether the execution result of the durability test program 112 is correct.

[2-1. Endurance test program configuration]
The contents of the durability test performed by the durability test program 112 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a program configuration of the durability test program 112 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a scenario configuration of the file asynchronous endurance test according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a scenario configuration of the lower transmission asynchronous endurance test according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a scenario configuration of a fixed period startup asynchronous durability test according to the present embodiment.

  The durability test program 112 according to the present embodiment is executed by the test start / end instruction unit 114 of the control server 100. The test start / end instruction unit 114 starts execution of the endurance test program based on, for example, a test start instruction transmitted from the test instruction screen of the test confirmation terminal 500 shown in FIG. The test control task (TASK00) in FIG. 2 is a task executed by the test start / end instruction unit 114. When the test start / end instruction unit 114 receives the test start instruction, it reads the test scenario from the disk 200 and executes the durability test program.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the endurance test program according to the present embodiment is composed of three test programs: a file asynchronous endurance test program, a lower transmission asynchronous endurance test program, and a fixed period startup asynchronous endurance test program.

  The file asynchronous endurance test program is a test program configured on the assumption that there is a read / write request from a plurality of test execution tasks for one file. This assumes, for example, multiple exclusion processing of files that occur when multiple AP software runs, such as blast furnace tightening processing. When a plurality of AP software are running multiple times, they are not necessarily running synchronously. For this reason, for example, processing concentrates on writing to a certain file, and the exclusion release waiting state may continue. That is, by executing the file asynchronous durability test program, it is possible to evaluate whether or not the multiple exclusion process of the file that occurs during the multiple running of the AP software can be executed without timing out.

  The lower transmission asynchronous endurance test program is a test program configured on the assumption of data transmission / reception processing between devices constituting the process control system by a test execution task. This assumes, for example, communication fluctuations on a plurality of logical lines such as continuous casting and finishing lines. When there is communication processing between multiple sensors and devices, if the time required from data transmission to reception exceeds a predetermined time, the operation of the process control system 1 that requires real-time performance will be affected, leading to system down. Sometimes. By executing the lower transmission asynchronous durability test program, the communication performance between devices including the network 10 can be evaluated.

  The fixed-cycle startup asynchronous endurance test program is a test program configured assuming a timer process that starts a predetermined file at a fixed cycle by a test execution task executed in the control server 100 that executes the endurance test program. This assumes, for example, fluctuations in the multiple rimer cycle processing in a DDC (Direct Digital Control) or the like in a hot rolling line. By executing the fixed-cycle startup asynchronous endurance test program, it is possible to evaluate whether or not each process can be correctly executed when a plurality of test execution tasks having different startup cycles are executed.

  In the present embodiment, the endurance test program is composed of test programs reflecting the above three system requirement models, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. The endurance test program may be composed of at least one of the above three test programs, for example, and a new test program set based on the configuration of the AP software executed when the process control system 1 is actually operated. You may comprise.

(File asynchronous endurance test program)
The file asynchronous durability test program will be described in detail. The file asynchronous durability test program according to this embodiment includes a first test execution task group (TSK001 to TSK15A, TSK995, TSK998).

  The test execution tasks (TAK001 to TSK15A) are processes for reading and writing a plurality of files. Each test execution task (TAK001 to TSK15A) is set with a start cycle and a file update record number as shown in FIG. The activation cycle represents a cycle for starting the test execution task, and the file update record No represents a specific record of a file read by the test execution task.

  First, each test execution task (TAK001 to TSK15A) increments all data of all records included in the local file (fil001 to file15A) of each task. Further, all data of all records of the global file (fil001 to file15A) of each execution task (TAK001 to TSK15A) allocated by the shared memory global allocation is incremented.

  Next, each test execution task (TAK001 to TSK15A) increments all data of the record indicated by the file update record NO of the relative organization file (file991). The relative organization file is data stored in the disk 200, and is a file composed of 1 to n (n is an integer) records. The relative organization file (file991) is in a shared open state and is locked exclusively in record units. Similarly, each test execution task (TAK001 to TSK15A) increments all data of the record indicated by the file update record NO of the relative organization file (file992).

  Further, each test execution task (TAK001 to TSK15A) increments all data of the record of the key “ABCDxxxx” (xxx is a remainder obtained by dividing the number of activations by 100) of the index file (file 993). The index file is data stored in the disk 200, and includes a predetermined key and a record corresponding to the key. The index file is opened in a completely exclusive state.

  Thereafter, each test execution task (TAK001 to TSK15A) updates the cyclic file (file 994) by incrementing one record in the cyclic file (file 994). The cyclic file is data stored in the disk 200, and holds information specifying a data start record and a data end record.

  The test execution task (TAK995) performs a process of decrementing one record from the cyclic file (file 994). When the test execution task (TAK995) executes the process of decrementing one record from the cyclic file (file 994), the count value of the relative organization file (file 995) is incremented by one.

  The test execution task (TAK998) is a process that is set assuming a support function executed in the background. All the relative organization files (f99801 to f99864) are opened, and the opened relative organization files (f99801 to f99864) are opened. ) Increment all data in all records.

  In the file asynchronous endurance test program, the test execution tasks (TSK001 to TSK15A, TSK995, and TSK998) are set to have different start cycles and are run in a multiple manner. As a result, the test execution tasks (TSK001 to TSK15A, TSK995, TSK998) are executed asynchronously, and it is possible to generate a situation in which a peak load in which access to files is concentrated is applied.

(Lower transmission asynchronous endurance test program)
Next, the lower transmission asynchronous durability test program will be described in detail. The lower transmission asynchronous durability test program according to this embodiment includes a second test execution task group (TSKA01 to TSKA5A, TSKB01 to TSKB5A).

  In the second test execution task group, test execution tasks (TSKA01 to TSKA5A) are processes executed by the control server 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the test execution tasks (TSKA01 to TSKA5A) are set with a start cycle, a logical line NO, and a message NO. The start cycle represents a cycle for starting the test execution task. The logical line NO is information for specifying a counterpart device that transmits data, and specifies one information processing terminal 300 or PLC 400 with which the control server 100 communicates via the network 10. The message NO is information for specifying the message content to be transmitted to the counterpart device. On the other hand, the test execution tasks (TSKB01 to TSKB5A) are processes executed by the information processing terminal 300.

  First, each test execution task (TSKA01 to TSKA5A) increments all data of all records included in the local file (file01 to file5a) of each task. Then, all data of the relative organization file (file992) is read. At this time, the relative organization file (file992) is in a shared open state. Thereafter, each test execution task (TSKA01 to TSKA5A) transmits a predetermined amount of data to the counterpart device via the network.

  On the other hand, the test execution tasks (TSKB01 to TSKB5A) receive data transmitted from the control server 100 via the network 10. Then, all data of all records included in the local file (file01 to file5a) of each task is incremented.

  In the lower transmission asynchronous endurance test program, the above-mentioned test execution tasks (TSKA01 to TSKA5A, TSKB01 to TSKB5A) are set to have different start cycles and are run in multiple ways. As a result, a plurality of communication processes between the control server 100 and the information processing terminal 300 or the PLC 400 are executed asynchronously, and it is possible to generate a situation where a peak load in which the communication processes are concentrated is applied.

(Periodical start asynchronous endurance test program)
Next, the fixed-cycle startup asynchronous endurance test program will be described in detail. The fixed-cycle startup asynchronous endurance test program according to this embodiment includes a third test execution task group (TSKE01 to TSKE5A).

  The test execution tasks (TSKE01 to TSKE5A) constituting the third test execution task group have an initial activation time and an activation cycle as shown in FIG. The first activation time is set to the time when the test execution task is activated first. The start cycle represents a cycle for starting the test execution task.

  Each test execution task (TSKE01 to TSKE5A) starts a process of incrementing all data of all records included in the local files (file01 to file5a) of each task at the first activation time, and counts up in the activation cycle.

  That is, in the fixed-cycle startup asynchronous endurance test program, the above-mentioned test execution tasks (TSKE01 to TSKE5A) are set to have different initial startup times or startup cycles so that multiple runs are performed. As a result, it is possible to generate a situation in which a plurality of timer cycle processes are executed asynchronously.

[2-2. System evaluation by running durability test program]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a system evaluation process by executing the durability test program 112 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the system evaluation process of the process control system 1 includes an execution step for executing the durability test program 112 and an evaluation step for evaluating the reliability of the process control system 1 based on the execution result of the durability test program 112. It consists of.

  The execution step includes a file asynchronous endurance test execution process (S10), a lower transmission asynchronous endurance test execution process (S12), a fixed period startup asynchronous endurance test execution process (S14), and a test file output process (S16). . When the execution start of the durability test program 112 is instructed by the test start / end instruction unit 114, the control server 100 first executes a file asynchronous durability test execution process (S10).

  7 and 8 show an example of the file asynchronous durability test execution process. 7 and 8, only the processes of the test execution task 1 (TSK001) and the test execution task 2 (TSK002) in the first test execution task group shown in FIG. 2 are shown.

  First, the process of the test execution task 1 (TSK001) will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the test execution task 1 (TSK001) stands by until an activation message is received from the test start / end instruction unit 114 (S100). When the activation message is received, the test execution task 1 (TSK001) determines the content of the linkage data included in the activation message (S102). Here, the linkage data is information added to the activation message, and in this embodiment, specifies the function to be executed by the test execution task 1 (TSK001).

  In step S102, when the content of the linkage data is an end instruction, the process of the test execution task 1 (TSK001) is ended. In step S102, when the content of the linkage data is a start instruction, the test execution task 1 (TSK001) stores the parameter when the instruction is received in the task (TSK001). Then, the data of each file (file001, file991, file992, file993, file994) and global (file001) of the test execution task 1 (TSK001) is cleared (S104). Thereafter, the timer designated at the start instruction is set (S106), and the process returns to step S100.

  In step S102, if the content of the linkage data is timer start, the test execution task 1 (TSK001) executes the processes of steps S108 to S128. The processes in steps S108 to S128 are processes for reading / writing a predetermined file. First, in the test execution task 1 (TSK001), all data of all records included in the relative organization file (fil001) are incremented (S108). Next, all data of all records of the global file (fil001) of the test execution task 1 (TAK001) allocated by the shared memory global allocation are incremented (S110). Thereafter, iterative calculation processing is executed (S112). The number of repetitions of this iterative calculation process can be determined by a random number, for example.

  Next, the test execution task 1 (TAK001) increments all data of the record indicated by the file update record NO specified by the relative organization file (file991) (S114). At this time, the relative organization file (file991) is in a shared open state and is locked exclusively in record units. Thereafter, iterative calculation processing is executed (S116). The number of repetitions of this iterative calculation process can also be determined by random numbers, for example, as in step S112.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the test execution task 1 (TAK001) increments all data of the record indicated by the file update record NO of the relative organization file (file992) (S118). At this time, the relative organization file (file 992) is in a shared open state and is resource-locked. Further, the test execution task 1 (TAK001) increments all data of the record indicated by the file update record NO designated by the global file (file 992) (S120). At this time, the global file (file 992) is also in a shared open state and is resource-locked like the relative organization file (file 992). Thereafter, iterative calculation processing is executed (S122). The number of repetitions of this iterative calculation process can also be determined by random numbers, for example, as in step S112.

  Next, the test execution task 1 (TAK001) increments all the data in the key record of the index file (file 993) (S124). At this time, the index file is opened in a completely exclusive state. Thereafter, iterative calculation processing is executed (S126). The number of repetitions of this iterative calculation process can also be determined by random numbers, for example, as in step S112.

  Further, the test execution task 1 (TAK001) adds one record to the cyclic file (file 994) and updates the cyclic file (file 994) (S128). At this time, the cyclic file (file 994) is opened in a completely exclusive state. When the processes of steps S108 to S128 are finished, the process returns to the process of step S100 in FIG.

  On the other hand, the processing of the test execution task 2 (TSK002) will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the test execution task 2 (TSK002) is similar to the test execution task 1 (TAK001) from the test start / end instruction unit 114. It waits until an activation message is received (S200). When the activation message is received, the test execution task 2 (TSK002) determines the content of the linkage data included in the activation message (S202).

  In step S202, when the content of the linkage data is an end instruction, the process of the test execution task 2 (TSK002) is ended. In step S202, if the content of the linkage data is a start instruction, the test execution task 2 (TSK002) stores the parameters when the instruction is received in the task (TSK002). Then, the data (file 002, file 991, file 992, file 993, file 994) and global (file 002) of the test execution task 2 (TSK002) are cleared (S204). Thereafter, the timer designated at the start instruction is set (S206), and the process returns to step S200.

  In step S202, if the content of the ringing data is a timer start, the test execution task 2 (TSK002) executes the processes of steps S208 to S228. The process of steps S208 to S228 is a process of executing reading and writing with respect to a predetermined file, similarly to the processes of steps S108 to S128. First, in the test execution task 2 (TSK002), all data of all records included in the relative organization file (fil002) are incremented (S208). Next, all data of all records of the global file (fil002) of the test execution task 2 (TAK002) allocated by the shared memory global allocation are incremented (S210). Thereafter, iterative calculation processing is executed (S212). The number of repetitions of this iterative calculation process can be determined by a random number, for example.

  Next, the test execution task 2 (TAK002) increments all data of the record indicated by the file update record NO specified in the relative organization file (file991) (S214). At this time, the relative organization file (file991) is in a shared open state and is locked exclusively in record units. Thereafter, iterative calculation processing is executed (S216). The number of repetitions of this iterative calculation process can also be determined by random numbers, for example, as in step S112.

  Further, the test execution task 2 (TAK002) increments all data of the record indicated by the file update record NO of the relative organization file (file992) as shown in FIG. 8 (S218). At this time, the relative organization file (file 992) is in a shared open state and is resource-locked. Further, the test execution task 2 (TAK002) increments all data of the record indicated by the file update record NO designated by the global file (file992) (S220). At this time, the global file (file 992) is also in a shared open state and is resource-locked like the relative organization file (file 992). Thereafter, iterative calculation processing is executed (S222). The number of repetitions of this iterative calculation process can also be determined by random numbers, for example, as in step S112.

  Next, the test execution task 2 (TAK002) increments all data in the key record of the index file (file 993) (S224). At this time, the index file is opened in a completely exclusive state. Thereafter, iterative calculation processing is executed (S226). The number of repetitions of this iterative calculation process can also be determined by random numbers, for example, as in step S112.

  Further, the test execution task 2 (TAK002) adds one record to the cyclic file (file 994) and updates the cyclic file (file 994) (S228). At this time, the cyclic file (file 994) is opened in a completely exclusive state. When the processes of steps S208 to S228 are finished, the process returns to the process of step S200 in FIG.

  In the file asynchronous endurance test execution process, there are not only files read / written by only one test execution task but also files read / written by a plurality of test execution tasks as shown in FIG. Files that may be executed by a plurality of test execution tasks are in an exclusive state so that they are not manipulated by other test execution tasks while a certain test execution task is reading and writing. For this reason, if the test execution task is not processed normally, the read / write processing of the file is delayed.

  In addition, the asynchronous execution of the test execution task 1 (TAK001) and the test execution task 2 (TAK002) can be performed in multiple runs by making the activation cycles different. By executing tasks asynchronously in this way, there is a possibility that an unexpected load is further applied during file read / write processing. In other words, the reliability evaluation of the process control system 1 according to the present embodiment can be performed on the load during multiple running of asynchronous processing that can normally occur during actual operation.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 6, when the process of step S <b> 10 is completed, a lower transmission asynchronous durability test is then executed (S <b> 12). In the process of step S12, as described above, first, each test execution task (TSKA01 to TSKA5A) increments all data of all records included in the local files (file01 to file5a) of each task. Then, all data of the relative organization file (file992) is read. At this time, the relative organization file (file992) is in a shared open state. Thereafter, each test execution task (TSKA01 to TSKA5A) transmits a predetermined amount of data to the counterpart device via the network. On the other hand, the test execution tasks (TSKB01 to TSKB5A) receive data transmitted from the control server 100 via the network 10. Then, all data of all records included in the local file (file01 to file5a) of each task is incremented.

  At this time, in the lower transmission asynchronous endurance test program, the above-mentioned test execution tasks (TSKA01 to TSKA5A, TSKB01 to TSKB5A) are set to have different start cycles and are allowed to run multiple times. Thereby, a plurality of communication processes between the control server 100 and the information processing terminal 300 or the PLC 400 are executed asynchronously.

  Further, the fixed cycle startup asynchronous durability test program is executed (S14). In step S14, as described above, each test execution task (TSKE01 to TSKE5A) starts a process of incrementing all data of all records included in the local files (file01 to file5a) of each task at the first activation time. A process of counting up at the start cycle is performed. At this time, in step S14, by setting the initial activation time or activation cycle of the test execution tasks (TSKE01 to TSKE5A) to be different and performing multiple running, a situation in which a plurality of timer cycle processes are executed asynchronously is generated. be able to.

  Note that the processes of steps S10 to S14 do not have to be executed in this order, and a plurality of processes may be executed in parallel. When the processes in steps S10 to S14 are completed, a count value indicating the number of times each process has been executed is output as a test file 220 from the control server 100 to the disk 200 as an execution result (S16).

  Thereafter, an evaluation process for evaluating the reliability of the process control system 1 is performed by comparing the execution result of the endurance test program 112 and the planned result value (S18). The process in step S18 may be performed by the control server 100 or the test confirmation terminal 500. In the test file 220 representing the execution result of the durability test program 112 output in step S16, the number of times of processing (actual value and count value) for each of the three programs of the durability test program 112 is recorded. When the difference between the number of processing times and the estimated result value when operating normally is within a predetermined value, a positive evaluation is made on the reliability of the process control system 1. The result prediction value can be calculated from the time from the test start date to the test end date (that is, the execution time of the endurance test program 112 and the loop count of the program 112).

  FIG. 9 shows a report example of an execution result of the endurance test program 112 and a result of reliability evaluation by comparing the execution result with a planned result value. The report shown in FIG. 9 includes, for example, a test start date / time and a test end date / time, an actual value and a planned result value for the loop count of the endurance test program 112, and an actual value and result for three programs of the endurance test program 112. Scheduled values are shown. “File” and “Memory file” are the evaluation results for the file asynchronous endurance test program, “Lower transmission” is the lower transmission asynchronous endurance test program, and “Fixed cycle” is the evaluation result for the fixed cycle startup asynchronous endurance test program. ing. “Cycle second” indicates a cycle in which each test program is executed, and the effect on the system reliability due to the startup cycle is verified by executing each program while changing the cycle.

  The reliability evaluation of the system is performed based on whether the number of times of the actual value and the planned result value is the same or whether the error is within a predetermined value. When the difference in the number of times between the actual value and the planned result value is within a predetermined value, it can be determined that the process operates normally even when multiple processes run asynchronously. On the other hand, when the difference in the number of times between the actual value and the planned result value becomes larger than a predetermined value, it can be determined that there is a possibility that an abnormality may occur in the system. At this time, it is easy to identify the cause of the abnormality based on the case where the difference in the number of times between the actual value and the planned result value is larger than the predetermined value (the content of the executed endurance test program and its activation cycle).

[2-3. Example]
Below, the example of application of the system diagnostic method regarding the reliability of the process control system 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. In order to appropriately perform the system diagnosis method, it is necessary to appropriately set the parameters of the test execution task. Hereinafter, a specific example of test execution task parameter setting (that is, test scenario setting) will be described.

(1) Diagnosis of presence / absence of communication abnormality in hot rolling line In the hot rolling line, a communication abnormality (timeout) may occur rarely after the quality control system is operated. The AP software receives about 30 KB of data from the data collection device in a one-second cycle by low-order transmission, and writes a file of the received data (about 17 MB) to the disk 200 once every 10 minutes. As a cause of the occurrence of a communication error, it has been specified that a certain process in the process of writing data to the disk 200 causes a failure due to a malfunction of the OS 130 when the AP software runs for a long time. During the data writing to the disk 200, the operation target file is exclusively opened and locked, and during this time, the other AP software continues to wait for the exclusion to be released, resulting in a communication timeout.

  In order to prevent such a communication abnormality from occurring in the newly operated process control system 1, the function of the AP software is changed to “test execution task 1”, “test execution task” of the file asynchronous endurance test program shown in FIG. 998 ”and“ test execution task A1 ”parameters of the lower transmission asynchronous endurance test program are reproduced. Thus, by setting each test execution task of the endurance test program 112 based on the configuration of the AP software executed during the actual operation of the process control system 1, the system reliability can be more closely approximated to the actual operation status. It becomes possible to evaluate sex.

(2) Diagnosis of the occurrence of fraud in daily report forms related to blast furnace operation status In the process of outputting the blast furnace operation status as a daily report form, the value of the daily report form may become invalid. AP software collects process values such as temperature and gas flow by m tasks at regular intervals, and performs upper and lower limit checks and moving average value calculation processing on the process values collected by n tasks. , Stored in a cyclic file. Further, simultaneously with the above processing, the AP software updates data in each record of the relative organization file for form output while referring to information from the vidicon and the calculation result (index file) of the mathematical model.

  As a cause of the illegality of the value of the daily report form, it has been specified that a file exclusion waiting state for a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) or more continues due to a failure of the disk 200. When this file exclusion waiting state continues, the file reference timing of a cyclic file, an index file, etc. is delayed, and processing is performed with old data. In addition, since the writing timing of the relative organization file for form output is also delayed, old data and latest data are mixed in the daily report data.

  In this way, the function of the AP software is set to “test execution tasks 1 to 15A” of the file asynchronous endurance test program shown in FIG. And by setting the parameters of “test execution tasks E1 to EA” of the fixed-cycle startup asynchronous durability test program. Thus, by setting each test execution task of the endurance test program 112 based on the configuration of the AP software executed during the actual operation of the process control system 1, the system reliability can be more closely approximated to the actual operation status. It becomes possible to evaluate sex.

<3. Hardware configuration>
Next, the hardware configuration of the control server 100 according to the above embodiment will be described in detail based on FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the control server 100 according to the embodiment. The hardware configuration shown in FIG. 10 is described as the configuration of the control server 100, but the information processing terminal 300, the PLC 400, and the test confirmation terminal 500 can also have the same hardware configuration.

  The control server 100 mainly includes a CPU 901, a ROM 903, and a RAM 905. The control server 100 further includes a bus 907, an input device 909, an output device 911, a storage device 913, a drive 915, a connection port 917, and a communication device 919.

  The CPU 901 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control unit, and controls all or part of the operation in the control server 100 according to various programs recorded in the ROM 903, the RAM 905, the storage device 913, or the removable recording medium 921. The ROM 903 stores programs used by the CPU 901, calculation parameters, and the like. The RAM 905 primarily stores programs used by the CPU 901, parameters that change as appropriate during execution of the programs, and the like. These are connected to each other by a bus 907 constituted by an internal bus such as a CPU bus.

  The bus 907 is connected to an external bus such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect / Interface) bus via a bridge.

  The input device 909 is an operation unit operated by the user, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a button, a switch, and a lever. Further, the input device 909 may be, for example, remote control means (so-called remote control) using infrared rays or other radio waves, or an external connection device 923 such as a PDA corresponding to the operation of the control server 100. Also good. Furthermore, the input device 909 includes, for example, an input control circuit that generates an input signal based on information input by a user using the operation unit and outputs the input signal to the CPU 901. The user of the control server 100 can input various data and instruct processing operations to the control server 100 by operating the input device 909.

  The output device 911 is configured by a device that can notify the user of the acquired information visually or audibly. Examples of such devices include CRT display devices, liquid crystal display devices, plasma display devices, EL display devices and display devices such as lamps, audio output devices such as speakers and headphones, printer devices, mobile phones, and facsimiles. The output device 911 outputs results obtained by various processes performed by the control server 100, for example. Specifically, the display device displays a result obtained by various processes performed by the control server 100 as text or an image. On the other hand, the audio output device converts an audio signal composed of reproduced audio data, acoustic data, and the like into an analog signal and outputs the analog signal.

  The storage device 913 is a data storage device configured as an example of a storage unit of the control server 100. The storage device 913 includes, for example, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device, or a magneto-optical storage device. The storage device 913 stores programs executed by the CPU 901, various data, various data acquired from the outside, and the like.

  The drive 915 is a recording medium reader / writer, and is built in or externally attached to the control server 100. The drive 915 reads information recorded on a removable recording medium 921 such as a mounted magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, and outputs the information to the RAM 905. The drive 915 can also write a record on a removable recording medium 921 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory. The removable recording medium 921 is, for example, a CD medium, a DVD medium, a Blu-ray medium, or the like. The removable recording medium 921 may be a CompactFlash (registered trademark) (CompactFlash: CF), a flash memory, an SD memory card (Secure Digital memory card), or the like. Further, the removable recording medium 921 may be, for example, an IC card (Integrated Circuit card) on which a non-contact IC chip is mounted, an electronic device, or the like.

  The connection port 917 is a port for directly connecting a device to the control server 100. Examples of the connection port 917 include a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, an IEEE 1394 port, a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) port, and an RS-232C port. By connecting the external connection device 923 to the connection port 917, the control server 100 acquires various data directly from the external connection device 923 or provides various data to the external connection device 923.

  The communication device 919 is a communication interface including a communication device for connecting to the communication network 925, for example. The communication device 919 is, for example, a communication card for wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or WUSB (Wireless USB). The communication device 919 may be a router for optical communication, a router for ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), or a modem for various communication. The communication device 919 can transmit and receive signals and the like according to a predetermined protocol such as TCP / IP, for example, with the Internet and other communication devices. The communication network 925 connected to the communication device 919 is configured by a wired or wireless network, and may be, for example, the Internet, a home LAN, infrared communication, radio wave communication, satellite communication, or the like. .

  Heretofore, an example of the hardware configuration capable of realizing the function of the control server 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been shown. Each component described above may be configured using a general-purpose member, or may be configured by hardware specialized for the function of each component. Therefore, it is possible to change the hardware configuration to be used as appropriate according to the technical level at the time of carrying out this embodiment.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Process control system 10 Network 100 Control server 112 Endurance test program 114 Test start / end instruction part 120 Middleware 130 OS
140 CPU
150 Network unit 200 Disk 210 AP file 220 Test file 300 Information processing terminal 400 PLC
500 Test confirmation terminal

Claims (5)

A system evaluation method for evaluating the reliability of an open process control system configured by connecting a plurality of devices via a network,
An execution step of executing an endurance test program that asynchronously executes a plurality of test execution tasks executed in the device and between the devices;
An evaluation step for evaluating the reliability of the process control system by comparing the execution result of the endurance test program with a planned result value;
The system evaluation method characterized by including.   The system evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein each test execution task executed in the execution step is set based on a configuration of application software executed during actual operation of the process control system. . The endurance test program is
A file asynchronous durability test program that performs read / write processing on a plurality of files stored in one of the devices by a first test execution task group executed in the device that executes the durability test program;
A lower transmission asynchronous endurance test program for performing transmission / reception processing of data between the devices by a second test execution task group;
A fixed period start asynchronous endurance test program for starting a predetermined file read / write process at a fixed period by a third test execution task group executed in the device for executing the endurance test program;
Consisting of at least one program
3. The system evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein in the execution step, the execution cycle of the durability test program is changed. In the execution step, the number of operations of each test execution task is output as an execution result of the durability test program,
In the evaluation step, the execution result of the durability test program is compared with a planned result value calculated based on the execution time of the durability test program, and a difference between the execution result of the durability test program and the planned result value is a predetermined value. The system evaluation method according to claim 2, wherein the process control system is evaluated as being reliable when it is within the range. Computer
An execution unit that executes an endurance test program that asynchronously executes a plurality of test execution tasks executed in and between a plurality of devices constituting an open system process control system connected via a network;
An evaluation unit that evaluates the reliability of the process control system by comparing the execution result of the endurance test program with a planned result value;
A computer program that functions as a system evaluation apparatus.

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