JPH0458636A - Communication path duplicate control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent effect on communication between succeeding systems after a faulty system even when an adaptor or the like of the system has a fault by revising management information to only a system whose transmission is failed so as to apply changeover processing of a channel in the case of a failure in transmission. CONSTITUTION:When a fault takes place in its own or opposite LAN adartor 104 or 105 with respect to a communication path (#0 or #1) 2 receiving transmission and no transmission is enabled, the transmission is tried again to one communication path (#0 or #1) 2 to revise (e) changeover information with respect to management information 102. That is, when the management information 102 in figure (b) is used as an example for the explanation, and for example, when a fault takes place in a LAN adaptor 104 of a system (2)1 and the said control data is not sent, a state column 'St' 102c of a communication path (#0)2 of the management information 102 is revised from '1' (active operating path) into '08' (path fault) and a state column 'Sts' 102c of a communication path (#1)2 of the management information 102 is revised from '02' (alternate system path) into '01' (active operating path).

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Table of Contents] Overview Industrial Application Fields Conventional Technology and Problems to be Solved by the Invention Means for Solving the Problems Action Examples Effects of the Invention [Summary] Multiple Information Processing Systems Regarding the communication path duplex control method that allows the communication path of control data to be switched between each information processing system in a system in which control data is transferred between the two using a dual communication path configuration of a local area network (LAN), each communication By switching the communication path between each information processing system that is running, and making effective use of the communication path between each information processing system, the system In order to obtain high reliability in each information processing system, each information processing system includes a communication control unit that switches the redundant communication paths, a communication monitoring unit that monitors each communication path, and the communication control unit described above. and management information that is shared by the communication monitoring unit and manages the communication status of each communication path between other information processing systems to be connected for each information processing system. When the monitoring unit refers to the management information and detects that the current communication state is different from the state indicated by the management information, it updates the content of the management information and updates the content of the updated management information. Based on the control data communication path between each information processing system,
Each information processing system is configured to be switched as a unit. In addition, the management information includes at least the implementation status of the information processing system of the self and the communication destination;
and the logical connection state of the communication destination information processing system with the communication path, and the state of the communication path to be connected.

The communication path is configured to have a response waiting state when control data is sent to the communication path.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention provides a system for transferring control data between a plurality of information processing systems using a dual communication path configuration of a local area network (LAN), by switching the communication path for control data between each information processing system. This invention relates to a communication path redundancy control method that can obtain high system reliability by effectively utilizing the communication paths between each information processing system and switching only the system in which a failure has occurred, such as an adapter.

In recent years, during nonstop operation of information processing systems, when control data is being transferred between multiple information processing systems, if a failure occurs in the communication adapter, etc. of only one information processing system, the duplex communication described above will be interrupted. Because the paths were switched at the same time, the switching was performed even when one communication path was able to communicate between systems, and the communication paths were not used efficiently.

Therefore, when a failure occurs in the adapter, etc. of one information processing system among multiple information processing systems, only the communication path for that information processing system is switched, and when the communication adapter, etc. where the failure occurred is restarted. If communication is possible in the state before switching, it is possible to make effective use of the originally communicable state, so such a technology for switching the duplex communication path has become necessary.

[Prior art and problems to be solved by the invention] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a conventional communication path duplex control system.

In the conventional redundant communication path control method for local area networks (hereinafter referred to as LAN), as shown in this figure, when viewed from information processing system (1) 1, information processing system (2) 1. and information processing system (3) 1
recognizes that control data A can be transmitted from information processing system (1) 1 to information processing system (3) 1 when communication is possible on communication path (It) 2, and transmits control data A to the corresponding information processing system (3) 1. send via communication path m)2.

Here, the control data ■
If there is no reply, all information processing systems (1
), ~1, the information is changed so that communication path (10) 2 is used, and communication path (Ill) 2 is made unusable. Such information processing system (3) 1,
If communication processing becomes impossible due to a failure in a communication adapter (not shown), information processing system (1) ■ can communicate with information processing system (2) l via communication path (Ill) 2. Despite this, information processing systems (3)
1 became impossible to communicate with, the communication path (I
I) By setting 2 to a communication disabled state, each information processing system, for example, the communication path of information processing system (2) 1 (
10) If there is a failure in the communication adapter connected to the information processing system (1) 1 and the information processing system (2) 1, communication may be interrupted.

Furthermore, even if the communication adapter, etc. of the information processing system (3) 1 is restored and the communication path via the communication path (II) 2 becomes communicable, at present, all of the information processing system (1) , ~1 are connected to the communication path (10) 2, so depending on the state of the communication adapter connected to the communication path (110) 2 of the other information processing system (2) 1, the information processing system (3) Communication with 1 may become impossible.

In addition, information processing system (1) 1 is information processing system (2)
) ■ and communication path (11) 2, as described above, communication path (11)
2→Communication path (10) By switching to 2, that communication path (Ill) 2 will not be used anymore, so effective resources (depending on the system, communication path (11) 2) that can be used can be utilized. The problem was that it was not possible.

In view of the above conventional drawbacks, the present invention provides a system in which control data is transferred between a plurality of information processing systems using a dual communication path configuration of a local area network (LAN), in which control data is transferred between each information processing system. By switching the communication path, you can effectively use the communication path between each information processing system, and also switch the communication path only for the system that has caused a failure, such as a communication adapter, and if that system is restored, the following It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication path redundancy control system that allows communication in the state before the failure (that is, using the communication path before the failure).

[Means to solve the problem]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle configuration of the present invention.

The above problems are solved by a communication path duplex control system configured as follows.

(1) Transfer of control data between multiple information processing systems 1 is performed using a redundant local area network (
A communication control unit 100 that performs switching of the duplex communication path 2 in a system using a communication path 2 of a LAN.

and a communication monitoring unit 103 that monitors each communication path 2.

Management information 102 is shared by the communication control unit 100 and the communication monitoring unit 103, and manages the communication status of each communication path 2 between other information processing systems 1 to be connected for each information processing system. The communication control unit 100. Or
When the communication monitoring unit 103 refers to the management information and detects that the current communication state is different from the state indicated by the management information 102, it updates the content of the management information 102 and updates the updated management information. Based on the content of the information 102, control data communication 1<s2 is performed between each information processing system 1.
The configuration is such that each information processing system l is switched as a unit.

(2) As the management information 102, at least self,
and the implementation state 102a of the communication destination information processing system l.
, the logical connection state 102b of the self and communication destination information processing systems 1 with the communication path 2, the state 102C of the communication path 2 to be connected, and the control data for the communication path 2. Response waiting state 102d when sent
The system is configured to include the following.

[Effect]

First, FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle configuration of the present invention, in which 1 is an information processing system (1), 10 is an information system (1)
, ~1 within (7) Service 7'CI+ 7 Sa (SVP)
, 100, 102, and 103 are a communication control unit, management information, and communication monitoring unit in the service processor (SVP) 10, respectively.

Also, 104.105 is the service otzy (SVP
) This is a LAN adapter from 10. 2 indicates a LAN communication path (10, II).

Each information processing system (1), ~1 transmits control data to a plurality of other information processing systems (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as system) (2), ~1, and performs other information processing. System (2) processes control data sent from ~l.

A service processor (SVP) 10 controls the interface between the information processing system (1) 1 and the communication control unit 100. Specifically, the communication control unit 100 controls the information processing system (1) received by the service processor (SVP) io.
) 1 and performs communication processing.

The management information 102 indicates the state of communication between the own system 1 and a plurality of other systems 1 that can communicate with each other through communication paths (110, 1
) 2 and for each of the plurality of other systems 1 (for example, the mounting state of the LAN adapters 104 and 105, the logically connected state 1 communication path (110, 1 ) Status 2 (currently in use, on standby).

It maintains a communication-disabled state), a response-waiting state, etc.

The management information 102 is stored in the communication control unit 100. It can be referenced and updated by the communication monitoring unit 103, and update processing in each processing unit (that is, the communication control unit 1001 and the communication monitoring unit 103) is exclusively controlled so as to be consistent with each other.

The communication control unit 100 requests each information processing system (2), ~l to establish a communication path when the system (1) 1 starts up, and makes communication with other systems (2), ~1 possible. state.

Thereafter, the control data requested from the information processing system (1) 1 is transmitted via the service processor (SVP) 10 to the transmission partner systems (2), 1 to 1 in the management information 102, and the control data currently being used is checked. Communication path (IOl or l1
l) Send control data to 2. If the control data cannot be transmitted or if no reply data is returned, the control data is retransmitted using the standby communication path (11 or lo)2. In this case, only the information of the corresponding partner system (2), ~l in the management information 102 is updated.

Further, the communication path (10, or l1l) 2 and another communication path (Ill
.

Or, if it comes from #0)2, it is detected that the communication path (#O1 or 11)2 on the sending side is unable to communicate,
The relevant portion of the management information 102 is updated.

When a path establishment request is received from another system (2) to 1, the communication control unit 100 changes the corresponding part of the management information 102 to indicate that communication with that system is possible from now on. Update.

System (,1) 1 LAN adapter 104. Or
When the control data is received by the system (1) 105, it notifies the system (1) 1 of the process via the service processor (SVP) 10.

The communication monitoring unit 103 monitors a plurality of partner systems 1 at regular intervals to see if communication is possible.
Further, only when a certain communication path (port 0. or l1l) 2 becomes unable to communicate with all partner systems 1, the LAN adapter 104. Alternatively, reset processing is performed on lO5 and recovery processing is performed. The reset process may enable the communication path (0 or 11) 2 to be used.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the management information 102 includes each communication path (10, 111) 2 and the communication status for each communication partner system l, so that control data can be transmitted to a certain system l, and the If this fails, the switching process is performed only for that system 1 without being aware of which communication path is used for communication with other systems 1 (specifically, the management information is updated as described above). Therefore, even if a failure occurs in a LAN adapter or the like of a certain system, communication between subsequent systems will not be affected. Such a control method becomes more effective as the number of systems increases.

Furthermore, the duplicated communication paths (10, 11) 2 can be used efficiently. For example, LA where the above problem occurred
When the N adapter is restored, the communication control unit 100 issues a request to establish a communication path, so that communication with the system 1 that was unable to communicate can be continued.

Furthermore, by monitoring the communication monitoring unit 103 at a fixed period of time,
By quickly detecting an abnormality in each partner communication system 1 and updating the contents of the management information 102, the communication control unit 10
It is possible to simplify the switching process when transmitting 0 and shorten the processing time. Further, when the communication monitoring unit 103 detects that communication with the entire system 1 is disabled, as described above, the I7AN adapter 104. Or 105
The recovery process is performed by the reset process.

Therefore, according to the communication path redundancy control method according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize the redundant communication paths, and even if a failure occurs in a LAN adapter of a certain system, communication between other systems will not be affected. , only the communication path between that system and the system that was communicating with it is switched, and when the LAN adapter of that system is restored, it is possible to immediately return to the state before the failure and communicate, resulting in a highly reliable system. It has the effect of building a system.

〔Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

The above-mentioned FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle configuration of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows an example of the overall system configuration, and (b) shows a management system. An example of the structure of information is shown, and (cl) and (e2) show examples of connections of the communication path (10, 1).

In the present invention, a plurality of information processing systems (1),
In a system in which control data is transferred between 1 and 2 using a dual communication path configuration of a local area network (LAN), each information processing system (1) and 2 have a duplex communication path (10, 11) for each information processing system (1) and 1. Corresponding to the communication partner system (2), communication with ~1 is possible or impossible (self,
and the implementation status of the LAN adapter of the communication destination system,
Logical connection state 1 Communication path (IO, II) 2 Usage state (currently in use, waiting, etc.) I, reply waiting state,
It is held as management information 102 and communicated by the communication control unit 100.
．． Alternatively, the communication monitoring unit 103 refers to the communication destination system 1 of the management information 102 when the current state is different from the current state.
A means necessary for carrying out the present invention is a means for updating each column corresponding to the above and transmitting and receiving control data through a communication path based on the updated result. Note that the same reference numerals indicate the same objects throughout the figures.

Hereinafter, the communication path redundancy control system of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 2 while referring to FIG.

First, each of the information processing systems (1) to 1 requests the communication control unit 100 to transmit control data a as control data b via a service broker (hereinafter referred to as SvP) IO.

That is, the SVP 10 is the information processing system (1),
1 and the communication control unit 100.

Communication control unit 1 that received the transmission request via the svp io
00 is the destination system (2) indicated by the control data b.

Communication path for ~1 (110 or 1111) 2
Management information 1 of the present invention shown in FIG.
Please refer to C from 02.

The management information 102 will be explained using the diagram (b).

As mentioned above, the main management information 102 is for each system (1)
, ~ every 1 and every communication path (10, 11) 2,
The communication state with the other systems (2) to 1 connected to the communication path (10, 11) 2 is maintained.

(b) The diagram shows management information 102 provided for system (1) 1, and in the case of the present invention, similar management information 102 exists for each system (2) to 1. .

In the figure (b), the column 'Cnfg' 102a indicates the self system (1) and the communication destination system (2), ~1
It shows whether or not the LAN adapters 104 and 105 are mounted, where 00° indicates a mounted state and O1'' indicates an unmounted state.

The next Ill Con J 102b shows the logical connection state of the LAN adapters 104 and 105 in the mounted state, where 00' shows the connected state and O1' shows the unconnected state.

The next column rsts J 102c shows the status of the communication path (lO1 cloud 1) 2, where O1'' is the currently used path, and °02' is the alternate (standby) path. °04' is the communication destination LAN adapter 104. Or
105 is not connected, or that its own LAN adapter 104 or 105 is in an uninitialized state, and °08 is in a path abnormality (unusable) state.
Each is shown.

The last column rRES J 102d is a response wait flag for the sent control data, where 01° indicates a response wait state, and 00° indicates a "vacant J (I port LE)".

The communication control unit 100 that has obtained the communication path information transmits control data using the writing unit 100-. At this time, the information e of the management information 102 determines, for example, the 'Cn of the self and the communication partner (for example, system (2)).
fg" 102a column is "00°, and rCon J
Recognizing that the column l02b is °oo',
The writing unit 100- writes into either the LAN adapter 104° or 105.

If a write process is performed on the LAN adapter 104, and no reply data is returned in response to the control data sent (g), the LAN adapter 104. Or, it detects that there is a failure in the LAN adapter lO4 of the other system, and writes the above destination system (2) 1 in the management information 102.
Update the status of the communication path (e) to indicate that communication with communication path ($10) 2 is not possible. System (2) Sends i to 1.

(b) To explain the management information 102 in the figure as an example, control data is transmitted to system (2) 1, and the system (2)
The reading unit 10 detects that no reply data is returned from l.
When detected by 0R, the communication path (11
0) 2 path state rSts' 102c is set to '08' between '01' and the communication path ('102c' of system (2)).
Ill) 2 path status rsts J 102c 02
゛(alternative path)=4°01' (currently used path), and the transmission i to the partner system (2) 1 is performed again using the communication path (11) 2.

Even though the LAN adapter 104 was able to communicate via the communication path (10) 2, if the reading unit 100R reads reply data from the LAN adapter 105 via the communication path (Ill) 2 (j), the other party system(
2) Communication path of 1 ($10) LA connected to 2
The partner system (2) 1 has detected that the N adapter 104 has become unusable and has received the management information 102.
Only the communication path status of is updated (``).

(b) Taking the management information 102 in the figure as an example, 'control data is sent to system (2) 1 via the LAN adapter 104, and reply data is sent from system (2) 1.
When the reading unit 100R detects this returned from the LAN adapter 105, the response wait flag rRES J 102d of the system (2) 1 is set to 01°.
00°, and the path status rSts J 102c of the communication path (10) 2 of the system (2) 1 is set to 01.
”→°08゛, and the path status rSts J 102c of communication path (11) 2 of the system (2) is set to 0.
Change from 2゛ (alternative path) to 01'' (currently used path) in preparation for subsequent communication.

In this case, the system that switched communication (2) 1
Management information 1 for each system (3), ~l other than
The information of 02 is not updated, and it is in a communicable state as before.

The reading unit 100R is the communication path (IO9 or 11) 2
Receives control data via the management information 102, refers to the status of the communication path with the partner system (2) l (f), and sends the control data from the current communication path (#0. or l1l) 2. If the communication control unit 10
0. Information processing system (1) 1 via SVP 10
The writing unit 100k requests processing, completes the processing, and sends the reply data via the communication path (110 or 11) 2 to which it has sent.

Here, if a failure occurs in the self or the other party's LAN adapter 104° or 105 for the transmitted communication path (#0. or #l) 2 and transmission cannot be performed, one of the waiting For communication path (It or 110) 2,
The transmission is performed again and the switching information is updated (e) in the management information 102.

That is, to explain using the management information 102 in Figure (b) as an example, for example, if a failure occurs in the LAN adapter 104 of system (2) 1 and the control data cannot be transmitted,
Communication path (10) of management information 102 2 side communication path status column rsts J 102c's °01゛ (currently used path) → '08' (path abnormality), and the communication path (
11) Status of communication path on side 2 LM@rSts J 10
2c's °o2' (alternative path) - +'01' (currently used path).

Also, the communication control unit 100 of system (1) ■ establishes communication paths (110, 11) of each system (2), ~J at startup.
2 to establish a communication path, and depending on whether or not there is a reply, each system (
2), path state corresponding to ~1 'Sts J 102c
Perform the initial settings (e) in the column.

In addition, if a request to establish a communication path is received from another system (2), -1, the corresponding system (2) in the management information 102
, ~1 path state rsts J updates the tree information of 102c.

The communication monitoring unit 103 monitors each system (2
), communication value 8 with ~1! , (k, ff), and update (d) the communication path information rst, s J 102c of the management information 102 for the system or communication path for which communication confirmation cannot be obtained. Also, LAN 7 adapters 104, 105
On the other hand, when communication with the entire system (2), ~l becomes impossible, the corresponding LAN adapter 104. Alternatively, perform reset processing on 105 and perform recovery processing (k
, f).

Reset processing (k, ff1) is also performed when an abnormality in the LAN adapters 104, 105 is detected.

The management information 102 is provided to each system (1
) , (2) , ~1, each communication path (110, l1
l) It maintains the communication status between each communication system (2) and the other communication system (2) to 1, and each processing unit (communication control unit 100, writing unit 100W, reading unit 100R, communication monitoring unit 103) ) will provide you with the latest information. Furthermore, when a series of reference and update processes are performed from each processing section, the management information 102 can be subjected to exclusive control to eliminate inconsistencies among the processing sections.

FIGS. 2(cl) and (C2) are examples in which each information processing system has the configuration shown in FIG. 2(a).

Figure 2 (cl) shows each system (1), (2),
This shows the transmission and reception of control data when communication between ~ and is operating normally. Then, as shown in FIG. 2 (C2), in the information processing system (4) ■, the LAN adapter 104
If communication on the communication path (10) 2 becomes impossible due to a failure such as, the transmission and reception of control data similar to that shown in Figure 2 (cl) can continue between systems other than the information processing system (4) 1. It is.

Each system (1), (2) to 1 is an information processing system (
4) Communication path (#1
) By switching to use 2 (■, ■),
Subsequent transmission and reception of control data becomes possible.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above in detail, the communication path redundancy control method of the present invention transfers control data between multiple information processing systems using a local area network (LAN). Each communication path (110, #l) and each system (1).

(2), for each, the other party's communication system (2), (3)
, by having a communication state with ~, it is possible to send control data to a certain system, and if the transmission fails, the system that failed to send it will be able to communicate with other systems without being aware of which communication path it is. Since the management information 102 is updated only for the communication path and the communication path switching process is performed,
Even if a failure occurs in an adapter or the like of a certain system, it does not affect subsequent communication between the systems. Further, in the duplex control method of the present invention, the effect becomes greater as the number of systems increases. Furthermore, the duplicated communication paths can be used efficiently and effectively. That is, when the faulty LAN adapter is restored and the communication control unit issues a request to establish the communication path before the fault, communication with the system that was unable to communicate can be continued using the communication path before the fault. . In addition, by monitoring the communication monitoring unit at a certain period of time, abnormalities in each system (2), (3), ~ are detected as soon as possible, and management information is updated, so that the actual transmission by the communication control unit is The time switching process can be simplified and the processing time can be shortened. In addition, if the communication monitoring unit becomes unable to communicate with the entire system on a certain communication path (IO or II), recovery processing can be performed by resetting the corresponding LAN adapter, and the reliability of the system can be restored. It has the effect of significantly increasing customer loyalty.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle configuration of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a conventional communication path redundancy control system. It is. In the drawings, 1 is an information processing system (1), (2), or a system (1), (2), 10 is a service processor (SVP). 100 is a communication control unit, and 102 is management information. 103 is a communication monitoring unit. 104.105 is a LAN adapter. 2 is a communication path (10, l1l). Cnfg is the mounted state, Con is the connected state. Sts is a path state or a communication path state. RES is a response wait flag. a and b are control data. cxi is each process. Figure (7-1) Figure (Part 2) Figure (Part 3)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Transfer of control data between multiple information processing systems (1) is performed using a redundant local area network (
A communication control unit (100) that switches the duplex communication path (2), and a communication monitoring unit (103) that monitors each communication path (2). ,
The communication status of each communication path (2) between the other information processing systems (1) to be connected is shared by the communication control unit (100) and the communication monitoring unit (103), and for each information processing system (1). Management information (102) for managing the communication control unit (100) or communication monitoring unit (103) is provided.
) refers to the management information (102) and detects that the current communication state is different from the state indicated by the management information (102), updates the content of the management information (102), and Based on the contents of the updated management information (102), a communication path (of control data) is established between each information processing system (1).
2) is a communication path duplex control method characterized by switching each information processing system (1) as a unit. (2) The management information (102) includes at least the implementation status (102a) of the information processing system (1) of the self and the communication destination, and the information processing system (1) of the self and the communication destination. The logical connection state (102b) with the communication path (2), the state (102c) of the communication path (2) to be connected, and the response wait when control data is sent to the communication path (2). The communication path duplex control system according to claim 1, further comprising a state (102d).