JPH01166227A - Diagnosing system for device adaptor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the trouble diagnosis and the maintenance and to reduce the cost by performing the diagnosis to a device adaptor after connecting this adaptor to a diagnosing device via a storing means which stores successively the history information on the device adaptor. CONSTITUTION:The diagnosis control of a device adaptor 3-1 is carried out by a service bus controller 62 via the analysis of a command given to the adaptor 3-1 from a service processor 2. Then the adaptor 3-1 is diagnosed after a tracer circuit 63 is recorded successively the control information received from the adaptor 3-1 via an interface 64. Thus it is possible to perform the trouble diagnosis and the maintenance and also to collect the history information without controlling by an input/output processor 3. As a result, the trouble diagnosis and the maintenance are simplified together with reduction of the cost to the adaptor 3-1 having a complicated constitution.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a device adapter diagnostic method, and more particularly to a device adapter diagnostic method in an information processing apparatus connected to a peripheral device by a device adapter that individually controls the peripheral devices.

Conventional technology Information processing equipment commonly used in medium-sized or larger computers has peripheral device adapters that individually control magnetic tape devices, magnetic disk devices, and peripheral devices such as line printers and card readers. These device adapters are provided for each device and are commonly controlled by the processor.

Furthermore, the information processing apparatus described above is equipped with a service processor (iii) dedicated to diagnostic control, and this service processor performs system startup control and diagnostic control.

Conventionally, device adapters are often controlled by relatively simple equipment as mentioned above, and are therefore made up of drivers, receivers, registers, etc., so special diagnostics are required for this device adapter. There was no need to apply

However, with the fusion of computers and communications and the progress of LSI technology in recent years, LA that performs protocol control for local area networks (LAN) has become increasingly popular.
Device adapters that perform complex control, such as N adapters, are becoming contradictory.

These device adapters often have a microprocessor for real-time control, and in the event of a failure, maintenance, or debugging, the microprocessor's stop address, data information in local memory, and various control registers are checked. Requires detailed information such as values and microinstruction trace information.

For this reason, it is conceivable to provide a service controller in the device adapter and perform diagnosis via the service bus, but the detailed information described above is not always required during system operation, so it is necessary to Considering the amount of hardware involved, this is not a good idea.

Furthermore, if a device adapter such as the one described above is added to an existing device in which the service bus is connected only to the grosser section, the service bus must be extended to the device adapter, which is very time-consuming. .

If the microprocessor of this device adapter is a general-purpose product on the market, an emulator for that microprocessor is often commercially available, so it is possible to diagnose the device adapter by connecting the emulator. , this emulator is generally expensive.

In addition, if a proprietary microprocessor is used for this device adapter, there is no emulator for that microprocessor, so diagnosis of the device adapter can only be performed through the host processor. There is a problem that failure diagnosis and maintenance become difficult, or failure diagnosis and maintenance become incomplete.

The present invention has been made to eliminate the problems of the conventional devices as described above, and provides a device that allows trouble diagnosis and maintenance of device adapters with complex configurations to be performed easily and at low cost. The purpose is to provide an adapter diagnostic method.

Structure of the Invention The device adapter diagnostic method according to the present invention is a device adapter diagnostic method for an information processing system in which an information processing device to which a peripheral device is connected via a device adapter and a diagnostic device are connected via a diagnostic bus. , a control means for controlling the device adapter according to a diagnostic command from the diagnostic apparatus, and a storage means for sequentially storing N history information of the device adapter, and the control means for controlling the device adapter according to the diagnostic command from the diagnostic device, and the control means for sequentially storing N history information of the device adapter, and when diagnosing the device adapter, the diagnostic bus and the control means are provided. The apparatus is characterized in that the device adapter is connected to the diagnostic apparatus via the storage means and the device adapter to diagnose the device adapter.

Embodiment Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9 arithmetic control processor 4, magnetic disk processor 5, service bus interface adapter 6, system console 7, device adapters 3-1 to 3-3.5-1.5-2, and local area network (hereinafter referred to as AN) 8, a magnetic tape device, a line printer 10, and a magnetic disk device 11
．． 12.

The main storage device 1 and the arithmetic control processor 4 are connected to a system bus 101 and a service bus 102, respectively.

The service processor 2 is IHm connected to a system bus 101 and a service bus 102, respectively, and is connected to a system console 7. The service processor 2 is activated based on the instructions from the system console 7, and performs operational control and diagnostic control over the input/output processor 3, arithmetic control processor 4, and magnetic disk processor 5 via the service bus 102. Diagnostic control is performed on the device adapter 3-1 via the service bus interface adapter 6.

The input/output processor 3 is connected to a system bus 101 and a service bus 102, respectively, and a device adapter 3-1 to which a LAN 8 is connected, a device adapter 3-2 to which a magnetic tape device 9 is connected, and a line printer 10 are connected. The sub-bus 103 is connected to the device adapter 3 - 3 .

These device adapters 3-1 to 3-3 are connected to the LAN 8 and the magnetic tape device 9 under the control of the input/output processor 3.
and the line printer 10 are individually controlled.

The magnetic disk processor 5 is connected to a system bus 101 and a service bus 102, respectively, and is connected to a magnetic disk device i.
Device adapter 5-1.5- that controls t and 12, respectively.
2 is connected. These device adapters 5-1.
5-2 individually controls the magnetic disk devices 11 and 12 under the control of the magnetic disk processors.

The service bus interface adapter 6 connects to the service bus 102 only when diagnosing the device adapter 3-1.
The service bus 102 is connected to the service bus 102 during normal operation.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the service bus interface 7' and the device adapter 3-1 in FIG. 1. In FIG. controller 62 and tracer times [6
3 and an adapter interface 64.

Device adapter 3-1 is adapter interface 31
-1, microprocessor 32-1, and memory 33-
1, a sub-bus interface 34-1, and a LAN controller 35-1.

Service bus interface 6] is the service bus 102
The adapter interface 64 is used to interface between the service bus interface adapter 6 and the 7-device adapter 3-1.

These service bus interface 61 and adapter interface 64 are constituted by a number of drivers (not shown) and receivers (not shown) sufficient to cover the pit width of each interface.

The service bus controller 62 is the service processor 2
Analyzes the command to the device adapter 3-1 from
It performs start/stop control of the device adapter 3-1, register successive write control, and checks for the presence or absence of a stall, and also reads control trace data of the device adapter 3-1 from the tracer circuit 63.

The tracer circuit 63 sequentially records control information (eg, microinstruction address, etc.) sent from the device adapter 3-1 via the adapter interface 64 based on instructions from the service bus controller 62.

Next, the diagnostic operation in one embodiment of the present invention will be explained using FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

In an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention,
Service bus interface adapter 6 during normal operation
is separated from the service bus 102, and is started and controlled by the service processor 2, and data is exchanged between each device via the system bus 101 in accordance with the program stored in the main storage device 1. It works while

In the device adapter 3-1, the microprocessor 32-1 exchanges data with the input/output 11' near setter 3 via the sub-bus 103 using the sub-bus interface 3. Based on the program, the LAN 8 is controlled via the LAN controllers 1 to 35-1.

Diagnosis and maintenance of the main storage device 1, input/output processor 3, arithmetic control processor 4, and magnetic disk D processor 5S are carried out by the service bus 10 under the control of the service processor + f2 based on the operation of the system console 7.
The process is executed while exchanging data between the service processor 2 and the service processor 2 via the service processor 2.

On the other hand, fault diagnosis and maintenance for the device adapter 3-1 are performed using the service bus 102 and the service bus interface adapter 6 under the control of the service processor 2 based on the operation of the system console 7. It is executed while exchanging data with the processor 2.

In other words, the device adapter 13-1 does not receive control from the input/output processor 3, and operates as the service processor 2.
This makes it possible to perform failure diagnosis, maintenance, and collection of historical information almost directly.

In this way, the service bus controller 62 performs diagnostic control of the device adapter 3-1 according to the analysis of commands from the service processor 2 to the device adapter 3-1, and the tracer circuit 63 performs device control via the adapter interface 64. Adapter 3-1
By sequentially recording the control information input while diagnosing the device adapter 3-1, it is possible to diagnose the device adapter 3-1 by simply adding a small amount of hardware to the conventional hardware.
Without being controlled by the input/output processor 3, the service processor 2 can almost directly perform fault diagnosis and maintenance of the device adapter 3-1, collect history information, and the like.

Therefore, failure diagnosis and maintenance of the device adapter 3-1 having a complicated configuration can be performed easily and at low cost.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a case has been described in which failure diagnosis, maintenance, and history information collection of the device adapter 3-1 are performed, but other device adapters 3-2.3
-3.5-1.5-2 If an adapter interface 31-1 is provided in each and connected to the service bus interface adapter 6, the device adapter 3
The service processor 2
It is clear that it is possible to perform almost direct failure diagnosis and maintenance, as well as the collection of historical information.

It is also obvious that if a plurality of service bus controllers 62, tracer circuits 63, and adapter interfaces 64 are provided in the service bus interface adapter 6, diagnostic processing for the corresponding device adapters can be performed simultaneously.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As described above, the present invention provides a diagnostic bus, a control means for controlling the device adapter according to a diagnostic command from a diagnostic device connected to the diagnostic bus, and a device adapter. By connecting the device adapter to a diagnostic device through a storage means that sequentially stores history information of the device adapter, and thereby allowing the diagnostic device to diagnose the device adapter, it is possible to diagnose and maintain a device adapter with a complex configuration. This has the advantage that it can be done easily and at low cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 does not show the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11772;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing detailed configurations of the service bus interface adapter and device adapter of FIG. 1. Explanation of symbols of main parts 2...Service processor 3-1 to 3-2゜5-1.5-2...Device adapter 6...
... Service bus interface adapter 31-1 ... Adapter interface 32-1
... Microprocessor 61 ... Service bus interface 62 ... Service bus controller 63 ...
... Tracer circuit 64 ... Adapter interface output person NEC Tsuji

Claims (1)

[Claims] A device adapter diagnostic method for an information processing system in which an information processing device to which a peripheral device is connected via a device adapter and a diagnostic device are connected via a diagnostic bus, A control means for controlling a device adapter and a storage means for sequentially storing history information of the device adapter are provided, and when diagnosing the device adapter, the device adapter is controlled via the diagnostic bus, the control means, and the storage means. A device adapter diagnostic method, characterized in that the device adapter is connected to the diagnostic device to diagnose the device adapter.