KR20110001205A - Electronic exchanger for supporting interconnections between multiple computers and multiple terminals, system and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An electronic switching system for simplifying maintenance and repair of a computer is provided to dynamically use the computer under a cloud computing environment and a utility computing environment. CONSTITUTION: A computer group includes a plurality of computers. A terminal group includes a plurality of terminal. An electronic exchanger(100) dynamically interlinks each computer of the computer group and each terminal of the terminal group. Switching devices connect or disconnect the terminal with the computer according to updated information of a control unit.

Description

ELECTRONIC EXCHANGER FOR SUPPORTING INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN MULTIPLE COMPUTERS AND MULTIPLE TERMINALS, SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to an electronic exchange that supports interconnection between a plurality of computers and a plurality of terminal devices. More specifically, any one of the plurality of computers and any one of the plurality of terminal devices may be logically connected to each other. The present invention relates to a method and an internal structure of an exchange, which allows a plurality of logical pairs to be simultaneously connected in the same manner.

 The present invention is derived from a study conducted as part of the IT New Growth Engine Core Technology Development Project of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy [Task Management Number: 2007-S-016-03, Task Name: Development of a low-cost large-scale global Internet service solution].

The KVM switch allows the administrator to monitor the status of each server through multiplexing between one or a few terminals and multiple servers for efficient management of each server in a data center where multiple servers exist. It is a switch. KVM stands for Keyboard, Video, Mouse, and is generally optimized to provide a convenient interface for one or a few administrators to manage multiple servers. In other words, the KVM switch is a multiplexing / demultiplexing technology for 1: N (N is the number of computers) connections.

However, a given environment is not a server management environment, but a utility computing environment (e.g., a public service facility, a call center, a PC room, a large number of users) in which a plurality of users want to connect and use the resources of a plurality of computers. KVM switches are not suitable for the environment. In other words, inefficient computing that can be caused by multiple computers operating in a utility computing environment, difficulty managing individual computers, assigning user seats, discontinuity in business due to hardware and software upgrades / repairs, and overall computing The existing multiplexing / demultiplexing techniques for 1: N (N is the number of computers) connections do not help in solving problems such as inefficient power management of the environment.

An object of the present invention is to enable any one computer and any one terminal to be logically interconnected in a plurality of computer groups and a plurality of terminal groups, and based on this, a plurality of pairs of computers until the number of available computers or terminals is exhausted. It is to provide an electronic exchange and a system in which a terminal logical connection can be dynamically created and destroyed.

The object of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned object, and other objects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

An electronic switch according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, in the electronic switch for interconnecting a plurality of computers and a plurality of terminals, the information on the connection state between the plurality of computers and the plurality of terminals. And a plurality of switching units configured to connect the plurality of terminals to the plurality of computers, respectively by turning on or off according to the state storage unit for storing the information and the connection state information.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic switching system includes a computer group including a plurality of computers, a terminal group including a plurality of terminals, and the respective computers of the computer group and each terminal of the terminal group dynamically. It includes an electronic exchanger for connecting.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method of an electronic system including a plurality of switching elements, the control method of an electronic switching system interconnecting a plurality of computers and a plurality of terminals. Searching for available computers using a plurality of on / off information indicative of on or off of each switching element, if required, and connecting the terminal and the available computers, if available. Updating on / off information of the switching element and switching the switching element according to the updated on / off information.

Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and the drawings.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an environment in which each of a plurality of users can be used while dynamically changing a plurality of computers in a cloud computing and utility computing environment that has recently been issued.

In addition, administrators or operators do not need to move from location to location for software and hardware upgrades or repairs of computers, making computer maintenance and maintenance easier than using a single terminal connection for each computer. have.

In addition, if there is a problem with a computer to be used in a utility computing environment, other computers can be assigned to guarantee business continuity and use of space.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various forms, and only the present embodiments are intended to complete the disclosure of the present invention, and the general knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Also, in this specification, reference to one element as "connected to" with another device includes both direct connection or coupling with another device or intervening another device in between. . In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. As used herein, the words "comprises" and / or "comprising" do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements.

In addition, the term 'computer' described herein refers to a unit server, a blade server, or a corresponding form that can be mounted in a rack for a volume server as well as a general desktop PC or a notebook, that is, a main board, a central processing unit (CPU), memory, and an IO. Collectively, it is a unit system composed of bridge chipsets.

In addition, the term 'terminal' described herein refers to a bundle of display devices composed of LCD, PDP, CRT, etc. and one user interface device composed of keyboard, mouse, speaker, microphone, USB port, and the like. In this case, the display device receives a video signal through a composite cable, an S-VIDEO cable, a component cable, a D-SUB cable (aka VGA cable), a DVI cable, an HDMI cable, and other analog or digital video cables, and displays the signal on the display panel. Refers to a device capable of outputting the contents of. Mouse means a mouse that communicates with a computer via a PS2 or USB port. A keyboard also means a keyboard that communicates with a computer through a PS2 or USB port. Speaker refers to a speaker connected to a computer through various types of audio cables such as RCA and OFC. The USB port is a connector attached to each computer to support the USB communication protocol and exist in the form of a single cable port or in the form of a USB hub to provide multiple ports. The USB port / hub can also be implemented in a combination of other terminal components, such as the side or front of the monitor, or a keyboard. If you use a USB mouse or USB keyboard, you can connect to a USB port to configure the terminal, and various USB attached devices such as a USB PC camera can also be connected to the USB port to configure the terminal.

An electronic exchange and an electronic exchange system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 1 is a block diagram showing an electronic exchange system in one embodiment, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an electronic exchange system according to another embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the electronic exchange system 10 includes a computer group, a terminal group, and an electronic exchange 100, and includes a plurality of computers C_1 to C_N and a plurality of terminals T_1 to T_M. Support cross-connections.

A computer group refers to a group of N PCs (where N is a natural number), for example, and a terminal group includes M devices that directly interface with a user such as a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, a speaker, a microphone, and a USB port. It is a group of terminals (T_1 ~ T_M) of natural numbers). Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the computer group may include a plurality of volume servers S_1 to S_N, or may include a plurality of blade servers.

The electronic exchange 100 logically connects the computers C_1 to C_N and the terminals T_1 to T_M between the computer group and the terminal group. The connection line between each computer C_1 to C_N of the computer group and the electronic exchange 100, and the connection line between each terminal T_1 to T_M and the electronic exchange 100 of the terminal group are a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, a speaker, a microphone, and a USB. It can be implemented as separate cable lines consisting of dedicated cables for each port, or as a single or grouped cable bundle.

The electronic exchange 100 dynamically interconnects the terminals T_1 to T_M of the terminal group with the computers C_1 to C_N of the computer group, or connects the terminals C_1 to C_N and the terminals T_1 to T_M that are already connected. Can be separated. This interconnection and disconnection can also occur by manually attaching and detaching cables. Accordingly, the plurality of terminals T_1 to T_M may be connected to the plurality of computers C_1 to C_N while changing dynamically. That is, the plurality of users may use the plurality of computers C_1 to C_N while changing them dynamically.

In this case, when a problem occurs in the computers C_1 to C_N that the user is currently using, other computers C_1 to C_N may be allocated and used, thereby ensuring continuity of the business. In addition, the manager or operator does not need to move the location when upgrading and repairing the software and hardware of the computers C_1 to C_N, so that the maintenance and maintenance of the computer group may be facilitated.

Hereinafter, the electronic exchanger 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3.

3 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic exchanger according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic exchange 100 includes a plurality of switching units SW_1 to SW_M, a state storage unit 110, and a control unit 120. 3 illustrates an example in which N computers C_1 to C_N and M terminals T_1 to T_M are connected by one signal line.

Each switching unit SW_1 to SW_M selectively connects each terminal T_1 to T_M of the terminal group with each computer C_1 to C_N of the computer group. Specifically, M switching units SW_1 to SW_M are provided, and each switching unit SW_1 to SW_M includes M terminals including the number of computers C_1 to C_N constituting the computer group, for example, N switches. Each of the T_1 to T_M may be selectively connected to the N computers C_1 to C_N.

The controller 120 controls the switching of the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) on or off through the state storage unit 110. For example, the state storage unit 110 stores the states of the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) on or off. For example, the state storage unit 110 may store N × M on / off information of the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M). In order for the controller 120 to connect the first terminal T_1 to the first computer C_1, the controller 120 may turn on / off information of the first switching element SW (1,1) stored in the state storage unit 110. (Or on) and when the on / off information of the second to Nth switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) is set to 0 (or off), the first switching element SW Only (1,1) is turned on and the second to Nth switching elements SW (2,1) to SW (N, M) are turned off to connect the first terminal T_1 to the first computer C_1. Can be.

In addition, the state storage unit 110 includes a cable connecting the terminals T_1 to T_M and the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M), and the computers C_1 to C_N and the switching element SW ( 1, 1) ~ SW (N, M)) can recognize the cable. For example, a unique number may be assigned to each cable. The state storage unit 110 may recognize a unique number of a cable connected to the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M), and thus may determine which terminal is connected to which computer. Alternatively, the state storage unit 110 may receive a signal for distinguishing the terminals T_1 to T_M and the computers C_1 to C_N from each terminal T_1 to T_M and each computer C_1 to C_N, and the terminal T_1. ~ T_M) and the connection relationship between the computer (C_1 ~ C_N) can be understood. The result can be stored as 0 or 1 as described above.

Through this, for example, when the administrator manually detaches the cable or replaces the cable, a signal for recognizing the unique number of the cable or distinguishing the terminal (T_1 to T_M) and the computer (C_1 to C_N) is provided. With input, you can see which terminal is currently connected to which computer. To this end, each cable connector may be provided with a memory storing a unique number of the cable, it may be separately defined pins that can know whether the connector is attached or removed.

The control unit 120 may be a program of a system manager or a management computer, or may be a unit that performs an operation by the system manager or a management computer. In addition, the state storage unit 110 stores the logical connection state information of the current electronic switching system, and may be implemented as any type of memory device such as EEPROM, flash memory, registers, and the like. Can be. The state storage unit 110 may read the connection state information by the controller 120 or may be updated to a new connection state under the control of the controller 120.

Meanwhile, the electronic exchange and the electronic exchange system according to another embodiment may be manually connected by an administrator without dynamically connecting the terminals T_1 to T_M and the computers C_1 to C_N under the control of the controller 120. have. That is, the state storage unit 110 stores and updates the on or off states of the respective switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) under the control of the controller 120, thereby updating each switching element SW. (1,1) to SW (N, M)) may not be turned on or off. For example, as described above, the manager connects the terminals T_1 to T_M and the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) and the computers C_1 to C_N and the switching elements SW ( 1,1) ~ SW (N, M)) can be manually disconnected to connect terminals (T_1 ~ T_M) and computers (C_1 ~ C_N). In this case, a unique number is assigned to each cable, and the state storage unit 110 recognizes the unique number of the cable connected to the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M), which terminal You can find out which computer you are connected to. The state storage unit 110 may store or update the grasped result.

A detailed example of each of the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. 4 to 6 are exemplary diagrams of the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) shown in FIG. 3.

When a unidirectional signal is transmitted between the terminals T_1 to T_M and the computers C_1 to C_N, the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N) connecting the terminals T_1 to T_M and the computers C_1 to C_N. , M)) may be implemented with a tri-state buffer element shown in FIG. 4 or 5. Alternatively, when a bidirectional signal is transmitted between the terminals T_1 to T_M and the computers C_1 to C_N, the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (which connect the terminals T_1 to T_M and the computers C_1 to C_N). N, M)) may be implemented using a pass transistor device like a bilateral switch shown in FIG. 6. 4 to 6, the control signal may be on / off information set by the controller 120 and stored in the state storage unit 110.

On the other hand, for signals that do not require switching, for example, signals that the meaning of the signals on / off according to HSYNC, VSYNC, such as R, G, B signals of the VGA monitor cable (D-SUB) Figure 4 It may not be implemented by the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) illustrated in FIG. 6. Just connect one source signal to all sink pins. In addition, if a signal is weakened due to a fan-in or fan out problem, a repeater or a buffering circuit may be added.

Hereinafter, a control method of an electronic switching system according to an embodiment will be described.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of an electronic switching system according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, first, the switching elements SW (1, 1) to SW (N, M) are initialized (S710). For example, by setting the on / off information of all the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) stored in the state storage unit 110 to 0, all the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW Turn off (N, M)).

Then, the controller 120 waits for a request (S720). When the control unit 120 makes a request, it is determined whether the request is a request for a logical connection between the computers C_1 to C_N and the terminals T_1 to T_M (S730).

If it is not a request for a logical connection, for example, a request for connection state information between the computers C_1 to C_N and the terminals T_1 to T_M, the logical elements of the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) may be used. Informs the connection state (S710). That is, the controller 120 informs the on / off information of the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) stored in the state storage unit 110.

If the request for the logical connection between the computer (C_1 ~ C_N) and the terminal (T_1 ~ T_M), it is determined whether the connection request is made by specifying a specific computer (S750). If the connection request is made by designating a specific computer, it is determined whether the designated computer is currently available (S760). The availability state may be determined through on / off information of the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) stored in the state storage unit 110.

For example, when the designated computer is the N-th computer C_N, when the M on / off information of the switches SW (N, 1) to SW (N, M) associated with the N-th computer is all zero, it becomes available. I can figure it out. When the designated computer C_N is found to be available, the designated computer C_N is connected to the terminals T_1 to T_M requested by the controller 120. For example, on / off information for SW (M, i) may be set to 1 to create a logical connection state between the i th terminals T_1 to T_M (1 ≦ i ≦ M) and the designated computer C_N. When the logical connection is completed, the controller 120 enters the request waiting state S720 again.

If it is determined that the designated computer C_N is not in an available state, the controller 120 notifies the controller 120 that the connection is impossible with the warning message (S780), and enters the request-waiting state of the controller 120.

If the content of the logical connection request is not a connection request for a specific computer, that is, if a specific computer is not specified, it is checked whether there is a computer in an available state (S790). This process may be performed by finding j in which the bit values of the switching elements SW (j, 1) to SW (j, M) are all 0 while increasing j from 1 to 1 by N. For example, when j = 1, the on / off information of the M switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (1, M) is read, and it is determined whether all are 0, and when all is 0, the first computer is available. I judge it. If none is 0, when j = 2, the on / off information of the M switching elements SW (2,1) to SW (2, M) is read and it is determined whether all are zero. That is, if j of the on / off information of the switching elements SW (j, 1) to SW (j, M) is both 0, the j th computer C_j is connected to the terminal requested by the control unit 120 ( S770), if there is no computer available, i.e. when there is no j in which the on / off information values of the switching elements SW (j, 1) to SW (j, M) are all 0, a warning message is issued together with a warning message. The controller 120 informs that the connection is impossible (S780), and enters the request waiting state of the controller 120.

Hereinafter, a control method of an electronic exchange system according to another embodiment will be described. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of an electronic switching system according to another embodiment. The same steps as those shown in FIG. 7 use the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 8, first, the switch is initialized (S710), and the connection state of the cable is scanned (S820). Specifically, a cable connecting the terminals T_1 to T_M and the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M), and the computers C_1 to C_N and the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW ( N, M)) is scanned for the cable connection. At this time, the connection number between the terminals T_1 to T_M, the switching elements SW (1, 1) to SW (N, M), and the computers C_1 to C_N may be determined using the unique number of the cable. The connection state between the terminals T_1 to T_M and the computers C_1 to C_N is stored or updated based on the result of the determination (S830). For example, the on / off information of the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) is updated in the state storage unit. For example, the state storage unit may store on / off information of the switching elements SW (1,1) to SW (N, M) in the form of an N × M matrix. After scanning, the state storage unit recognizes the rows and columns. Can be updated.

Operation S820 may be performed even when an interrupt is generated. For example, when an electronic switching system is in operation, an administrator may manually disconnect the cable to generate an interrupt when a connection or disconnection between the computer and the terminal occurs. When the interrupt is generated, the connection state of the cable is scanned (S820). The scanning result may be updated in the state storage unit (S830).

As described above, the controller may wait for the request of the controller (S720) and perform steps S730 to S790 of FIG. 7.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. For example, a program for realizing the control method of the present invention may be implemented in various forms such as a recording medium in which a program is recorded. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the following claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and the equivalent concept are included in the scope of the present invention. Should be interpreted.

1 is a block diagram showing an electronic exchange system according to an embodiment.

2 is a block diagram showing an electronic exchange system according to another embodiment.

3 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic exchanger according to an embodiment.

4 to 6 are exemplary views of the switching device shown in FIG.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of an electronic switching system according to an embodiment.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of an electronic switching system according to another embodiment.

Claims (20)

A computer group including a plurality of computers; A terminal group including a plurality of terminals; And An electronic exchange dynamically interconnecting each computer of the computer group and each terminal of the terminal group Electronic exchange system comprising a. The method of claim 1, wherein the electron exchanger A plurality of switching elements; A state storage unit which stores on / off information regarding on or off of each switching element; And A control unit for updating the on / off information, The switching element is on or off in accordance with the updated information to dynamically connect or disconnect the plurality of terminals from the plurality of computers, respectively. Electronic exchange system. The method of claim 2, wherein the control unit Reading information about on or off stored in the state storage unit and acquiring a current connection state between the plurality of computers and the plurality of terminals; Electronic exchange system. The method of claim 3, wherein the control unit Determining whether each computer is available from the information about the on or off, and updating the information about the on or off to interconnect or disconnect the computer in an available state from the terminal. Electronic exchange system. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal is Electronic switching system including at least one of a USB port, a microphone, audio, a keyboard, a video, a mouse. The method of claim 1, A cable connecting the terminal and the electronic exchanger and a cable connecting the computer and the electronic exchanger, The cable is assigned a unique number, so that the electronic exchange uses the unique number to determine the current connection state between the plurality of computers and the plurality of terminals. Electronic exchange system. In an electronic exchanger for interconnecting a plurality of computers and a plurality of terminals, respectively, A state storage unit for storing information regarding a connection state between the plurality of computers and the plurality of terminals; And A plurality of switching unit for connecting the plurality of terminals to each of the plurality of computers by turning on or off according to the information on the connection state Electronic exchanger comprising a. The method of claim 7, wherein When the plurality of computers is N (N is a natural number) and the plurality of terminals are M (M is a natural number), The plurality of switching units is M, and each of the switching units includes N switching elements, and the connection state information includes N × M on / off information indicating on or off of each switching element. Electronic exchanger. The method of claim 8, Grasp the current connection state between the plurality of computers and the plurality of terminals by using on / off information of each switching element stored in the state storage unit; And a controller configured to update the on / off information to establish interconnection or separation between the plurality of computers and the plurality of terminals. Electronic exchanger. The method of claim 9, When the control unit interconnects the terminal and a specific computer, The control unit reads on / off information of the M switching elements associated with the specific computer from the state storage unit, and determines whether the specific computer is in an available state from the read on / off information. Updating on / off information of switching elements interconnecting said particular computer Electronic exchanger. The method of claim 9, When the control unit interconnects the terminal and any computer, The control unit sequentially reads on / off information of the plurality of switching elements from the state storage unit, searches for a computer in an available state from the read on / off information, and if there is an available computer, the terminal and the available Updating on / off information of switching elements interconnecting computers Electronic exchanger. The method of claim 8, The switching element is a tri-state buffer or bilateral switch Electronic exchanger. The method of claim 7, wherein And a cable connecting the terminal and the switching unit, and a cable connecting the computer and the switching unit. The cable is assigned a unique number, and the state storage unit uses the unique number to determine a current connection state between the plurality of computers and the plurality of terminals. Electronic exchanger. The method of claim 13, When an interrupt occurs, the state storage unit scans the connection state of the cable and updates the information on the connection state using the unique number of the cable connected to the switching unit. Electronic exchanger. In the control method of the electronic switching system including a plurality of switching elements, and interconnecting a plurality of computers and a plurality of terminals, respectively, Retrieving an available computer using a plurality of on / off information indicative of on or off of each switching element when a connection between the terminal and the computer is requested; Updating on / off information of a switching element connecting said terminal and said available computer, if there is an available computer; And Switching the switching device according to the updated on / off information Control method of an electronic exchange system comprising a. The method of claim 15, When the plurality of computers is N (N is a natural number) and the plurality of terminals are M (M is a natural number), The plurality of switching units are M, each switching unit includes N switching elements, the plurality of on / off information is N × M Control method of phosphorus electronic exchange system. The method of claim 16, When a connection between the terminal and a specific computer is requested, the searching step Reading on / off information of M switching elements associated with the particular computer; And Determining whether the M switching elements are all off from the read on / off information. Control method of phosphorus electronic exchange system. The method of claim 16, When a connection between the terminal and any computer is requested, the searching step Reading on / off information of M switching elements associated with any one of the plurality of computers from the state storage; Determining whether the M switching elements are all off from the read on / off information; And If not all off, repeating the reading and judging using the on / off information of the M switching elements associated with the other computer Control method of phosphorus electronic exchange system. The method of claim 15, If the available computer does not exist, further comprising a warning message and a step of notifying that the connection is unavailable. Control method of phosphorus electronic exchange system. The method of claim 15, Scanning a connection state of a cable connecting the terminal and the switching element and a cable connecting the computer and the switching element; And Storing the plurality of on / off information according to the scanning result. Control method of the electronic exchange system.

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