JP2518154B2 - Device configuration control method using backup fault management - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device configuration control system using backup fault management, and more particularly, when a fault occurs in a communication control device accommodating a plurality of channels (processing circuits), it is defined as backup fault management. The present invention relates to a device configuration control method by using a preliminary fault management that causes a fault when the number of faults occurs.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of device configuration control system,
While the host computer manages a plurality of communication control devices, each communication control device accommodates a plurality of channels (processing circuits) and provides various services from the host computer via the communication control device.

In this case, the host computer selects an unused communication control device in which no failure has occurred and provides a service as an active communication control device. If a failure occurs during the provision of the service by the following methods, the following methods (A) and (B) are proposed.

That is, the method (A) is described in JP-A-62-62.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 42252, the communication control device of the operating system is switched to the communication control device of the standby system, and the information including the control program used by the communication control device of the operating system is immediately used. , Which starts processing by setting the standby communication control device as the active system.

(B) When a failure occurs by using the communication control device of the operation system, when the failure occurs a prescribed number of times, the failure is first judged and the communication control device is set as the failure system.

[0006]

However, in the conventional apparatus configuration control method, both the method (A) and the method (B) described above have a plurality of channels (processing circuits) accommodated in the communication control apparatus. Even if only one channel (processing circuit) among them fails, the communication control device of the operating system is judged as a failure and the communication control device is set as a failure system, so it cannot be used and the operating rate is high. There was a problem that it became low.

[0007]

A device configuration control method using backup fault management according to the present invention uses a communication control device when a fault occurs in a channel (processing circuit) in service of an active communication control device. Channel (processing circuit)
By means of managing the device status of
Offer services using other empty / unused channels
And all channels of the communication control device have failed.
When it becomes, the communication control device is made an obstacle.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the service can be improved and the operation rate of the communication control device can be increased.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a device configuration control system using backup fault management according to the present invention. As an example, each communication control device includes ch1 to ch4 for four channels (processing circuits). In the figure, 1
Are host computers, and 2 and 3 are call processing units and failure processing units provided in the host computer 1.

4a, 4b, ... Are communication control units, 5 is a communication control unit provided in these communication control units 4a, 4b ,.
1 to ch4 are a first channel (processing circuit) to a fourth channel (processing circuit) housed in the communication control devices 4a and 4b.

2 (A), 2 (B) and 2 (C), the channel use state memory 6, the channel useable number memory 7 and the device state memory 8 provided in the host computer 1 are shown. Shown respectively.

The channel use state memory 6 shown in FIG. 2A shows the channel use states of the first channel (processing circuit) ch1 to the fourth channel (processing circuit) ch4 for each of the communication control devices 4a and 4b. # 0 indicates empty / unused, # 1 indicates service used, and # 2 indicates blockage.

The channel usable number memory 7 shown in FIG. 2B indicates the number of usable channels for each of the communication control devices 4a, 4b, ... And "4" is stored when there is no failure. The device status memory 8 shown in FIG. 2C shows the device status of each of the communication control devices 4a, 4b, ..., * 0 is in operation, * 1 is a preliminary failure, and * 2 is a failure.

FIG. 3 shows the device state (* 0 shown in FIG. 2C.
FIG. 4 is a device state transition diagram showing transitions of (in operation), * 1 (preliminary failure), and * 2 (failure), and an arrow R1 indicates that the communication control device is from * 0 (in operation) to * 1 (preliminary failure). ) Is shown.

An arrow R2 indicates a transition from * 1 (preliminary fault) to * 2 (fault) in the communication control device, and an arrow R3 indicates a transition from * 2 (fault) to * 0 (in operation) in the communication control device. A transition is indicated, and an arrow R4 indicates a transition from * 0 (in operation) to * 2 (failure) in the communication control device.

Next, the operation of the device configuration control method using the preliminary fault management with the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to (C) and FIG. First, when the host computer 1 provides a service to, for example, the communication control device 4a, the call processing unit 2 of the host computer 1 operates as shown in FIG.
Channel use status memory 6 shown in FIG.
An (unused) channel (processing circuit), for example, the first channel ch1 is selected and a service is provided through the communication control unit 5 of the communication control device 4a and the first channel ch1.

At this time, the first channel ch1 of the communication control unit 4a of the channel use state memory 6 of FIG.
Becomes # 1 (service in use), and the device state memory 8 in FIG. 2C becomes * 0 (in operation). When a failure occurs in this first channel (processing circuit) ch1,
The communication control unit 5 of the communication control device 4a detects that a failure has occurred in the first channel ch1 and reports the failure channel information to the failure processing unit 3 of the host computer 1.

Then, the failure processing section 3 receives the failure report sent from the communication control apparatus 4a, executes the failure processing flow, and executes the failure processing flow according to the contents of the apparatus state memory 8 of FIG. 2C. That is, if * 0 (in operation), the following failure processing (A) is performed, and if * 1 (preliminary failure), the following failure processing (B) is performed.

First, in the fault processing (A), the contents of the device state memory 8 of FIG. 2 (C) are changed from * 0 (in use) to * 1 (preliminary fault), and then the call processing unit 2 Send Channel Failure Report. Therefore, the call processing unit 2 receives the channel failure report, and receives the channel failure report, and the first channel ch of the communication control device 4a of the channel usage status memory 7 of FIG.
1 is changed from # 1 (service in use) to # 2 (blocked).

On the other hand, in the failure processing (B), "1" is subtracted from the channel usable number "4" of the communication control device 4a of the channel usable number memory 7 of FIG. As "3", for example, the service is continued using the second channel ch2 of # 0 (empty / unused).

If the communication control unit 4a of the channel usable number memory 7 of FIG. 2B has a channel usable number of "1", "1" is subtracted by the above-mentioned obstacle, and the channel usable number is reduced. When it becomes “0”, the device status of the communication control device 4a in the device status memory 8 of FIG.
Change from (preliminary failure) to * 2 (failure).

In this way, even if a failure occurs in one channel (processing circuit) accommodated in the communication control device 4a, it is not immediately treated as a "failure" but is treated as a "preliminary failure". Switch to the channel (processing circuit) of
Continue service. Then, when all the accommodated channels (processing circuits) have failed, the "preliminary failure" is changed to the "failure".

Next, when the maintenance control person determines that the communication control device 4a of the faulty system can be used by repairing the fault or the like, the communication control device 4a is manually transferred to the active system.
That is, the contents of the device state memory 8 in FIG.
When transitioning from 2 (fault) to * 0 (in operation), the following transition processing (C) is performed by the manual (command) input from the maintenance person.

This transition process (C) starts from * 2 (fault) of the communication control unit 4a of the device state memory 8 of FIG. 2C.
It is changed to 0 (in operation), and the number of usable channels of the usable number of channels memory 7 in FIG. 2B is set to "4". Then, the call processing unit 2 is notified of the all channel failure cancellation report of the communication control device 4a.

Then, the call processing unit 2 receives this all-channel failure release report and receives the report of the failure of all channels, and the first channel c of the communication control unit 4a of the channel use state memory 6 of FIG.
h1 to fourth channel ch4 from # 2 (closed) to # 0
Change to (empty / usable).

Next, the maintenance-oriented communication control device 4a is transferred to "failure" for some reason by the maintenance person. That is, when the contents of the device state memory 8 of FIG. 2C is changed from * 0 (in operation) to * 2 (fault), the following transition processing ( Perform D).

This transition processing (D) changes the contents of the communication control device 4a of the device state memory 8 shown in FIG. 2 (C) from * 0 (in operation) to * 2 (fault), and the call processing unit 2 First channel ch1 to fourth channel c of the communication control device 4a
Report h4 all channel failure.

For this reason, the call processing unit 2 receives the all-channel failure report and sets the first channel ch1 to the fourth channel ch4 of the communication control unit 4a of the channel usage status memory 7 of FIG. Service in use) to # 2
It is changed to (blockage).

In the above, the failure processing (A), the failure processing (B), the transition processing (C) and the transition processing (D) of the communication control device 4a have been described, but the other communication control devices 4b, ... Of course, you can do the same. Further, although the channels (processing circuits) accommodated in the communication control devices 4a, 4b, ... Are set to 4 channels (processing circuits), the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that N channels (processing circuits) may be used. .

[0030]

As described above in detail, according to the device configuration control method using the preliminary fault management according to the present invention,
When a failure occurs in one channel (processing circuit) of the communication control device when providing a service, the host computer does not immediately make the communication control device a "failure", but a "preliminary failure".
As the service is provided by using another available channel (processing circuit), the service can be improved and the operation rate of the communication control device can be increased. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a device configuration control method using backup fault management according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a memory configuration diagram for managing a state of each communication control device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a configuration state transition diagram for explaining the operation of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Host computer 2 Call processing unit 3 Failure processing unit 4a, 4b Communication control device

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A device configuration control method comprising a communication control unit for accommodating a plurality of channels and a host computer for connecting a plurality of communication control devices and providing a service, comprising: when a fault occurs in channels in the communication control device service, the communication control device of the active system as a preliminary fault management, providing services via channels other empty unused, the communication control device
A device configuration control method using standby fault management, characterized in that when all the channels of the above have failed , the communication control device for the spare fault management is set as a fault. 2. The host computer, for each communication control device, and for each communication control device, a channel use state memory for storing channel use states such as empty / unused, service use, and blockage for each stored channel. It is equipped with a channel usable number memory for storing the channel usable number and a device state memory for storing a device state such as an operating state, a preliminary fault, and a fault for each communication control device, and performs fault process management and transition process management. The device configuration control method according to claim 1, wherein the backup fault management is used.