JPH0227445A - Electronic computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform the initialization while the action of a computer main body is continued and to prevent the data before initialization from being lost by providing a memory to store the data of a service processor before the initialization. CONSTITUTION:When the failure of the machine of hardware is detected and a microprogram judges that recovery cannot be executed when the initialization of a service processor 2 is not executed, a resetting circuit 2f is activated and the initialization of the service processor 2 is started automatically. When the resetting circuit is activated, the microprogram stored in the ROM of a memory 2c is activated, the necessary data are recovered out of it and the processing is restarted. Then, the initialization for a computer main body 1 is not executed and while the action of the computer main body 1 is continued, the service processor 2 is initialized. Thus, the data of the service processor 2 before the initialization are not lost.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an electronic computer equipped with a service processor for maintenance, and particularly to an electronic computer with improved initialization control of the service processor.

(Prior Art) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic computer equipped with a conventional maintenance (diagnosis) service processor of this type. In the figure, 1 is a computer main body, which has a CPU (central processing unit) and memory consisting of ROM and RAM, and is also provided with various channels.2 is a computer main body and a bus. The service processor f (SVP) is connected with the service processor f (SVP) 3, the svp main body 2.

RAM) 2c.

Next, the operation will be explained.

When power is applied to the computer main body 1 and then to the service processor 2, a microprogram stored in a memory 2c built into the service processor 2 is activated. That is, flexible disk storage bag 2ff
Microprograms and data necessary for the operation of the service processor 2 are loaded from the izb into the RAM in the memory 2c. After the computer main body 1 is initialized (reset) by the microprogram, a diagnostic operation for the computer main body 1 is started.

- During execution of the microprogram mentioned above, the computer main body 1
When the computer is operating normally, various processing requests are made from the computer main body 1 to the service processor 2 via the bus 3. The service processor 2 then executes the necessary processing in response to the request and returns the results to the computer main body.

However, if a failure occurs in the hardware or microprogram of the service processor 2, the service processor 2 will be unable to correctly execute the requested processing in the computer main body 1, and the computer system as a whole will not be able to function properly. Continuation of operation becomes impossible. If such a state occurs, it is possible to restore the normal state by initializing (resetting) the service processor 2, but in order to initialize the service processor 2, the At this time, the computer main body 1 is also initialized at the same time. Note that this initialization operation of the service processor 2 is conventionally performed manually.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) Since the conventional electric computer is configured as described above,
When a failure occurs in the hardware or microprogram of the service processor, there is a problem in that even if there is a possibility that the failure can be recovered by initializing only the service processor, the computer itself must also be initialized. There was a problem in that it was not possible to maintain consistency in the operation of the computer system as a whole, since the data of the service processor before the conversion was lost.

This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to initialize only the service processor while the computer itself continues to operate. The aim is to obtain an electronic computer that will not lose data.

[Means to solve the problem]

An electronic computer according to the present invention includes a service processor for maintenance, an initialization means for initializing the service processor without affecting the operation of the computer main body, and a storage device for storing data before initialization of the service processor. The service processor is configured so that the service processor can be initialized while the computer itself continues to operate.

[Effect]

In the electronic computer of the present invention, the service processor is initialized without affecting the operation of the computer itself, and data of the service processor before initialization is stored in the storage device.

(Example〕 An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic computer according to the present invention, and the same reference numerals as in the conventional FIG. 2 indicate the same parts. In the figure, 1 is the CPU 11. A computer main body having a memory 1b, etc., and 2 a service processor (SVP) connected to this Keida machine main body 1 by a bus 3, have the following configuration. That is, 21 is the SvP main body, 2b is a flexible disk storage device, 2° is a memory, 2d is a reset switch for manually initializing the service processor 2, and 2° is a monitoring timer for monitoring the operation of the service processor 2. , 2f is this monitoring timer 2. , when an operational abnormality is detected by the service processor 2.
This reset circuit 2f constitutes an initialization means for initializing the service processor 2 without affecting the operation of the computer main body 1. The service processor 2 can be initialized while the process continues. Further, the flexible disk storage device 2b can store data before the service processor 2 is initialized.

Next, the operation will be explained.

The normal operation of the service processor 2 is the same as before, so it will be omitted. However, during normal operation, there are changes in the data held by the microprogram of the service processor 2 that are necessary for recovery after initialization. If
The data is written to the flexible disk storage device 2b. The data is then used during recovery after initialization.

Furthermore, the monitoring timer 2° of the service processor 2 is always counted by the hardware, and when the above microprogram is operating normally, the value of the monitoring timer 2° is set to “0” at a constant cycle by the microprogram. will be reset to

Here, if the microprogram of the service processor 2 enters an infinite loop, the value of the monitoring timer 211 will no longer be reset to 0'' and an overflow will occur.When this overflow occurs, the reset circuit 2
A reset signal is transmitted to t, and initialization of the service processor 2 is automatically started.

On the other hand, SvP main body 2. When a machine failure of the hardware and a program failure of the microprogram are detected by the hardware, the microprogram of the service processor 2 is notified of the information. If the microprogram determines based on the notified information that it cannot be recovered without initializing the service processor 2, it activates the reset circuit 2f to automatically start initializing the service processor 2. Furthermore, when the microprogram of the service processor 2 itself detects a data contradiction that makes it impossible to continue processing, initialization of the service processor 2 is automatically started in the same way.

Further, when the operator of the computer notices a failure in the service processor 2, by operating the reset switch 2d, a signal is transmitted to the reset circuit 2f, and the initialization of the service processor 2 can be started manually.

” - When the set circuit described below is activated, the RO of memory 2e
The microprogram stored in M is activated, but at this time the microprogram determines whether the activation is due to the operation of the reset circuit 2f or due to normal power-on. Then, if the power is turned on normally, the service processor 2 is reset and initialized, and then the needle ring machine main body 1 is reset and initialized, and its operation is started. However, when activated by the reset circuit 2f, after the service processor 2 is reset and initialized, the data (status information) of the service processor 2 stored in the flexible disk storage bag a2b before initialization is read out. . The necessary data is then recovered and processing resumed. that time,
No initialization is performed on the computer main body 1, and the computer main body 1
The service processor 2 is initialized while its operation continues. In addition, service processor 2 before initialization
Since no data is lost, the consistency of the operation of the entire Cγ machine system is maintained.

In the above embodiment, data before initialization of the service processor 2 is stored in the flexible disk storage device 2b, but this data storage means may be a solid disk storage device or other non-volatile storage device.

Further, when only the service processor 2 is initialized, no notification is sent to the computer main body 1, but the notification may be sent via the bus 3.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, since a means for initializing a service processor without affecting the operation of the computer main body and a storage device for storing service processor data before initialization are provided, It is possible to initialize only the service processor while the operation continues, the data of the service processor before initialization is not lost, and the operation of the computer system as a whole can be maintained at You can get the effect that you can.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional electronic computer. 1・---Computer body 1, -----CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1b...
-Memory 2-----Service processor 28...-svp body 2b--Flexible disk storage device 2cm-
---Memory 2d... Reset switch 2a --- Monitoring timer 2, ... Reset circuit (initialization means) 3 -
--- --- Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] It is equipped with a service processor for maintenance, initialization means for initializing the service processor without affecting the operation of the computer main body, and a storage device for storing data before initialization of the service processor, An electronic computer characterized in that a service processor can be initialized while the service processor continues.