JPS62256161A - Change over control system for spare device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain an economical spare constitution by issuing an iquiry about the result of a changeover by a processor in question and recognizing the address of a newly connected spare connection equipment. CONSTITUTION:A controller 12 selects one of the idle devices in the spare connection equipment 10 and controls the connection equipment 11 so as to change over the channel device 3a of a request processor 1a from the connection with the connection device 4a to the connection with the spare, connection equipment 10. When the changeover is completed, the processor 1a issues an inquiry command to the channel device 3a and the channel equipment 3a answers the address of the connected connection device or the spare connection equipment. Thereby, the processor 1a constitutes a control message for a new communication and transmits to all the connection equipment to attain the communication. Thereby, the spare connection equipment 10 may be provided as a common spare equipment to all the connection equipments 4a-4n of a system and its required number is determined based on the number of the connection equipments 4a-4n, a trouble generation ratio and the desired reliability of the system.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] Current use of a coupling device that connects a communication device and a processing device for communication between a plurality of processing devices constituting a computer system;
This is a standby switching control method. A preliminary coupling device that is common to all processing devices, a connecting device that connects the preliminary coupling device to any processing device, and a control device that controls the connecting device according to the request of the processing device and performs switching between working and backup are installed. The processing unit issues an inquiry to recognize the address of the newly connected pre-coupler. The above enables an economical preliminary configuration.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a current/standby switching control method for a coupling device for communication between a plurality of processing devices in a computer system.

In a computer system consisting of a plurality of so-called loosely coupled processing devices, a communication means for connecting the processing devices is required, as is known in the art.

In such systems, a redundant configuration of the coupling devices constituting the communication means is often adopted in order to maintain system reliability.

[Prior art and problems to be solved by the invention] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system.

The processing devices 1a, lb, and in are independent processing devices that constitute a subsystem, and the communication device 2 provides a means for mutual communication. The communication device 2 is constructed of, for example, a known optical communication loop type communication path, as conceptually shown as a communication loop 7 in the figure.

Each processing device 1a, 1b, 1n needs to be connected to a communication device 2 via a known channel device 3a, 3b, 3n and a communication coupling device 4a, 4b, 4n, etc. The device 1as lbs In is enabled to process communication between processing devices as a type of general input/output processing.

In order to increase the reliability of the communication system, if a spare coupling device is provided, spare coupling devices 5a, 5b, and 5n are provided, respectively, and switching devices 6a, 6b, and 6n are used to switch the channel device 3a. , 3b, and 3n are connected to one coupling device.

For example, the processing device 1a first controls the switching device 6a, connects it to the coupling device 4a, and uses the communication address on the communication loop 7 assigned to the coupling device 4a to make it possible to exchange messages with itself. A control message notifying control information including designation of the communication channel number to be used (the channel number of the multiplexed communication channel flowing through the communication loop 7) is sent to the full coupling device connected to the communication loop 7.

Each coupling device holds the control information sent and received in this way, and then sends messages sent and received between the processing device that is the host of each coupling device and other processing devices via a predetermined communication channel. Execute known control for sending and receiving.

When the processing device 1a determines that there is a failure in the coupling device 4a by detecting an abnormality in communication between the processing devices, for example, through a fault detection process, it controls the switching device 6a to change the connection of the channel device 3a to the coupling device. 4a to pre-bonding device 5a
Switch to .

Although the processing device 1a has been described above as an example, similar control is performed in the processing devices 1b and In of other subsystems.

Although the above configuration can improve the reliability of the communication system, it is necessary to provide a backup device for each coupling device, so if there are many subsystems, the number of backup coupling devices will increase. There was a problem with economics.

[Means for solving problems]

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

The figure shows the configuration of a computer system consisting of a plurality of subsystems, in which 10 is a preliminary coupling device, 11 is a connection device, and 12 is a control device.

[For production]

For communication between processing units that make up a computer system,
A necessary number of coupling devices 48 to 4n are provided in the same manner as in the conventional art, and a required number of preliminary coupling devices 10 are provided as spares common to all coupling devices.

A connection device 11 is provided to connect the coupling devices 4a to 4n and the preliminary coupling device IO to the channel devices 3a to 3n, and the connection is controlled by a control device 12.

For example, in the initial setting of the system, under the control of the control device 12, each of the coupling devices 48 to 4n is connected to the channel devices ff3a to 3n, respectively, by the switch of the connection device 11, and communication between processing devices is performed as in the conventional case. It becomes possible.

Conventionally, when the processing device 1a determines that there is a failure in the coupling device 4a, for example, the processing device 1a
requires switching of the coupling device.

The control device 12 selects one of the vacant devices in the preliminary coupling device 10, and connects the channel device 38 of the request processing device 1a to the selected preliminary coupling device 10 from the connection with the coupling device 4a.
The connection device 11 is controlled to switch to a connection with.

When the switching is completed, the processing bag rZ1a issues a make-up command to the channel device 3a, and the channel device 3a responds to the command with the address of the connected coupling device or preliminary coupling device.

As a result, the processing device 1a composes a control message for new communication, transmits it to the fully connected device, and communication becomes possible.

With the above configuration, the spare coupling device 10 can be provided as a common spare for all the coupling devices 4a to 4n in the system, and the required number depends on the number of coupling devices 4a to 4n, the failure rate, and the expected reliability of the system. determined based on degree.

〔Example〕

In FIG. 1, processing devices 1a to 1n, a channel device 3
A to 3n, coupling devices 48 to 41, etc. have the same functions as in the conventional case except as described below.

For communication between the processing devices 1a to ln, a necessary number of coupling devices 48 to 4n are provided as in the conventional case, and a required number of preliminary coupling devices 10 are provided as a common reserve to all the active coupling devices 48 to 4n. is placed. Each preliminary coupling device 10 may have the same configuration as each of the currently used coupling devices 4a to 4n.

The required number of preliminary coupling devices 10 is equal to the number of currently used coupling devices 4a to 4n.
The decision may be made based on the number of devices, the failure rate, and the expected system reliability; if the number and failure rate are relatively small, only one device may be installed in common.

A connection device 11 is provided to connect the coupling devices 4a to 4n and the preliminary coupling device 10 to the channel devices 38 to 3n, and the connection is controlled by a control device 12.

The connection device 11 is configured so that connections between the channel devices 38 to 3n and the coupling devices and the preliminary coupling devices 4a to 4n, 10 can be made in any combination using, for example, so-called electronic switches.

For example, in the initial setting of the system, each of the coupling devices 4a to 4n is connected to the channel devices g3a to 3n by the switch of the connection device 11 under the control of the control device 12, and communication between the processing devices is established as in the conventional case. It becomes possible.

For example, when it is determined that the processing bag W1a has a failure in the coupling device 4a, as in the past, the processing device 1a
requires switching of the coupling device.

The control device 12 selects one of the vacant devices in the preliminary coupling device 10, disconnects the channel device 3a of the request processing device 1a from the coupling device 4a, and connects it to the selected preliminary coupling device 10. The connection device 11 is controlled as follows.

When the switching connection is completed, the processing device 1a switches to the channel device 3a.
Issuing a makeshift command to set up the channel? In response to the command, 1f3a reads the address for communication assigned on the communication loop 7 from the connected pre-coupling device 10, and replies with the address to the processing device 1a.

As a result, the processing device 1a configures control information for new communication, transmits a control message to the fully coupled device, and enables communication via the preliminary coupled device 10.

The failure coupling device 1a is separately subjected to failure repair processing, and when it recovers, a recovery notification is input to the control device 12 from the operator console 13, and the control device 12 performs the repair based on this notification. The bonding device is incorporated into one of the prebonding devices 10, for example.

With the above configuration, the preliminary binding device 10 may be provided as a spare for all binding bags W4a to 4n of the system.
The required number of spares can be reduced compared to the conventional method.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the reliability of the communication system between a plurality of processing units constituting a computer system is achieved through a redundant configuration using a relatively small number of spare units. It has a significant industrial effect of improving reliability and economy.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional configuration. In the figure, 1a, 1b, 1n are processing devices, 2 is a communication device, 3a,
3b, 3n are channel devices, 4a, 4b, 4n are coupling devices, 5a, 5b, 5n, 10 are preliminary coupling devices, 6a, 6b,
6n is a switching device, 7 is a communication loop, 11 is a connection device,
12 is a block diagram of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A plurality of processing devices (1a to 1n) connected to a communication device (2) via a coupling device (4a to 4n) or a preliminary coupling device (10) and communicating with each other via the communication device. In a backup device switching control method for a computer system having
A connection device (11) having a path to connect any one device of the processing devices (1a to 1n);
11) to connect the processing devices (1a to 1n) from the coupling devices (4a to 4n) to the preliminary coupling device (10).
and a control device (12) for switching to the address of the pre-coupling device (10) by issuing an inquiry from the processing device (1a to 1n) to the pre-coupling device (10) connected to the processing device. A standby device switching control method characterized by having means for identifying.