JP4937159B2 - System design support apparatus, system design support method, and system design support program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a system design support apparatus, a system design support method, and a system design support program. The present invention particularly relates to a system environment design support mechanism.

As a conventional design support method, let the user sequentially enter some attributes that determine the design of the product, check whether there is any contradiction between the value of the entered attribute and the value of other attributes, There is one that presents the check result to the user (for example, see Patent Document 1). Also, as a conventional design support method, when several issues about the product to be designed are input, the optimum solution for the input issue is extracted from past design cases and the extraction results are used. Some of them are presented to a person (for example, see Patent Document 2).
JP-A-8-314986 JP 2006-3212 A

  In the system environment design support mechanism using the conventional design support method, when a user answers one requirement of the system, the component constituting the system is uniquely determined for the answer result (for example, the requirement If the user's answer result for A is A1, the component a11 is uniquely selected, etc.). Therefore, if there is a contradiction with the candidate combination of components generated based on the answer results obtained for other requirements, it is necessary to confirm with the user each time, which complicates the user's answering work. There was a problem. In addition, in the system environment design support mechanism using the conventional design support method, past cases are managed for each requirement, so the past corresponding to the component combination candidates generated based on the answer results obtained for a certain requirement. There was a problem that case information could not be presented to users.

  The present invention is more preferable by, for example, obtaining answers in order from the most important requirements when generating candidate combinations of components based on the answer results of the users obtained for the system requirements. An object is to generate a candidate for a combination of various components. In addition, the present invention provides, for example, a case where a contradiction occurs between a component corresponding to an answer result obtained for one requirement and a component combination candidate generated based on an answer result obtained for another requirement. The purpose is to reduce inquiries to users. Another object of the present invention is to present, to a user, past case information corresponding to a candidate combination of components generated based on an answer result obtained for a certain requirement, for example.

A system design support apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes:
For each setting of two or more requirements set for a system configured by combining two or more types of components, a requirement list indicating components that can be used in the setting is stored in the storage device in advance. A system design support device that stores, for each requirement, a numerical value that evaluates how many components that affect compliance with the requirement affect compliance with the requirement as importance of the requirement in a storage device. ,
A requirement presenting unit that allows the user to sequentially input the setting of each requirement from the input device in the order of importance stored in the storage device;
Each time the requirement presenting unit causes the user to input one requirement setting, the component corresponding to the setting is extracted from the requirement list stored in the storage device, and the system is activated based on the extraction result. A system configuration generation unit for generating and outputting candidate combinations of components to be configured;
Each time the system configuration generation unit extracts a component corresponding to one requirement setting, the component and the system configuration generation unit are based on the extraction result of the component corresponding to the setting input immediately before the setting. A contradiction detecting unit that checks whether or not there is a contradiction with the candidate output by the processing device, and causes the system configuration generation unit to output only the candidate that can be confirmed that there is no contradiction. .

  According to one aspect of the present invention, in the system design support apparatus, the requirement presentation unit evaluates how many components that affect the suitability of the system requirements affect the suitability of the requirements. Each requirement setting is sequentially input by the user in order of importance, and the system configuration generation unit responds to the setting each time the requirement presentation unit inputs one requirement setting to the user. And generating a candidate for a combination of components constituting the system based on the extraction result, and outputting a component corresponding to one requirement setting by the system configuration generation unit. Each time extraction is performed, the component and the system configuration generation unit are based on the extraction result of the component corresponding to the setting input immediately before the setting. Confirm whether there is any contradiction with the candidates that have been entered, and generate only a candidate that has been confirmed to have no contradiction to the system configuration generation unit to generate a more suitable component combination candidate Is possible.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a system environment design support mechanism 100 according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, a system environment design support mechanism 100 includes a computer 101 (computer). The computer 101 is an example of a system design support device, and includes a processing device 151 and a user work presentation unit 110 and a control unit 120. The computer 101 is connected to a storage device 152, an input device 153, and an output device 154. The computer 101 may incorporate a storage device 152, an input device 153, and an output device 154.

  The user work presentation unit 110 includes a requirement presentation unit 111 and a system presentation unit 112. The control unit 120 includes an importance level determination unit 121, a directed graph generation unit 122, a system configuration generation unit 123, and a contradiction detection unit 124. The operation of each part will be described later.

  Hardware such as the processing device 151, the storage device 152, the input device 153, and the output device 154 is used by each unit of the computer 101. For example, the processing device 151 is used for performing calculation, processing, reading, writing, and the like of data and information in each unit of the computer 101. The storage device 152 is used to store the data and information. The input device 153 is used to input the data and information, and the output device 154 is used to output the data and information.

  The storage device 152 stores various data such as a functional requirement list 201, a non-functional requirement list 202, a directed graph 203, a component list 204, a system component list 205, a past configuration case 206, and an impact list 207. The functional requirement list 201 and the non-functional requirement list 202 are both examples of the requirement list. The requirement list is a component (one type of component may be used) for each setting of two or more requirements set for a system designed using the system environment design support mechanism 100. It may be a combination of two or more types of components). In the present embodiment, one system is configured by combining two or more types of components. The directed graph 203 will be described later. The component list 204 is data indicating components that can be used as components of the system for each type of component. The system component list 205 is data indicating candidate combinations of components constituting the system. The past configuration example 206 is data indicating a combination of components constituting a system used in the past. The impact list 207 is data indicating components that affect the suitability of the requirements for each requirement. The influence list 207 may be implemented in a format included in the functional requirement list 201 and the non-functional requirement list 202. That is, the functional requirement list 201 indicates a component that affects the suitability for the functional requirement for each functional requirement, and the non-functional requirement list 202 indicates a component that affects the suitability for the non-functional requirement for each non-functional requirement. May be shown.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the system environment design support mechanism 100.

  In FIG. 2, the system environment design support mechanism 100 includes a display device 901 having a display screen of a CRT (Cathode / Ray / Tube) or an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a keyboard 902 (K / B), a mouse 903, an FDD 904 (Flexible Disk / Drive), CDD905 (Compact / Disc / Drive), and printer device 906 are provided, and these are connected by cables and signal lines.

  The system environment design support mechanism 100 includes a CPU 911 (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program. The CPU 911 is an example of the processing device 151. The CPU 911 includes a ROM 913 (Read / Only / Memory), a RAM 914 (Random / Access / Memory), a communication board 915, a display device 901, a keyboard 902, a mouse 903, an FDD 904, a CDD 905, a printer device 906, and a magnetic disk. It is connected to the device 920 and controls these hardware devices. Instead of the magnetic disk device 920, a storage medium such as an optical disk device or a memory card reader / writer may be used.

  The RAM 914 is an example of a volatile memory. The storage media of the ROM 913, the FDD 904, the CDD 905, and the magnetic disk device 920 are an example of a nonvolatile memory. These are examples of the storage device 152. The communication board 915, the keyboard 902, the mouse 903, the FDD 904, the CDD 905, and the like are examples of the input device 153. The communication board 915, the display device 901, the printer device 906, and the like are examples of the output device 154.

  The communication board 915 is connected to a LAN (local area network) or the like. The communication board 915 is not limited to a LAN, but is the Internet, or an IP-VPN (Internet, Protocol, Private, Network), a wide area LAN, a WAN (Wide Area Network) such as an ATM (Asynchronous, Transfer, Mode) network, or the like. It does not matter if it is connected to. LAN, the Internet, and WAN are examples of networks.

  The magnetic disk device 920 stores an operating system 921 (OS), a window system 922, a program group 923, and a file group 924. The programs in the program group 923 are executed by the CPU 911, the operating system 921, and the window system 922. The program group 923 stores a program for executing a function described as “˜unit” in the description of the present embodiment. The program is read and executed by the CPU 911. The file group 924 includes data and information described as “˜data”, “˜information”, “˜ID (identifier)”, “˜flag”, and “˜result” in the description of this embodiment. Signal values, variable values, and parameters are stored as items of “˜list”, “˜file”, “˜database”, and “˜table”. The “˜list”, “˜file”, “˜database”, and “˜table” are stored in a storage medium such as a disk or a memory. Data, information, signal values, variable values, and parameters stored in a storage medium such as a disk or memory are read out to the main memory or cache memory by the CPU 911 via a read / write circuit, and extracted, searched, referenced, compared, and calculated. Used for processing (operation) of the CPU 911 such as calculation / control / output / printing / display. Data, information, signal values, variable values, and parameters are temporarily stored in the main memory, cache memory, and buffer memory during processing of the CPU 911 such as extraction, search, reference, comparison, calculation, control, output, printing, and display. Is remembered.

  In addition, the arrows in the block diagrams and flowcharts used in the description of this embodiment mainly indicate input / output of data and signals, and the data and signals are the memory such as the RAM 914, the flexible disk (FD) of the FDD 904, and the compact of the CDD 905. Recording is performed on a recording medium such as a disk (CD), a magnetic disk of the magnetic disk device 920, another optical disk, a mini disk (MD), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). Data and signals are transmitted by a bus 912, a signal line, a cable, and other transmission media.

  In addition, what is described as “˜unit” in the description of this embodiment may be “˜circuit”, “˜device”, “˜device”, and “˜step”, “˜process”. , “˜procedure”, and “˜processing”. That is, what is described as “˜unit” may be realized by firmware stored in the ROM 913. Alternatively, it may be realized only by software, or only by hardware such as an element, a device, a board, and wiring, or a combination of software and hardware, and further by a combination of firmware. Firmware and software are stored as programs in a recording medium such as a magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, minidisk, or DVD. This program is read by the CPU 911 and executed by the CPU 911. That is, the program causes the computer to function as “to part” described in the description of the present embodiment. Alternatively, it causes the computer to execute the procedures and methods described in the description of the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a system design support method according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of each part of the system environment design support mechanism 100.

  First, the importance level determination unit 121 reads the influence list 207 from the magnetic disk device 920 (an example of the storage device 152) (step S101), calculates the importance level of each requirement by the CPU 911 (an example of the processing device 151), and the RAM 914. It is stored in (an example of the storage device 152) (step S102). The importance is determined by how much the component selected by the user's response to the requirement affects other requirements.

  Here, a method of calculating the importance in the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 illustrates the relationship between requirements and components indicated in the impact list 207. In this figure, for example, the requirement “performance” is determined by three types of components “DB (database) server”, “AP (application) server”, and “storage”. Further, for example, the requirement “backup” is determined by two types of components “DB server” and “storage”. On the other hand, from the component perspective, for example, the component “DB server” affects the four requirements “performance”, “backup”, “reliability”, and “switching time”. Here, G (M) is a set of components that determine the requirement M, and E (C) is the number of requirements affected by the component C, and the following equation is defined.
E ({C1, C2,..., Cn}) = E (C1) + E (C2) +... + E (Cn)
And the importance is defined by the following equation.
Importance (M) = E (G (M))
At this time, for example, the importance of the requirement “performance” can be obtained by the following equation.
Importance (Performance) = E (G (Performance)) = E ({DB Server, AP Server, Storage}) = E (DB Server) + E (AP Server) + E (Storage) = 4 + 2 + 5 = 11
Similarly, when the importance of other requirements is obtained, importance (backup) = 9, importance (reliability) = 8, importance (capacity) = 5, and importance (switching time) = 7. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the requirements “performance”, “backup”, “reliability”, “capacity”, and “switching time” are all classified as non-functional requirements. Examples of functional requirements include “client type” (Web browser, dedicated client, etc.), “network environment” (IP (Internet Protocol) -VPN (Virtual Private Network), Internet VPN, wide area LAN (Local Area Network), etc.) And so on.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the importance level of a certain requirement is a numerical value obtained by evaluating how many components that affect compliance with the requirement affect compliance with the requirement. In steps S101 and S102 (importance level determination processing), the importance level determination unit 121 specifies, for each requirement, a component corresponding to the requirement in the influence list 207 stored in advance in the storage device 152. Then, for each requirement, the importance level determination unit 121 calculates the total number of requirements corresponding to the component in the influence list 207 by the processing device 151 and stores the total in the storage device 152 as the importance level of the requirement. To do.

  Next, the directed graph generation unit 122 generates a requirement directed graph 203 based on the importance calculated by the importance determination unit 121, and stores it in the RAM 914 (step S103). The requirement presenting unit 111 presents requirements to the user on the display device 901 (an example of the output device 154) based on the directed graph 203, and inputs a response using the keyboard 902 or the mouse 903 (an example of the input device 153). Is obtained (step S104).

  FIG. 5 shows a directed graph 203 when the example shown in FIG. 4 is used. In this figure, the five requirements “performance”, “backup”, “reliability”, “capacity”, and “switching time” are arranged in descending order of importance. In step S104, the requirement presenting unit 111 presents requirements according to this order, and asks the user for an answer for each requirement. If the example shown in FIG. 4 is changed and importance (reliability) = 9, the importance of the requirement “backup” and the requirement “reliability” is the same numerical value. A directed graph 203 in this case is shown in FIG. In this case, in step S104, the requirement presenting unit 111 asks the user for an answer regarding the requirement “performance”, and then gives an answer as to whether the requirement “backup” or the requirement “reliability” is prioritized. Ask for. And the requirement presentation part 111 calculates | requires the reply about the requirement which a user gives priority first, and asks for the reply about the other requirement after that. The same processing is performed when the importance of three or more requirements becomes the same numerical value.

  As described above, in steps S <b> 103 and S <b> 104 (requirement presentation processing), the requirement presentation unit 111 sequentially inputs the setting of each requirement from the input device 153 to the user in the order of importance stored in the storage device 152. Let In addition, when there is a requirement having the same importance stored in the storage device 152, the requirement presenting unit 111 causes the user to select from the input device 153 which order to input the setting of the requirement. .

  In the process in which the user sequentially answers the requirements, the system configuration generation unit 123 refers to the functional requirement list 201 and the non-functional requirement list 202 stored in the magnetic disk device 920 to obtain the response result of the user. A corresponding component is obtained (step S105). Components obtained by the system configuration generation unit 123 when the user answers the first requirement (for example, “performance” in FIG. 5) are stored in the system component list 205 on the RAM 914 as component combination candidates at that time. Saved. On the other hand, components obtained by the system configuration generation unit 123 when the user answers the second and subsequent requirements (for example, “backup”, “reliability”, “switching time”, and “capacity” in FIG. 5) will be described later. In steps S107 and S109, the candidate is combined with the candidate at the time when the user replied to the previous requirement, and stored in the system component list 205 on the RAM 914 as a candidate for a new component combination.

  The contradiction detection unit 124 detects, by the CPU 911, a contradiction between the component obtained by the user's answer in step S105 and the component combination candidate at that time (step S106). When there is no contradiction, the contradiction detection unit 124 generates all candidates that can be obtained by combining the components obtained in step S105 with the candidates when the user responds to the previous requirement in the system configuration generation unit 123. (Step S107). On the other hand, if there is a contradiction, the contradiction detection unit 124 displays the contradiction to the user on the display device 901 and searches for a combination of components that satisfy the answer (step S108). When there is a contradiction, the candidate when a user responds to one requirement includes a component that competes with the component corresponding to the response result (a component that cannot be used at the same time). If you are. In step S108, a combination of components satisfying the answer, that is, if a candidate that is not inconsistent can be found when the component obtained in step S105 is combined with the candidate when the user answers the previous requirement, the contradiction The detection unit 124 causes the system configuration generation unit 123 to generate only the found candidate (step S109). As a result, candidates that conflict when the components obtained in step S105 are combined are deleted from the system component list 205, and only candidates that do not conflict are saved. On the other hand, when the combination of components satisfying the answer cannot be found, the contradiction detection unit 124 causes the system configuration generation unit 123 to determine the candidate at the time when the user answers the previous requirement as the final candidate ( Step S112). As a result, candidates stored in the system component list 205 are output to the system presentation unit 112. When the combination of components satisfying the answer cannot be found, the contradiction detecting unit 124 may cause the requirement presenting unit 111 to request the user to input another answer in step S104.

  Here, a specific example is shown.

  An example of the component list 204 is shown in FIG. In the component list 204 illustrated in FIG. 7, “A1” and “A2” are the components “AP server”, “B1” and “B2” are the components “DB server”, and “C1” and “C” are the components “storage”. “C2” indicates “D1” and “D2” as the component “cluster S / W (software)”, and “E1” and “E2” as the component “DB S / W”.

  An example of the non-functional requirement list 202 is shown in FIG. Although not illustrated, the functional requirement list 201 can be similarly configured. In the non-functional requirement list 202 illustrated in FIG. 8, two values of “within 30 seconds” and “(within 30 seconds or more) and within 300 seconds” can be set as the setting of the requirement “switching time”. A combination of “B1-C1-D2-E1” is shown as a component that can be used when the requirement “switching time” is set to “within 30 seconds”. Also, a combination of “B2-C2-D2-E1” is shown as a component that can be used when the requirement “switching time” is set to “within 300 seconds”. For each setting, a plurality of components (one type of component or a combination of two or more types of components) may be shown. Similarly, in the non-functional requirement list 202 illustrated in FIG. 8, two values of “10 GB (gigabyte) / hour or more” and “10 GB / hour or less” can be set as the setting of the requirement “backup”. Yes. A combination of “B1-C2” is shown as a component that can be used when the requirement “backup” is set to “10 GB / hour or more”. Also, a combination of “B2-C2” is shown as a component that can be used when the requirement “backup” is set to “10 GB / hour or less”.

  When the example shown in FIG. 8 is used, if the user replies that “within 300 seconds” is set as the “switching time” as the first requirement, the system configuration generation unit 123 in step S105. Will obtain the component “B2-C2-D2-E1”. Then, it becomes a candidate for the combination of components at that time. Subsequently, if the user replies that “10 GB / hour or more” is set for “backup” as the second requirement, the system configuration generation unit 123 obtains the component “B1-C2” in step S105. It will be. At this time, if “B1” and “B2”, which are the same type of components, cannot be used at the same time, the contradiction detection unit 124 detects the contradiction in step S106. In step S <b> 108, the contradiction detection unit 124 notifies the user that “B1” and “B2” compete (when contradiction occurs) when the requirement “backup” is set to “10 GB / hour or more”. . In step S112, the system configuration generation unit 123 determines the candidate “B2-C2-D2-E1” at the time when the user answers the previous requirement as the final candidate. Alternatively, in step S104, the requirement presenting unit 111 requests the user to input an answer of “10 GB / hour or less” for “backup”. If the user replies that “10 GB / hour or less” is set for “backup”, the system configuration generation unit 123 obtains the component “B2-C2” in step S105. Since no contradiction is detected in step S106, the system configuration generation unit 123 generates “B2-C2-D2-E1” as a candidate combination of components at that time in step S107.

  Next, the system configuration generation unit 123 sequentially compares the component combination candidates generated at steps S107 and S109 with the past configuration example 206 stored in the magnetic disk device 920, and prompts the user. The system component list 205 on the RAM 914 is displayed as a candidate for a combination of components at that time with a predetermined number of past cases having the highest similarity displayed in order from the past cases having the highest similarity together with requirements. (Step S110). At this time, the system configuration generation unit 123 saves the problems, effects, problem solving methods, and the like for each past case, and displays them on the system presentation unit 112 in step S113 described later. Good. The system configuration generation unit 123 may leave the combination of components obtained from the user's answer result as a candidate without using the past configuration case 206, but replace it with a past case with high similarity. Thus, combinations of components with higher feasibility can be listed as candidates.

  After the user answers all the requirements (step S111), in step S112, the system configuration generation unit 123 determines a candidate at that time as a final candidate and outputs it from the system component list 205 on the RAM 914. The system presentation unit 112 presents the system configuration candidates output from the system component list 205 to the user on the display device 901 (step S113).

  A specific example is shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9, the user selects “Answer 1” as an answer to the requirement N from the user answer screen. Based on “answer 1”, in steps S107 and S109, the system configuration generation unit 123 generates “candidate 1” and “candidate 2”. “Candidate 1” is a combination of “A1-B1-C2”, and “Candidate 2” is a combination of “A1-B2-C2”. In step S110, the system configuration generation unit 123 is highly similar to either “candidate 1” or “candidate 2”, that is, common to either “candidate 1” or “candidate 2” in the past configuration case 206. Search past cases with many components. Then, “Case 1”, “Case 2”, “Case 3”, and “Case 4” are extracted as search results. “Case 1” is a combination of “A1-B1-C1-D1-E1”, “Case 2” is a combination of “A2-B2-C2-D2-E2”, and “Case 3” is “A3-B2-C3- The combination of “D2-E2-F2” and “Case 4” are the combination of “A3-B2-C3-D2-E2-F2”. Here, after the user has answered all the requirements in step S111, the system configuration generation unit 123 causes “Case 1” and “Case” which are the past cases having the highest similarity to “Candidate 1” and “Candidate 2” respectively. 2 ”is stored as a candidate. In step S 112, the system configuration generation unit 123 determines “Case 1” and “Case 2” as final candidates and stores them in the system component list 205. A system component list 205 in this case is shown in FIG. In step S113, the system presentation unit 112 presents “Case 1” and “Case 2” as system configuration candidates to the user based on the system component list 205.

  As described above, in steps S105, S107, and S109 to S113 (system configuration generation processing), the system configuration generation unit 123 stores each time the requirement presenting unit 111 inputs a setting of one requirement to the user. A component corresponding to the setting is extracted from the requirement list stored in the device 152, and based on the extraction result, a combination candidate of components constituting the system is generated and output. Further, every time a candidate is generated, the system configuration generation unit 123 extracts a combination of components similar to the candidate from the past configuration cases 206 stored in advance in the storage device 152, and replaces the candidate with the candidate. The combination is output.

  As described above, in steps S106 to S109 and S112 (contradiction detection processing), the contradiction detection unit 124 extracts the component and the system configuration each time the system configuration generation unit 123 extracts a component corresponding to one requirement setting. The processing unit 151 checks whether or not there is any contradiction between the generation unit 123 and the candidate output based on the extraction result of the component corresponding to the setting input immediately before the setting. Only the confirmed candidates are output to the system configuration generation unit 123.

  As described above, in step S104 (requirement presentation process), the requirement presentation unit 111 allows the user to input one requirement setting, and then the candidate that the contradiction detection unit 124 has confirmed that there is no contradiction. If there is not, the user is caused to change the setting from the input device 153.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when generating candidate combinations of components based on the user's response results obtained for the system requirements, the responses are requested in order from the requirements with the highest importance. By doing so, it is possible to generate more suitable component combination candidates. Simply put, in the present embodiment, it is possible to cause a user to input an answer to a requirement based on the importance of the requirement, and to display a system configuration without any contradiction. Further, according to the present embodiment, there is a contradiction between a component corresponding to an answer result obtained for a certain requirement and a component combination candidate generated based on an answer result obtained for another requirement. It is possible to reduce the number of inquiries to users. Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to present to the user information on past cases corresponding to component combination candidates generated based on the answer result obtained for a certain requirement.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the present embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the first embodiment, the user work presentation unit 110 and the control unit 120 are on the same computer. However, in this embodiment, the user work presentation unit 110 and the control unit 120 are placed on independent computers. Yes.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the system environment design support mechanism 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment.

  In FIG. 11, the system environment design support mechanism 100 includes a user computer 101a and a control computer 101b. In the present embodiment, a system design support apparatus is realized by the user computer 101a and the control computer 101b. The user computer 101a and the control computer 101b are connected via the network 102, and the user computer 101a and the control computer 101b are connected to the storage device 152 similar to that of the first embodiment via the storage network. Has been. The user computer 101a includes a user work presentation unit 110 similar to that of the first embodiment. The user computer 101a is connected to the same input device 153 and output device 154 as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, the control computer 101b includes a processing device 151 similar to that of the first embodiment and a control unit 120 similar to that of the first embodiment. It should be noted that the user computer 101a also includes a processing device, which is not shown. Further, both the user computer 101a and the control computer 101b incorporate a minimum storage device such as a memory. The control computer 101b may be connected to an input device and an output device.

  Hereinafter, the operation of each part of the system environment design support mechanism 100 will be described using FIG. 3 as in the first embodiment.

  First, the importance level determination unit 121 reads the influence list 207 from the magnetic disk device 920 (an example of the storage device 152) (step S101), calculates the importance level of each requirement by the CPU 911 (an example of the processing device 151), and the RAM 914. (Step S102).

  Next, the directed graph generation unit 122 generates a required directed graph 203 based on the importance calculated by the importance determination unit 121, and stores it in the magnetic disk device 920 (step S103). Then, the directed graph generation unit 122 notifies the requirement presentation unit 111 of the completion of generation of the directed graph 203 via the network 102. Upon receiving the notification, the requirement presentation unit 111 presents the requirement to the user on the display device 901 (an example of the output device 154) based on the directed graph 203 stored in the magnetic disk device 920, and the keyboard 902 and the mouse 903 are presented. It is requested to input an answer using (an example of the input device 153) (step S104). Then, the requirement presenting unit 111 transfers the user's answer content to the system configuration generating unit 123 via the network 102.

  In the process in which the user sequentially answers the requirements, the system configuration generation unit 123 that has received the response content refers to the functional requirement list 201 and the non-functional requirement list 202 stored in the magnetic disk device 920 and uses them. The component corresponding to the answer result of the person is obtained (step S105).

  The contradiction detection unit 124 detects, by the CPU 911, a contradiction between the component obtained by the user's answer in step S105 and the component combination candidate at that time (step S106). When there is no contradiction, the contradiction detection unit 124 generates all candidates that can be obtained by combining the components obtained in step S105 with the candidates when the user responds to the previous requirement in the system configuration generation unit 123. (Step S107). On the other hand, when there is a contradiction, the contradiction detection unit 124 notifies the requirement presentation unit 111 of the contradiction via the network 102. Upon receiving the notification, the requirement presenting unit 111 displays a contradiction point on the display device 901 to the user. At this time, the contradiction detection unit 124 searches for a combination of components satisfying the answer (step S108). If a combination of components satisfying the answer can be found in step S108, the contradiction detection unit 124 causes the system configuration generation unit 123 to generate only the found candidate (step S109). On the other hand, when the combination of components satisfying the answer cannot be found, the contradiction detection unit 124 causes the system configuration generation unit 123 to determine the candidate at the time when the user answers the previous requirement as the final candidate ( Step S112). When the combination of components satisfying the answer cannot be found, the contradiction detecting unit 124 may cause the requirement presenting unit 111 to request the user to input another answer in step S104.

  Next, the system configuration generation unit 123 sequentially compares the component combination candidates generated at steps S107 and S109 with the past configuration example 206 stored in the magnetic disk device 920, and transmits the result via the network. The past case having high similarity is transferred to the system presentation unit 112. The system presentation unit 112 that has received the past case presents the user together with the requirements on the display device 901 in order from the past case having the highest similarity. At this time, the system configuration generation unit 123 stores a predetermined number of past examples with the highest similarity in the system component list 205 in the magnetic disk device 920 as candidate combinations of components at that time (step) S110).

  After the user answers all the requirements (step S111), in step S112, the system configuration generation unit 123 determines the candidate at that time as the final candidate and notifies the system presentation unit 112 of it. Upon receiving the notification, the system presentation unit 112 presents the system configuration candidates indicated by the system component list 205 in the magnetic disk device 920 to the user using the display device 901 (step S113).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by separating the user work presentation unit 110 and the control unit 120, a plurality of users can easily share the system environment design support mechanism 100.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the present embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  In Embodiments 1 and 2, the importance level determination unit 121 determines the importance level every time it is used, but in this embodiment, the importance level determination unit 121 determines the importance level of each requirement shown in the impact list 207. The degree is calculated in advance and stored in the nonvolatile storage device 152.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the importance determining unit 121 (corresponding to steps S101 and S102 shown in FIG. 3).

  The importance level determination unit 121 reads the influence list 207 from the magnetic disk device 920 (an example of the storage device 152) (step S201), and calculates the importance level of each requirement by the CPU 911 (an example of the processing device 151) (step S202). The functional requirement list 201 and the non-functional requirement list 202 stored in the magnetic disk device 920 are saved (step S203). Similar to the first and second embodiments, the importance is determined by how much the component selected by the user's answer result regarding the requirement affects other requirements.

  An example of the non-functional requirement list 202 is shown in FIG. Although not illustrated, the functional requirement list 201 can be similarly configured. The non-functional requirement list 202 illustrated in FIG. 13 includes items of importance in addition to those shown in FIG. 8 in the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the processing performance by omitting the importance determination process that has been performed each time the user uses it.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the present embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the first to third embodiments, the directed graph generation unit 122 creates the directed graph 203 using the importance levels of all the requirements. However, in the present embodiment, the directed graph generation unit 122 has the requirements of a certain importance level or less. do not use.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the directed graph generation unit 122 (corresponding to step S103 shown in FIG. 3).

  The directed graph generation unit 122 checks, for each requirement, whether the importance calculated by the importance determination unit 121 is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold by the CPU 911 (an example of the processing device 151) (step S301). If the importance is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the directed graph generation unit 122 adds the requirement as a node to the directed graph 203 (step S302). The directed graph generation unit 122 performs the same processing for all requirements (step S303), completes the directed graph 203, and stores it in the RAM 914. Thereafter, in step S104 illustrated in FIG. 3, the requirement presentation unit 111 presents the requirement to the user on the display device 901 (an example of the output device 154) based on the completed directed graph 203, and the keyboard 902 and the mouse 903 are presented. (An example of the input device 153) is requested to input an answer.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when there is a requirement whose importance stored in the storage device 152 is lower than a predetermined threshold, the requirement presenting unit 111 sets the requirement to the user. Do not enter.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to register requirements with low importance in the directed graph 203, and as a result, requirements to be presented to the user can be reduced.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
In the present embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, the requirement presenting unit 111 requests the user to input responses for all the requirements registered in the directed graph 203. However, in the present embodiment, the requirement presenting unit 111 Accept input of answers.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the requirement presenting unit 111 (corresponding to step S104 shown in FIG. 3).

  The requirement presenting unit 111 extracts one requirement from the directed graph 203 (step S401), and presents it to the user using the display device 901 (an example of the output device 154) (step S402). Then, the requirement presenting unit 111 accepts an answer to the requirement by the keyboard 902 or the mouse 903 (an example of the input device 153) (step S403). If there is no answer (step S404), the answer generation unit generates the answer result as a system configuration Returning to step S401, the next requirement is extracted from the directed graph 203 and presented to the user in step S402. On the other hand, when there is a response from the user in step S404, the requirement presenting unit 111 transmits the response result to the system configuration generation unit 123 (step S405). The requirement presenting unit 111 performs the same process for all requirements registered in the directed graph 203 (step S406).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the requirement presenting unit 111 allows the user not to input any requirement setting.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user does not have to answer for all requirements, and the burden of answering work can be reduced.

Embodiment 6 FIG.
In the present embodiment, differences from the fifth embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the fifth embodiment, the requirement presenting unit 111 did not record the past unanswered requirements. However, in the present embodiment, the requirement presenting unit 111 leaves the past unanswered requirements and records the requirements. At the same time, the past response rate is presented to the user.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the requirement presenting unit 111 (corresponding to step S104 shown in FIG. 3).

  The requirement presenting unit 111 extracts one requirement from the directed graph 203 (step S501), and presents it to the user using the display device 901 (an example of the output device 154) (step S502). Then, the requirement presenting unit 111 accepts an answer to the requirement by the keyboard 902 or the mouse 903 (an example of the input device 153) (step S503). If there is no answer (step S504), the answer presentation unit generates a reply result. The response rate (= the number of responses not including unanswered / the total number of responses including unanswered) is calculated by the CPU 911 (an example of the processing device 151) without being transmitted to the unit 123 (step S508), and then the process returns to step S501. The next requirement is extracted from the directed graph 203 and presented to the user in step S502. On the other hand, if there is a response from the user in step S504, the requirement presenting unit 111 calculates the response rate by the CPU 911 (step S505), and then transmits the response result to the system configuration generation unit 123 (step S506). The requirement presenting unit 111 performs the same process for all requirements registered in the directed graph 203 (step S507). In steps S505 and S508, the requirement presenting unit 111 saves the calculated response rate for each requirement in the functional requirement list 201 and the non-functional requirement list 202 stored in the magnetic disk device 920. Further, in step S502, the requirement presenting unit 111 presents the response rates stored in the functional requirement list 201 and the non-functional requirement list 202 to the user together with the requirements on the display device 901.

  An example of the non-functional requirement list 202 is shown in FIG. Although not illustrated, the functional requirement list 201 can be similarly configured. The non-functional requirement list 202 illustrated in FIG. 17 includes an answer rate item in addition to the one shown in FIG. 13 in the third embodiment.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, for each requirement, the requirement presenting unit 111 responds to the requirement based on the number of times the user has input the requirement setting in the past and the number of times the user has not entered the requirement setting. Is calculated by the processing device 151 and output to the output device 154.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user can refer to the past response rate of each requirement, and the load of response work can be reduced.

Embodiment 7 FIG.
In the present embodiment, differences from the sixth embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the sixth embodiment, the requirement presenting unit 111 only presents the response rate to the user. However, in the present embodiment, the requirement presenting unit 111 combines the requirement response rate and the importance, Calculate and do not present any requirements below the desired recommendation to the user.

  18 is a flowchart showing the operation of the requirement presentation unit 111 (corresponding to step S104 shown in FIG. 3).

  The requirement presenting unit 111 extracts one requirement from the directed graph 203 (step S601), and calculates a recommendation level by the CPU 911 (an example of the processing device 151) (step S602). The recommendation level is calculated as C × importance × response rate. Here, C is an arbitrary coefficient. When the recommendation level is below a certain threshold (step S603), the requirement presenting unit 111 returns to step S601, extracts the next requirement from the directed graph 203, and performs the processing after step S602. On the other hand, if the recommendation level is greater than or equal to a certain threshold value in step S603, the requirement presenting unit 111 presents the requirement and recommendation level to the user using the display device 901 (an example of the output device 154) (step S604). Then, the requirement presenting unit 111 accepts an answer for the requirement by the keyboard 902 or the mouse 903 (an example of the input device 153) (step S605). If there is no answer (step S606), the answer generation unit generates a reply result. After the response rate is calculated by the CPU 911 without being transmitted to the unit 123 (step S610), the process returns to step S601, the next requirement is extracted from the directed graph 203, and the processing after step S602 is performed. On the other hand, if there is a response from the user in step S606, the requirement presenting unit 111 calculates the response rate by the CPU 911 (step S607), and then transmits the response result to the system configuration generation unit 123 (step S608). The requirement presenting unit 111 performs the same process for all requirements registered in the directed graph 203 (step S609).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, for each requirement, the requirement presenting unit 111 determines the recommendation degree of the requirement based on the response rate of the requirement and the importance of the requirement stored in the storage device 152. It is calculated by the processing device 151 and output to the output device 154.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary for the user to answer a requirement with a low response rate and a low importance level (or a requirement for which either one is extremely low), and the response work load Mitigation is possible.

Embodiment 8 FIG.
In the present embodiment, differences from the seventh embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the seventh embodiment, the requirement presenting unit 111 presents the requirement to the user while calculating the recommendation level for the requirements sorted in descending order of importance. However, in the present embodiment, the requirement presenting unit 111 Present requirements to users in descending order of recommendation.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the requirement presentation unit 111 (corresponding to step S104 shown in FIG. 3).

  The requirement presenting unit 111 extracts one requirement from the directed graph 203 (step S701), calculates a recommendation level by the CPU 911 (an example of the processing device 151), and stores the recommendation degree in the magnetic disk device 920 (an example of the storage device 152). The functional requirement list 201 and the non-functional requirement list 202 are temporarily stored (step S702). After calculating the recommendation level for all the requirements (step S703), the requirement presenting unit 111 sequentially selects the requirements from the highest recommendation level (step S704) if the recommendation level is equal to or greater than a certain value (steps S705 and S706). Presented to the user by the display device 901 (an example of the output device 154) (step S707). Then, the requirement presenting unit 111 accepts an answer for the requirement by the keyboard 902 or the mouse 903 (an example of the input device 153) (step S708), but if no answer is received (step S709), the answer result is generated as a system configuration. After the response rate is calculated by the CPU 911 without being transmitted to the unit 123 (step S713), the process returns to step S705 to perform the subsequent processing. On the other hand, if there is a response from the user in step S709, the requirement presenting unit 111 calculates the response rate by the CPU 911 (step S710), and then transmits the response result to the system configuration generation unit 123 (step S711). The requirement presenting unit 111 performs the same process for all requirements registered in the directed graph 203 (step S712).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the requirement presenting unit 111 sequentially sets each requirement from the input device 153 to the user in the order of recommendation instead of the importance stored in the storage device 152. Let them enter.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user can reply from requirements that have a high response rate and high importance (or requirements that are extremely high in either one). This makes it possible to reduce the burden of answering work.

As described above, the system environment design support mechanism described in the first to eighth embodiments is
Functional requirement list, non-functional requirement list, directed graph, component list, system component list, storage device for storing past configuration examples, importance determination unit, directed graph generation unit, system configuration generation unit connected to the storage device A computer having a contradiction detection unit, a requirement presentation unit, and a system presentation unit,
The storage device
A list of requirements required at the time of system design, and a functional requirement list and a non-functional requirement list for storing the values and combinations of components necessary to satisfy the values;
A directed graph describing in what order the functional requirement list and non-functional requirement list are presented to the user;
A component list that stores component vendor information and specifications,
A system component list that temporarily stores combinations of components that are listed as candidates in the system environment design process;
Stores past system configuration examples that record system configuration examples in the past,
The calculator is
An importance determining unit that calculates the importance of each requirement in the functional requirement list and the non-functional requirement list stored in the storage device based on the number of components required by each requirement and the degree of realization;
A directed graph generation unit that associates each requirement of each functional requirement and each non-functional requirement to which importance is added, and generates a directed graph;
A requirement presentation unit that sequentially presents requirements to users based on a directed graph,
For each requirement, a combination of components that satisfy the requirement is extracted based on the result of the answer from the user. At the same time, a system configuration example similar to the past is extracted from the system component list and the past configuration example. If there is a similar system configuration example, a system configuration generation unit that presents the system configuration example to the user,
The system component list is searched for components that cannot be combined. If there is a contradiction, the user is notified and the system configuration generation unit is inconsistent with the system component list. A contradiction detection unit that notifies to delete the combination of components to be deleted,
A system presenting unit that presents the system environment to the user using the components stored in the system component list when the contradiction disappears;
For each requirement, a system environment configuration plan that satisfies the result of the user's answer is provided.

  The requirement presenting unit, the past configuration example presenting unit, and the system presenting unit are provided in a user computer different from the computer, and the computer and the user computer are connected via a network.

  Further, the importance level determination unit of the storage device calculates and accumulates in advance the importance levels of the requirements of the functional requirement list and the non-functional requirement list stored in the storage device.

  In addition, the directed graph generation unit does not use a requirement equal to or less than an arbitrary importance level among the importance levels calculated by the importance level determination unit.

  The requirement presenting unit accepts an unanswered answer when there is no answer to the requirement from the user.

  Further, the requirement presenting unit stores a requirement that the user has not answered, and presents a response rate to the user.

  In addition, the requirement presenting unit calculates a recommendation level from a requirement response rate and an importance level, and does not present a requirement below an arbitrary recommendation level to the user.

  The requirement presenting unit presents requirements to the user in descending order of recommendation.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, you may implement combining 2 or more embodiment among these. Alternatively, one of these embodiments may be partially implemented. Or you may implement combining two or more embodiment among these partially.

2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a system environment design support mechanism according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a system environment design support mechanism according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of each part of the system environment design support mechanism according to the first embodiment. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the contents of an influence list according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of content of a directed graph according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of content of a directed graph according to a modification of the first embodiment. 4 is a table illustrating an example of a configuration of a component list according to Embodiment 1. 4 is a table showing an example of a configuration of a requirement list according to Embodiment 1. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the contents of past configuration examples according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a table illustrating an example of a configuration of a system component list according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a system environment design support mechanism according to a second embodiment. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an importance level determination unit according to the third embodiment. 10 is a table showing an example of a configuration of a requirement list according to Embodiment 3. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a directed graph generation unit according to the fourth embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a requirement presentation unit according to Embodiment 5. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation of a requirement presenting unit according to Embodiment 6. 24 is a table showing an example of a configuration of a requirement list according to Embodiment 6. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a requirement presenting unit according to Embodiment 7. 20 is a flowchart showing an operation of a requirement presenting unit according to Embodiment 8.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 System environment design support mechanism, 101 computer, 101a computer for user, 101b computer for control, 102 network, 110 user work presentation part, 111 requirement presentation part, 112 system presentation part, 120 control part, 121 importance determination part 122, directed graph generation unit, 123 system configuration generation unit, 124 inconsistency detection unit, 151 processing device, 152 storage device, 153 input device, 154 output device, 201 functional requirement list, 202 non-functional requirement list, 203 directed graph, 204 component list 205 System component list, 206 Past configuration example, 207 Impact list, 901 Display device, 902 Keyboard, 903 Mouse, 904 FDD, 905 CDD, 906 Printer device, 911 CPU, 912 bus, 913 ROM, 914 RAM, 915 communication board, 920 magnetic disk device, 921 operating system, 922 window system, 923 program group, 924 file group.

Claims (12)

For each setting of two or more requirements set for a system configured by combining two or more types of components, a requirement list indicating components that can be used in the setting is stored in the storage device in advance. A system design support device that stores, for each requirement, a numerical value that evaluates how many components that affect compliance with the requirement affect compliance with the requirement as importance of the requirement in a storage device. ,
A requirement presenting unit that allows the user to sequentially input the setting of each requirement from the input device in the order of importance stored in the storage device;
Each time the requirement presenting unit causes the user to input one requirement setting, the component corresponding to the setting is extracted from the requirement list stored in the storage device, and the system is activated based on the extraction result. A system configuration generation unit for generating and outputting candidate combinations of components to be configured;
Each time the system configuration generation unit extracts a component corresponding to one requirement setting, the component and the system configuration generation unit are based on the extraction result of the component corresponding to the setting input immediately before the setting. A contradiction detecting unit that checks whether or not there is a contradiction with the candidate output by the processing device, and causes the system configuration generation unit to output only the candidate that can be confirmed that there is no contradiction. System design support device. The system design support device includes:
A combination of components constituting a system used in the past is previously stored in a storage device as a past configuration example,
Each time the system configuration generation unit generates a candidate, the system configuration generation unit extracts a combination of components similar to the candidate from the past configuration cases stored in the storage device, and outputs the combination instead of the candidate. The system design support apparatus according to claim 1. The system design support device includes:
For each requirement, an impact list indicating components that affect the suitability for the requirement is stored in the storage device in advance.
For each requirement, the component corresponding to the requirement is identified in the impact list stored in the storage device, and the total number of requirements corresponding to the component in the impact list is calculated by the processing device. The system design support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an importance degree determination unit that stores the importance degree requirement in a storage device.   After the requirement presenting unit allows the user to input one requirement setting, if there is no candidate that the contradiction detecting unit has confirmed that there is no contradiction, the requirement presenting unit The system design support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the system design support apparatus is changed from an input device.   The requirement presenting unit, when there is a requirement having the same importance stored in the storage device, allows the user to select from the input device which order to input the setting of the requirement. The system design support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   6. The requirement presenting unit, when there is a requirement whose importance stored in a storage device is lower than a predetermined threshold, does not allow a user to input a setting of the requirement. The system design support apparatus according to any of the above.   7. The system design support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the requirement presentation unit allows a user not to input an arbitrary requirement setting. 8.   For each requirement, the requirement presenting unit calculates a response rate for the requirement by the processing device based on the number of times the user has input the requirement setting in the past and the number of times the user has not entered the setting, and outputs the response rate to the output device The system design support apparatus according to claim 7.   For each requirement, the requirement presenting unit calculates the recommendation degree of the requirement by the processing device based on the response rate of the requirement and the importance of the requirement stored in the storage device, and outputs it to the output device. The system design support apparatus according to claim 8.   The requirement presenting unit causes the user to sequentially input the setting of each requirement from the input device in order of recommendation instead of the importance stored in the storage device. System design support device. For each setting of two or more requirements set for a system configured by combining two or more types of components, a requirement list indicating components that can be used in the setting is stored in the storage device in advance. For each requirement, we used a system design support device that stores in the storage device the numerical value that evaluates how many components that affect the conformity to the requirement affect the conformity to the requirement. A system design support method,
A first step in which the requirement presentation unit of the system design support device sequentially inputs the setting of each requirement from the input device to the user in the order of importance stored in the storage device;
Each time the system configuration generation unit of the system design support apparatus inputs the setting of one requirement to the user in the first step, the component corresponding to the setting is stored in the requirement list stored in the storage device. A second step of extracting and generating candidate combinations of components constituting the system based on the extraction result; and
Each time the contradiction detection unit of the system design support apparatus extracts a component corresponding to one requirement setting in the second step, the component and the system configuration generation unit are input immediately before the setting. A processing device checks whether or not there is a contradiction with the candidate output based on the extraction result of the component corresponding to the setting, and outputs only the candidate that can be confirmed that there is no contradiction in the second step. A system design support method comprising: steps. For each setting of two or more requirements set for a system configured by combining two or more types of components, a requirement list indicating components that can be used in the setting is stored in the storage device in advance. For each requirement, a computer-implemented system design that stores, in the storage device, numerical values that evaluate how many components that affect compliance with the requirement affect compliance with the requirement. A support program,
A requirement presenting process for allowing the user to sequentially input the setting of each requirement from the input device in the order of importance stored in the storage device;
Each time the requirement presenting process allows the user to input one requirement setting, a component corresponding to the setting is extracted from the requirement list stored in the storage device, and the system is activated based on the extraction result. System configuration generation processing for generating and outputting candidate combinations of components to be configured;
Each time the system configuration generation process extracts a component corresponding to one requirement setting, the component and the system configuration generation process are based on the extraction result of the component corresponding to the setting input immediately before the setting. The processing device confirms whether there is any contradiction with the candidates output in this way, and causes the computer to execute a contradiction detection process that causes the system configuration generation process to output only candidates that have been confirmed to be consistent. Feature system design support program.

Images