JP2757054B2 - Peripheral device usage confirmation method for information processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Summary] Regarding a method of checking the use status of peripheral devices in an information processing apparatus, it is particularly composed of a host device and peripheral devices such as a disk device and MT connected to the host device via a control device. Peripheral device in an information processing device for so-called active maintenance (hot power maintenance) in which maintenance of a peripheral device of the information processing device is performed while only the device performing the maintenance is separated from the entire device while keeping other devices in an operation state. The purpose of this method is to check whether a peripheral device of interest is being accessed by another host device from one host device, and to display a flag indicating that each peripheral device has been used. And a flag setting unit for setting a flag corresponding to a desired peripheral device of the flag display unit in the peripheral device control unit. When the flag reset means for resetting the corresponding flag in the flag display unit of the peripheral apparatus used to configure by providing a flag search means the set the flag is detected to be reset.

[Industrial applications]

The present invention relates to a method of checking the use status of peripheral devices in the above-mentioned table processing device, and particularly relates to a host device and an information processing device including a peripheral device such as a disk device and an MT connected to the host device via a control device. So-called active maintenance (maintenance maintenance) in which maintenance of peripheral devices is performed while only the device performing the maintenance is separated from the entire device while keeping other devices in operation.
And a method for confirming the usage status of peripheral devices in an information processing apparatus for the same.

[Conventional technology]

As an information processing device, a plurality of host devices are arranged in parallel, and a plurality of control devices are provided between the host device and the peripheral devices so that these host devices can access a plurality of peripheral devices. Some are built as a whole system.

In such an information processing apparatus, for example, when performing maintenance work such as replacing one part of a printed board due to an abnormality occurring in one of the peripheral devices, it is necessary to stop all the systems of the information processing apparatus and perform maintenance. Instead, what is called active maintenance (hot maintenance) is performed in which only peripheral devices to be maintained are logically separated from the system and maintenance is performed in a state where systems other than the peripheral devices can be used. When performing such active maintenance, it is necessary to confirm that no access is being made from the host device to the device to be maintained.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

When performing active maintenance as described above, it is necessary to confirm that the peripheral device to be maintained is not used.

However, in the above-described conventional information processing apparatus, although it is possible to confirm from the console of one host apparatus whether the host apparatus is accessing the peripheral apparatus to be maintained, another host apparatus is not allowed to access the peripheral apparatus. It is not possible to confirm whether or not the user is accessing.

For this reason, when performing active maintenance, the maintenance person goes to the console of each host device and confirms that each host device does not access the peripheral device to perform maintenance, and the procedure is complicated. There's a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for confirming the use status of a peripheral device in an information processing apparatus, which can confirm whether a peripheral device of interest is accessed by another host device from one host device. .

[Means for solving the problem]

In the present invention, means for solving the above-mentioned problem includes a plurality of control devices ₁₁ to 1 _n connected to a plurality of host devices as shown in FIG. an information processing apparatus formed by connecting the ₁ to 2 _N and said plurality of host devices, provided with a flag display unit 3 for displaying for the use of each peripheral device 2 ₁ to 2 _N, the peripheral device control unit 1 ₁ to
In 1 _n , flag setting means 4 for setting a flag corresponding to a desired peripheral device of the flag display unit, flag reset means 5 for resetting a corresponding flag in the flag display unit 3 of the used peripheral device, A flag search means 6 for detecting that the set flag has been reset is provided.

[Action]

According to the present invention, the flag display unit 3 each peripheral device 2 ₁ to 2 _N
The flag setting means of one control device sets a flag corresponding to a desired peripheral device on the flag display section.

And when other control devices use peripheral devices,
The flag reset means of the other control device resets the corresponding flag in the flag display section of the used peripheral device. Further, since it is detected that the flag set by the flag search means of one control device has been reset, it is possible to confirm from one host device whether or not the peripheral device of interest is being accessed by another host device. .

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a method for checking the usage status of peripheral devices in an information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 2 to 4 show an embodiment of a method for confirming the use status of peripheral devices in the information processing apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the information processing apparatus 4 hosts device 10 ₁ to 10 ₄ and four control apparatus as shown in FIG. 2 11 ₁ to 1
1 _4, wherein each control device 11 ₁ to 11 ₄ of 8 disk units 12 ₁ to 12 _8, has two IO ports (PORT A, PORT
B), formed by connecting different host device 10 ₁ to 10 ₄ to IO ports each. Thereby connected to one host device 10 ₁ to 10 ₄ are different two controllers 11 ₁ to 11 _4, other control even one control device 11 ₁ to 11 ₄ is in use or out of order in device 11 ₁ to 11 ₄ can access the disk device 12 ₁ to 12 _8. In the present embodiment, the flag display unit is provided in the nonvolatile memory of the exclusive control device provided in the information processing device.
13 are provided. Shall display the eight flag is the same number as the number of disk devices 12 ₁ ~12 ₈ (QUIESCE INRRGDVI) This flag display unit 13, the control device 11
The disk device 12 ₁ to 12 ₈ flag when in use is reset by ₁ to 11 _4.

The control unit 11 ₁ to 11 ₄ in the present embodiment the logic circuit portion 14
A flag setting means for setting a flag corresponding to a desired peripheral device of the flag display section 13 by executing the microprogram stored in the memory 15 by the logic circuit section 14; It functions as a flag reset unit for resetting the corresponding flag in the flag display unit 13 of the peripheral device and a flag search unit for detecting that the set flag has been reset.

Next, the operation of the method for checking the usage status of the peripheral device in the information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. The maintenance person when first performing activity maintenance by "QUIESCE Moniter" as command from the first host _device 101, for example, generated by specifying the disk device that performs activity maintenance, control device 11 _first flag set means, Flag of the relevant disk (QUIESCE
IN PRG.) (ST1). In this case, the flag for which active maintenance is not performed may be in any state. For example, when _performing active maintenance of the i-th disk device 12 _i ,
No. flag is set and the "channel end" status is sent to the host device, and the device enters a waiting state. Then, the state of this flag is checked by the flag search means until a certain time has elapsed. Here when the other control device 11 ₁ to 11 ₄ accesses the disk machine 12 _i of the i-th (ST11), the flag reset means of the control unit 11 _j is reset flag of the i flag display section 13 Yes (ST12). This reset is searched by the flag search means (ST2), and the control device 1
1 ₁ is abnormally terminated, indicating that the disk device 12 ₁ to 12 ₈ of the first i within a predetermined time to the host apparatus 10 ₁ is used (ST3).

In contrast, when there is no access to the disc machines 12 _i within a predetermined time (ST4), the flag search means is normally terminated after a predetermined time without detecting a reset of the flag, the disk device 11 Inform that _i was not accessed (ST5).

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when active maintenance of the peripheral device is performed, the use status of the device to be maintained can be confirmed from one host device, and preparation for active maintenance can be prevented from becoming complicated.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, a flag display unit for displaying that each peripheral device has been used is provided, and the peripheral device control unit includes a flag display unit corresponding to a desired peripheral device on the flag display unit. A flag setting means for setting, a flag reset means for resetting a corresponding flag in a flag display section of a used peripheral device, and a flag search means for detecting that the set flag has been reset are provided. In performing the active maintenance of the apparatus, the use status of the apparatus to be maintained can be confirmed from one host apparatus, and the effect that the preparation for the active maintenance can be prevented from being complicated can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a method for confirming the use status of peripheral devices in an information processing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIGS. It is a block diagram which shows operation | movement of the use condition confirmation system of the peripheral device in a processing apparatus. 1 ₁ to 1 _n Control device 2 ₁ to 2 _N Peripheral device 3 Flag display unit 4 Flag setting unit 5 Flag reset unit 6 Flag search unit

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1 further comprising a plurality of control devices connected to a plurality of host device (1 ₁ to 1 _n), by connecting a plurality of peripheral devices and (2 ₁ to 2 _N) and a plurality of host devices made in the information processing apparatus, provided with a respective peripheral flag display unit for displaying that was used _{(2 1 ~2 n) (3} ), to the peripheral device control unit ₍₁ 1 ~1 _n), said flag A flag setting means (4) for setting a flag corresponding to a desired peripheral device of the display unit; a flag reset means (5) for resetting a corresponding flag in a flag display unit (3) of the used peripheral device; A flag searching means (6) for detecting that the set flag has been reset.