JP3192692B2 - Remote maintenance diagnosis system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote maintenance diagnosis system in which a computer system to be maintained is connected to a remote maintenance service center via a communication line, and the maintenance service center performs maintenance diagnosis of the computer system to be maintained. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a remote maintenance diagnosis system is provided with a service processor (SV) of a computer system to be maintained.
The computer interface is connected to a maintenance service center via a communication line by a line interface of P (Service Processor), and various maintenance diagnosis operations are performed on the maintenance service center side.

In this case, a maintenance diagnosis function that can be serviced from the maintenance service center side is determined in advance by a contract or a user designation at the time of system installation. Therefore, during the operation of the computer system to be maintained, the serviceable maintenance diagnosis function cannot be changed.

[0004] For example, in a computer system that operates 24 hours a day, there is a case where a user manager is absent depending on the operation time zone. However, in the conventional remote maintenance diagnosis system, the serviceable maintenance diagnosis function cannot be changed. Therefore, even when the user administrator is absent, only the same maintenance operation as when the user administrator is performing maintenance work is performed. I couldn't do that.

In recent years, from the viewpoint of system performance and security management, the range of functions that can be executed between a user and a maintenance company is limited, and execution is permitted only in a specific time zone permitted by the user administrator. However, conventionally, such permission / prohibition of the execution of the maintenance diagnosis service cannot be changed during the operation of the system, and it has been difficult to perform appropriate maintenance operation.

[0006]

Conventionally, during the operation of a computer system to be maintained, the maintenance diagnosis function that can be serviced by the maintenance service center cannot be changed by the user, and appropriate maintenance and operation is performed. It was difficult.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and enables a user to change a maintenance diagnosis function that can be serviced from a maintenance service center even during operation of a computer system to be maintained, thereby enabling appropriate maintenance. An object of the present invention is to provide a remote maintenance diagnosis system capable of realizing operation.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides
Maintenance target and maintenance service center computer system and a remote location and connected via a communication line, the remote maintenance diagnosis system the maintenance service center to perform maintenance diagnosis of the maintenance target computer system, the maintenance target computer system Is the maintenance service center
Information indicating permission or prohibition of execution of each maintenance diagnosis function
Information definition means for holding a plurality of sets having
Designating means for designating a first set from the plurality of sets defined means for holding said first designated by the designation unit
Based on the information of the group, the maintenance service center
Execution control means for permitting or prohibiting the execution of the maintenance diagnosis function of the above, and executing the maintenance diagnosis function permitted by the execution control means.
After that, the first set specified by the specifying means is
The range of the maintenance diagnosis function that is
Range of the maintenance diagnosis function that is permitted to execute
Specifying a second set where is narrowly defined and then executing
Terminates the execution of the maintenance diagnosis function permitted by the control means
Execution means.

In this remote maintenance diagnosis system, the maintenance
Permission or execution for each maintenance diagnosis function of the maintenance service center.
Is an information definition method that holds multiple sets with information indicating prohibition.
Column and a plurality of pairs out of a plurality of pairs held by the information defining means.
By providing a means for designating one set, maintenance
Maintenance support during operation of the target computer system
Service diagnosis function that can be serviced from the service center
Can be changed on the side. In addition,
After executing the maintenance diagnosis function,
Execution is permitted by the information of the specified first set
More than the scope of the maintenance diagnosis function
Designate a second set with a narrow range of diagnostic functions
can do. Therefore, once the user
Maintenance by specifying one set from multiple sets held by the column
After executing the service center maintenance diagnosis function,
Even if you leave the setting unchanged,
Execution is permitted by the information of the first set specified by the means.
That are allowed to perform more than the range of maintenance diagnostic functions
Second set with narrowly defined range of maintenance diagnostic functions
Can be specified.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration for realizing a remote maintenance diagnosis system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This remote maintenance diagnosis system uses a remote maintenance diagnosis function from a maintenance service center 21 at a remote location.
A user manager at the installation location of the computer system 11 to be maintained performs system maintenance of the computer system 11 with the assistance of the remote maintenance service center 21. The computer system 11 to be maintained includes a modem 17 and a communication line 10. And a remote maintenance service center 21 via a modem 24.

The computer system 11 to be maintained comprises a service processor (SVP) 12 and a main processor (main CPU) 13. The service processor (SVP) 12 is a remote maintenance service center 2
1 is used to implement a remote maintenance diagnosis function from the main unit 1 and performs maintenance diagnosis of the main processor (main CPU) 13.

A service processor (SVP) 12 loads a diagnostic program or the like to execute a fault diagnosis, performs fault monitoring, collects a fault record, and the like, for maintenance diagnosis of the main processor (main CPU) 13. In this way, the hardware and software of the maintenance target computer system 11 are managed. In order to control permission / prohibition of the execution of the remote maintenance diagnosis function from the remote maintenance service center 21, as shown in FIG. And a classification designation switch 14, a classification definition table 15, and a remote maintenance diagnosis control mechanism 16.

The classification definition table 15 classifies and holds the maintenance diagnosis functions executable by the maintenance service center 21 into a plurality of groups, and defines the functions permitted to be executed for each group. The maintenance diagnosis function is, for example, a maintenance diagnosis function executed using only the service processor 11 and a maintenance diagnosis executed and managed using an operating system of the main processor (main CPU) 13 such as maintenance of user files. Functions can be broadly divided into functions, and each of these maintenance diagnosis functions can be divided into a maintenance diagnosis function for hardware and a maintenance diagnosis function for software.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the classification definition table 15. Here, “0” indicates that execution is not permitted,
“1” indicates execution permission. That is, in the classification definition table 15 shown in FIG.
Execution of all remote maintenance diagnosis functions of
Regarding the classification of the
Only the execution of the second remote maintenance diagnosis function is permitted, and the execution of the second and third remote maintenance diagnosis functions is prohibited. As for the classification of the group C, execution of all of the first to third remote maintenance diagnosis functions from the maintenance service center 21 is permitted.

The classification designation switch 14 is a switch that can be operated by a user administrator at the location where the computer system 11 to be maintained is installed.
Specifies one of a plurality of groups defined by.

The classification designation switch 14 can be realized by, for example, a rotary switch provided on an operation panel (not shown) of the service processor (SVP) 12.

The remote maintenance diagnosis control mechanism 16 is for controlling permission / prohibition of the execution of the remote maintenance diagnosis function from the remote maintenance service center 21. The remote maintenance diagnosis control mechanism 16 permits the execution within the group designated by the classification designation switch 14. The execution of the remote maintenance diagnosis function is permitted only for the function that is set.

The remote maintenance service center 21 is for remotely maintaining the computer system 11 to be maintained via the communication line 10, and includes a remote maintenance diagnosis control mechanism 22 and an operation terminal 23.

The remote maintenance diagnosis control mechanism 22 performs a failure diagnosis of the computer system 11 under maintenance by various maintenance diagnosis functions including remote failure diagnosis, and displays various maintenance diagnosis information on a screen of the operation terminal 23 to perform maintenance. The administrator is notified of the failure status of the computer system 11 under maintenance.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
A description will be given of a process of determining whether or not to permit the remote maintenance diagnosis function n by the maintenance service center 21 to be executed by the computer system 11 to be maintained.

First, the maintenance target computer system 11
The remote maintenance diagnosis control mechanism 16 recognizes the group designated by the classification designation switch 14 (step S1).
1) Then, referring to the classification definition table 15, the designated group is read from the classification definition table 15.

Thereafter, the remote maintenance diagnosis control mechanism 16
Is a remote maintenance diagnosis function n by the maintenance service center 21.
Is executed in the read group, and if the execution is permitted, the execution of the remote maintenance diagnosis function n is permitted. If the execution is not permitted, the execution of the remote maintenance diagnosis function n is executed. Ban.

For example, assuming that the group B in the classification definition table 15 of FIG. 2 is specified by the classification specifying switch 14, if the remote maintenance diagnosis function n by the maintenance service center 21 is the first maintenance diagnosis function, The execution is permitted, but when the remote maintenance diagnosis function n by the maintenance service center 21 is the second or third maintenance diagnosis function, the execution of those functions is prohibited.

As described above, in the remote maintenance diagnosis system of this embodiment, the computer system 11 to be maintained
, Maintenance diagnosis functions executable by the remote maintenance service center 21 are classified into a plurality of execution permission groups on the classification definition table 15, and any one of the plurality of execution permission groups is classified and designated. Specified by switch 14. Then, only the maintenance diagnosis function belonging to the specified execution permitted groove is permitted to be executed.

For this reason, by specifying a group on the maintenance target computer system 11 side, the maintenance diagnosis function from the maintenance service center 21 can be permitted / prohibited on a group basis.
The maintenance diagnosis function that can be serviced from the maintenance service center 21 side can be changed by the user even during the operation of, and appropriate maintenance operation can be realized.

In the above, the classification designation switch 14 has been described as a physical switch. Instead of such a hardware switch, for example, a group is input by a key input from a console of an operation terminal of the computer system 11 to be maintained. It is also possible to specify. Further, the group specified by such a classification specifying mechanism can be arbitrarily changed. For example, the following specification change can be considered. i) Change the designation according to the date and time.

For example, in a machine that operates non-stop for 24 hours, there are many cases where the user side administrator does not operate at night or on holidays.
By automatically changing according to the day of the week, time, and the like, usually, a defect on the computer system 11 to be maintained is displayed on a machine management console screen, maintenance is performed only by the user, and the user administrator is absent. when,
A maintenance form such as performing remote maintenance diagnosis by the maintenance service center 21 can be realized. ii) Change designation by remote instruction. For example, after executing the remote maintenance diagnosis mechanism within the permitted range of execution, the service is terminated after the designation is changed to a group having a smaller range.

As described above, as a mechanism for designating a group and changing its designation, an arbitrary mechanism can be selected and used according to the use form of the remote maintenance diagnosis system.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, the maintenance diagnosis function that can be serviced from the maintenance service center side can be changed on the user side even during the operation of the computer system to be maintained. realizable.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote maintenance diagnosis system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of the contents of a classification definition table used in the remote maintenance diagnosis system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a determination operation of an execution permission function in the remote maintenance diagnosis system shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

11: computer system to be maintained, 14: classification designation switch, 15: classification definition table, 16: remote maintenance diagnosis control mechanism, 21: remote maintenance service center.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-2-231645 (JP, A) JP-A-4-3477739 (JP, A) JP-A-3-6744 (JP, A) JP-A-4- 337842 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 11/22-11/34

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A through the maintenance target computer system and remote maintenance service center and a communication line connected,
In the remote maintenance diagnosis system the maintenance service center to perform maintenance diagnosis of the maintenance target computer system, the maintenance target computer systems, the maintenance service center maintenance diagnostics every execution
Information that holds multiple sets with information indicating permission or prohibition
Definition means and a first one of the plurality of sets held by the information definition means.
The information having the set designating means for designating, the first set designated by said designation means
Based on the execution control means for permitting or prohibiting the execution of the maintenance diagnosis function of the maintenance service center, executing the maintenance diagnosis function permitted by the execution control means ,
Then, the first group specified by the specifying unit has
The range of the maintenance diagnosis function that is
The range of maintenance diagnostic functions that are
Specifying a second set that is well defined and then
Execution to end the execution of the maintenance diagnosis function permitted by the means
And a means for remote maintenance diagnosis.