JPH10116211A - System console fault informing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To immediately inform a maintenance staff of a system console fault by monitoring the response of a system console to a health check message and performing alarming operation unless a response message is obtained within a specified time. SOLUTION: The health check message sent to the system console 2 is received by a health check message receiving function 13 and immediately returned to a server 1 by a response message returning function 12. The response message sent back to the server 1 is inputted to an input/output processor 5 and received by a response message receiving function 9. At this time, a timer means sends the time when the response message is received to a central processor 3, which calculates the time required from the transmission of the health check message to the reception of the response message from the difference between the reception time of the response message and the reception start time of the health check message. When this time is longer than a specified response wait time (t), it is judged that the system console 2 is abnormal and an alarm signal is outputted through a fault detecting function 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for notifying a maintenance person of a failure of a system console connected to a general-purpose computer main unit for maintenance of a computer system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a computer system is constructed by connecting various peripheral control devices to a general-purpose computer main unit (hereinafter referred to as a server). Usually, one or more system consoles are connected to this server, and are used by maintenance personnel when installing an OS or checking for a failure in the peripheral control device. However, these traditional system consoles
Although a function of detecting a failure of the computer system was provided, a function of detecting and notifying a failure of the system console itself was not provided.

[0003]

For this reason, the maintenance staff notices the failure of the system console only when a failure occurs in the computer system and tries to use the system console, and cannot use these system consoles in an emergency. was there. In addition, if a system console failure occurs and the system console cannot be used, maintenance personnel cannot distinguish whether the cause is a server failure or a system console failure. There was also. An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a system console failure notification system for detecting a failure of a system console and notifying maintenance personnel at an early stage.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, a system console failure notification system according to the present invention comprises a health check message transmission means provided in a computer device for periodically transmitting a health check message. ,
A health check message receiving means provided on the system console for receiving a health check message, a response message returning means provided on the system console for sending a response message when the health check message receiving means receives the health check message, and a computer device A response message receiving unit provided in the computer device; a failure detection unit provided in the computer device for transmitting an alarm signal unless the response message receiving device receives the response message within a predetermined time; and a failure detection device provided in the computer device. And an alarm device for issuing a predetermined alarm upon receiving an alarm signal. With this configuration, the present invention can detect the failure of the system console by monitoring the response message returned from the system console on the server side, and can provide the maintenance staff with the alarm device by operating the alarm device. Failure can be notified.

[0005]

Next, details of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the computer system according to the present invention includes a server 1, a system console 2 connected to the server 1, and a plurality of peripheral controllers (not shown) connected to the server 1.

The server 1 includes a central processing unit 3 and a main storage device 4
, An input / output processing device 5 and an alarm device 11. The input / output processing device 5 includes a health check message transmission function 8, a response message reception function 9, and a failure detection function 10. The system console 2 includes a control unit 7, a keyboard 14, a display 15, and a printer 16 connected to the control unit 7.
Is connected to the server 1 via the. The control unit 7 has a response message return function 12 and a health check message reception function 13.

The operation of each function of the present invention thus configured will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of each function in FIG. In the figure, a health check message transmission function 8 provided in the server 1
Transmits a health check message to the control unit 7 of the system console 2 via the interface 6 at every predetermined fixed period T. At this time, a timer (not shown) transmits the time at which the health check message was transmitted to the central processing unit 3,
The central processing unit 3 stores this time in the main storage device. Then, the health check message transmitted to the system console 2 is received by the health check message receiving function 13, and the response message returning function 12 immediately returns the response message to the server 1 via the interface 6.

[0008] The response message returned to the server 1 is input to the input / output processing device 5 and received by the response message receiving function 9. At this time, the timing means (not shown) transmits the time at which the response message was received to the central processing unit 3, and the central processing unit 3 calculates the health based on the difference between the reception time of the response message and the transmission start time of the health check message. The time required from transmission of the check message to reception of the response message is calculated.
If this time is shorter than the predetermined response waiting time t set in advance, the central processing unit 3 determines that the system console 2 is operating normally.

However, if the time is equal to or longer than the time t, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the system console 2, and the central processing unit 3 outputs an alarm signal via the failure detection function 10. When this alarm signal is received by an alarm device 12 constituted by a lamp, a buzzer, or the like, the alarm device 11 immediately emits a light or emits an audible alarm to notify maintenance personnel of the system of the failure of the system console. I do.

[0010] The value of the time t is the largest of the sum of the time required for the server 1 to transmit the health check message and receive the response message and the processing time of the health check message in the system console 2. Use a large value. The value of the time T is larger than the time t, and is empirically determined in consideration of the frequency of use of the system console.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same components as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same or equivalent components. The alarm device 11 is connected via an interface 21 and is installed separately from the server 1. Each function in the input / output device 5 in FIG. 1 is realized by software 20 stored in the main storage device in FIG.

Further, the system console 2 is provided with a failure detection notification function 22 for independently detecting a failure of the system console 2. That is, in the system console failure notifying method according to FIG. 3, not only the server monitors the response message returned from the system console 2 but also the failure detection notification function 22 detects the failure of the system console 2 autonomously. ing. In this way, by doubling the failure check, more strict failure detection can be realized.

There are several methods for autonomously detecting a failure using the failure detection notification function 22. For example, the CPU used in the system console executes all the instructions one by one under predetermined conditions, detects a failure based on the quality of the result (a health check inside the CPU), or executes a main operation connected to the system console. Write / read to / from a predetermined area of various input / output devices (magnetic drum device, magnetic disk device, etc.) and collate data to detect a failure (I
/ O cyclical health check), a loop is established on two lines (test lines) accommodated in the communication control device in the system console on the line side, and data transmission and reception are performed to detect a failure (transmission control device health). Check) there is a method.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, the response of the system console to the health check message is monitored on the computer side, and if no response message is obtained within a predetermined time, it is determined that the system console has failed. Since the alarm device provided in the device is operated, maintenance personnel can be immediately notified of the failure of the system console.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a relationship between a health check message and a response message in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... General-purpose computer main unit (server), 2 ... System console, 3 ... Central processing unit, 4 ... Main storage device, 5
... I / O processing device, 6 ... Interface, 7 ... Control unit,
8: Health check message transmission function, 9: Response message reception function, 10: Failure detection function, 11: Alarm device, 12: Response message return function, 13: Health check message reception function, 1
4 ... keyboard, 15 ... display, 16 ... printer.

Claims (2)

[Claims] In a system for notifying maintenance personnel of a failure of a system console connected to a computer device, a health check message transmission means provided in the computer device for periodically transmitting a health check message, and provided in a system console. A health check message receiving means for receiving a health check message, a response message sending means for receiving a health check message provided on the system console, and a response message returning means for sending a response message when the health check message is received; and a computer device. Response message receiving means for receiving a response message; failure detection means provided in the computer device for transmitting an alarm signal when the response message receiving device does not receive the response message within a predetermined time; and alarm signal provided in the computer device. An alarm device that issues a predetermined alarm when receiving A system console failure notification system comprising: 2. The system console failure notification system according to claim 1, wherein: a failure detection notification unit provided in the system console and transmitting a failure notification message when a failure of the system console is detected; Failure notification message receiving means for receiving the message, the failure detection means provided in the computer device sends an alarm signal when the failure notification message receiving means receives the failure notification message, and the alarm device receives the alarm signal A system console failure notification system that issues a predetermined alarm.