JP2000307591A - Automatic fault restoration device for information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the burden of an operator on the management by automatically detecting a system switch fault which frequently occurs in an information processing system where plural duplexed information processors and restoration instruction devices are installed and restoring the fault of the update of software and various data. SOLUTION: The information processors 101 and 102 of the duplex systems of an operation system and a preparation system share an act system display common register 301 displaying the operation system and an act signal setting register 302 setting an act signal showing the operation system is installed inside. An act display number addition register 303 adds the number of act setting times, which is set to the register 302. When it is not less than the specified number of times, it is informed to a system switch monitoring report device. The information processors 101 and 102 are restored from the respective faults by the processing of the system switch monitoring report device based on a processing instruction from the restoration instruction device receiving a, system switch report. Thus, the system switch detection of the operation system and the preparation system and the various processings can automatically be executed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises a plurality of information processing apparatuses, one of which operates as an active system (act system), and the other operates as a standby system in place of the active system when the active system is stopped. Information processing system configured as
For example, the present invention relates to an automatic failure recovery device of an information processing system that detects frequent system switching and automatically recovers a failure of the information processing system in a heterogeneous network connection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a heterogeneous network connection device such as an exchange, an information processing device is provided for each function, such as an interface function with various networks and a function of exchanging data between the networks. There is something like that.

Here, the information processing apparatus is configured, for example, as a board that can be inserted into and removed from the main body of the apparatus, and software and various data for realizing the function are mounted on each board. Has been realized.

[0004] Further, in the inter-heterogeneous network connection device, there is a case where it is necessary to always operate it depending on the function.
To realize this, prepare two information processing devices,
One is allocated to the active system to be operated, and the other is allocated to the preparation system that runs in place of the active system when the operation of the active system stops.

When the operation system goes down, the operation of the preparation system is switched by switching the operation system and the preparation system so that the information processing apparatus for realizing the function is always operated. .

Further, in the above-described dual system of the active system and the preparatory system, when rewriting software incorporating a failure or the like, the software and various data of the preparatory information processing device are updated. The faulty software can be rewritten to normal software without stopping the operation of the entire information processing system.

[0007]

In the conventional heterogeneous network connection apparatus, when the operation system and the preparation system are switched by a certain factor in a plurality of information processing apparatuses constituting the apparatus, the switched failure factor is set. Is handling the system that has transitioned from the active system to the ready system. In order to do this, the operator analyzes factors and rewrites software and various data in response to an alarm notification from the heterogeneous network connecting device to the outside.

[0008] In addition, if the software is damaged for some reason together with the software of the operation system and the preparation system and the switching between the operation system and the preparation system occurs frequently and repeatedly at a fixed cycle, the operator is required. Is very difficult and takes a lot of time. In particular, when the switching between the active system and the preparation system is repeatedly performed at regular intervals, and when the cycle time is long, it becomes difficult for the operator to perform detection.

The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and in an information processing system having a plurality of information processing apparatuses, an operation generated by the plurality of information processing apparatuses constituting the system. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic failure recovery device for an information processing system that automatically performs system recovery detection between a system and a preparatory system, and recovery of software and various data accompanying the system switching.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system including a plurality of information processing apparatuses comprising a dual system of an active system and a preparatory system and a recovery instruction device. An act-system display sharing means shared between a plurality of information processing apparatuses to display an active system, an act signal setting means for setting an act signal indicating an active system in the information processing apparatus, and an act signal setting means. And a means for recovering from a failure based on a processing instruction from a recovery instruction device that has received a system switching notification from the information processing device.

The invention described in claim 2 is the first invention.
In the invention described in the above, the information processing system includes a system switching monitoring and notifying device, and the means for recovering from the failure does not cause the information processing device to transition to the operation state when the addition value of the act display number adding means is equal to or more than the specified number of times. And a means for notifying the system switching monitoring and notification device as an alarm.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the same as the invention according to claim 2.
In the invention described in the above, the system switching monitoring and notification device is configured to monitor, at a constant cycle time, an act display unit that displays act information indicating an operation system of the plurality of information processing apparatuses, and a change of the act display unit. A period timer value setting unit for setting a timer value of the main control unit; a main control unit for monitoring system switching at a fixed period of time and determining that system switching is occurring frequently; Notification control means for notifying the recovery instruction device by the notified alarm notification.

The invention described in claim 4 is the first invention.
In the invention described in the above, the restoration instruction device, means for receiving a system switchover notification from the information processing device and inquiring the information processing device of the operation mode, confirming the non-operation mode of the information processing device, It has means for outputting an instruction for rewriting various data related thereto to the information processing apparatus, and means for confirming the completion of the rewriting of these data and outputting a start instruction for a normal operation mode to the information processing apparatus.

According to the present invention, in an information processing system including a plurality of redundant information processing apparatuses and a recovery instruction apparatus, detection of frequent system switching failures and accompanying failures such as updating of software and various data are performed. It has the effect of performing recovery automatically.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Here, a case where the present invention is applied to a heterogeneous network connecting apparatus will be described as an example.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a heterogeneous network connecting apparatus to which the present invention is applied. As shown in the figure, the heterogeneous network connection device 100 is a device that connects heterogeneous networks of a network 112 to which a plurality of terminals 110 to 111 are connected and a network 115 to which a plurality of terminals 113 to 114 are connected.

The heterogeneous network connection device 100 is connected to a restoration instruction device 120 via a network 121 for the purpose of remote maintenance and monitoring. At this time, the network 121 may be the same as the network 112 or the network 115 or a heterogeneous network.

The information processing apparatus (system 0) 101 and the information processing apparatus (system 1) 102 constitute a pair of information processing apparatuses each of which is duplicated. As described above, duplication means that one is allocated to the active system to be operated, and the other is allocated to the standby system that operates instead of the active system when the operation of the active system is stopped.

In this way, when the active system goes down, the active system is switched to the active system and the standby system by switching the active system and the standby system so that the information processing apparatus is always operated to realize the functions. I do. Therefore, the information processing device (0 system) 10
1 and the information processing apparatus (1st system) 102 each execute the same program.

Further, between the information processing apparatus 101 and the information processing apparatus 102 adjacent to each other, there are information 103 and information 104 indicating that the information processing apparatuses 101 and 102 are operating mainly with each other. Indicates that the system is active. Note that the information 103 and 104 indicate an act-related display shared register described later.

The information 103 and 104 indicated by the information processing devices 101 and 102 are reflected in a register of the system switching monitoring and notifying device 108 in the circuit 105 in real time. Frequent occurrence of system switching detected by each of the information processing devices 101 and 102 is notified as alarms from the information processing device 101 or 102 to the system switching monitoring and notification device 108 as alarm notifications 106 and 107.

The system switching monitoring and notification device 108 notifies the contents of the alarm to the restoration instruction device 120 via the network 121 by the alarm notifications 106 and 107, and rewrites the software of the information processing devices 101 and 102 according to the instruction from the restoration instruction device 120. And updating of various data.

In the information processing apparatuses 101 and 102,
System switching that occurs several times in medium / long time, which is difficult to detect, is detected by the system switching monitoring and notification device 108 and reported to the recovery instruction device 120. Also in this case, the information processing device 101,
Rewriting of software of 102 and update of various data are performed.

The above is an example of the flow of the information processing system according to the present invention. Next, a method of detecting frequent system switching by the information processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 shows a processing flow from the start of operation of the information processing apparatus to the operation system and a processing flow from the information processing apparatus to the preparation system. This indicates whether the display sharing register is set.

First, the processing flow up to the operation system is
The processing flow up to the preparation system is shown on the information processing apparatus A0 side, and is shown on the information processing apparatus A1 side. Information processing device A0
Is started (for example, the power switch is turned on or the operation start switch is turned on) (step S1), the information processing apparatus self-diagnoses the hardware of the information processing apparatus itself (step S2). When the hardware self-diagnosis is completed,
As a judgment process of the system equipped with its own information processing device,
The own device system determination (step S3) is performed.

In the own device system determination, it is determined whether the own information processing device is the 0 system or the 1 system (step S4). In the determination, for example, it is determined from the slot position in which the information processing apparatus is installed, and if the system is 0, the operation is performed so as to be the active system (if the other system is not the active system, the self information It operates so that the processing device becomes the active system).

If it is determined that the other system is already the active system, it is checked whether the other system has already become the active system by using an act signal from the other system in an act signal of the other system information processing device (step S).
Check in 5).

If the other system has already started operation as the active system, the act signal of the other system is ON (step S6), and the information processing apparatus starts operation as the preparatory system (step S7). ). If the other system is not operating as the active system, the information processing apparatus must actively operate as the active system. The system act signal is turned on (step S8).

By this own system act signal ON, the 0 system act (in this example) is displayed in the act system display shared register between the information processing apparatuses (step S9), and the 0 system is the active system from the other systems. It is possible to recognize that the operation has started. Through the processing up to this point, the information processing apparatus A0 starts operating as an active system (step S10).

When the operation of the information processing apparatus A1 is started (for example, the power switch is turned on or the operation start switch is turned on) (step S21), the information processing apparatus self-diagnoses its own hardware (step S2).
2). When the self-diagnosis of the hardware is completed normally, the self-system determination (step S23) is performed as a judgment process of the system equipped with the self-information processing apparatus.

If it is determined that the system is 1 (other than the 0 system) (step S24), there is a high possibility that the 0 system will be the active system.
The other system information processing device act signal ON wait timer is started (step S25), and the change of the act signal of the other system is waited for the timer value.

The other system act signal is monitored for this timer value (step S26), and it is monitored whether the other system turns on the act signal and becomes the active system (step S27). Monitoring of the other system act signal is continued until the timer value expires.

Until the timer value expires, the other system act signal is monitored (step S26) to turn on the other system act signal.
Can be detected, and the act of system 0 (in this example) can be confirmed in the act-system display shared register between the information processing devices (step S27), the own information processing device starts operation as a preparation system (step S28). .

Next, a method of detecting frequent system switching by the information processing apparatus itself will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 shows how the register for adding the number of times of act display in the information processing apparatus is set, and is a block diagram showing an automatic failure recovery apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The act signal ON301 shown in FIG.
Local system act signal ON (step S
8), the act-related display shared register 31
0 is the same as, for example, the act display sharing register (step S9) in which the 0 act is set, as shown in the processing flow of FIG.

In the operation flow from the start of the operation of the information processing apparatus to the active system, the act signal setting register 302 is set in the own system act signal ON process (step S8). The act signal setting register 302 reflects the setting information on the act display sharing register 310 shared between the information processing apparatuses 101 and 102. At this time, the value is added to the act display count addition register 303 as a +1 counter.

For example, when the information processing apparatus generates a reset for some reason and the system is switched accordingly, the setting of the act signal setting register 302 is cleared, and at the same time, the act system display sharing register 310 is also cleared. The fact that the own system has lost the function of the active system is clearly indicated on the register. However, the contents of the act display count addition register 303 are not cleared.

Therefore, when the active system involves resetting and performs system switching processing, the preparatory system always turns on the act signal, and one of the systems starts operation as the active system. Further, regardless of which system, when the operation is started as the active system, the act display count addition register 30 must be used.
Add +1 count to 3.

Therefore, the act display count addition register 30
The number 3 indicates how many times each information processing apparatus has become active, and this register is held unless the contents are cleared.

If each information processing device detects some kind of failure and generates a reset, and the system is frequently switched from the operation system to the preparation system or from the preparation system to the operation system, the act display count addition register is used. Since 303 is continuously added, it is possible to detect a failure caused by frequent system switching based on the contents of this register. The act display count addition register 303 clears the contents when the information processing apparatus has been stably operated as the active system or the preparatory system for a medium / long time.

Next, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, a method of coping with the above-mentioned frequent system switching failure will be described.

The information processing apparatus starts operation (step S5).
1) Then, a hardware test for self-diagnosing the hardware of the own device is performed (step S52). It is checked whether or not all the hardware has been completed normally (step S53). If abnormal, the hardware test is repeated.

Thereafter, the act display count addition register 30
3 is checked (step S54), and it is determined whether or not system switching has occurred up to the specified number of times (step S55). The specified count value here may be set in advance in the processing flow, or may be a value set externally according to the operation status of the information processing system.

If the content of the act display count addition register 303 is equal to or less than the specified count, the system of the own device is determined (step S56), the act signal setting register 302 is set (step S57), and the act system display shared register 310 is set. The contents of the umbilical setting are reflected (step S58), a +1 counter value is added to the act display count addition register 303 (step S59), and the operation is started as the active system (step S60).

At this time, the predetermined number of times or less (step S5)
After the check in 5), when a system switchover occurs with a reset due to some cause (step S61), reset detection (step S62) is performed, the act signal setting register 302 is cleared (step S63), and the processing flow is restarted from the beginning. Operate.

Therefore, when frequent resets and accompanying system switching occur, the above-described processing flow path is repeated until the specified number of times is reached. However, each time it is repeated, the act display count addition register 303 is updated by +1 counter, and reaches the specified count value at a certain point.

When the frequent system switching reaches the specified number of times, the information processing system needs to recognize that a failure occurs due to frequent system switching involving resetting in a short time, and the information processing apparatus autonomously monitors the system switching. The notification is made to the notification device 108 as an alarm (step S64).

Since the information processing apparatus that has reported the alarm cannot operate as the active system or the ready system, it automatically starts operation in the non-operation mode (step S65). Here, the non-operation mode is
This is a mode in which neither the operation system nor the preparation system can operate, and the software and the various data related thereto are required to be rewritten.

Next, with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. 5, a description will be given of the failure detection of the system switching by the system switching monitoring and notification device.

As described above, even if each information processing apparatus can recognize the frequent system switching in a short period of time, if the system operates to some extent stably, it is difficult to perform subsequent detection. is there. Therefore, the system switching monitoring and notification device 108 of FIG.

The act display register 501 shown in FIG. 5 is a register in which act information from the information processing devices 101 and 102 is reflected. According to the contents of this register, which of the duplicated information processing devices 101 and 102 is used. It can be determined whether or not it is operating as an active system.

The system switching monitoring and notification device 108 constantly scans and monitors the contents of the act system display register 501,
It monitors which information processing device is operating as the active system.

The period timer value setting register 502 is set to a value for medium or long time, and the main control unit 503 checks how much system switching has occurred during this time. The main control unit 503 regards that system switching has occurred within a specified number of times within the period of the period timer value setting register 502, and regards it as normal, and restarts the period timer value setting register 502. However, if system switching occurs more than a specified number of times within the period of the cycle timer value setting register 502, it is recognized that system switching failures involving resets occur frequently in medium and long time periods. Then, the alarm is notified to the recovery instruction device 120 via the notification control unit 504.

As a result, a system switching failure accompanied by a reset occurring in a short time, which is detected by the information processing apparatus itself,
It is possible to automatically detect both system switching failures accompanied by resets that occur during and for a long time and are detected by the system switching monitoring and notification device.

Next, a method for automatically recovering from frequent system switching failures will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows a processing sequence corresponding to, for example, a short-time frequent system switching failure detected by the information processing apparatus. The same applies to obstacles.

First, the information processing device 1 is
When the system switching failure that occurs more than the specified number of times is detected in step 01 (step S71), the information processing apparatus 101 sends an alarm notification to the system switching monitoring and notification device 108 (step S72). In response to the alarm notification, the system switching monitoring and notifying device 108 sends a system switching frequent alarm to the recovery instruction device 120 (step S8).
Report 1).

The recovery instructing device 120 inactivates the operation of the information processing device 101 by the system switching frequent alarm, and inquires of the current operation mode of the information processing device 101 to perform the subsequent processing (step S91, S8
2).

In response to the inquiry, the information processing apparatus 101 reports that it is operating in the non-operation mode (step S73) by the operation mode response (steps S74 and S83). The recovery instruction device 120 is the information processing device 10
In accordance with the contents of the alarm notification from step 1, the processing instruction such as software rewriting or various data rewriting is automatically determined and issued (steps S92 and S84).

In this example, it is recognized that the software of the information processing apparatus 101 is damaged, and a command to rewrite the software is issued. The restoration instruction device 120 transfers the actual software data following the software rewriting start command to the information processing device 101 (steps S93 and S85), and rewrites the software.

When the rewriting of the software is completed, the information processing apparatus 101 issues a completion notification (step S75,
S86), the operation is restored to the normal operation mode by the operation start command from the restoration instruction device 120 (steps S94, S87), and the operation is started (steps S76, S77). Then, when the operation start is completed, the information processing apparatus 101 performs a completion notification (steps S78 and S88).

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. In the present embodiment, the information display device itself detects a system switching due to a failure that frequently occurs in a short time by using an act display count addition register provided in each information processing device.

Further, act information indicating the operation system of the information processing apparatus is monitored, and system switching due to a failure that frequently occurs during a medium / long time is detected by the system switching monitoring and notification device. Furthermore, by equipping the information processing system with a recovery instruction device,
The system switching failure detected by the information processing system is automatically recognized, and the target information processing apparatus can be instructed to rewrite software and various data.

For this reason, the operator of the information processing system
Even for failures involving system switching that occurs frequently in a short time and failures involving system switching that occurs in a medium / long time cycle, the burden of dealing with this can be reduced, and furthermore, since operation by the operator is almost eliminated, Operation that prevents system down due to erroneous operation becomes possible.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention. For example, it is assumed that a pair of information processing apparatuses is duplicated, but the same configuration can also be realized when a plurality of duplicated information processing apparatuses are provided in an information processing system.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a heterogeneous network connecting apparatus has been described as an example.
The present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to various information processing systems including a plurality of information processing devices.

[0067]

According to the present invention, in an information processing system provided with a plurality of redundant information processing apparatuses and a recovery instruction apparatus, detection of frequent system switching failures and updating of software and various data accompanying the failures are detected. And so on, the advantageous effect of reducing the burden on the operator to deal with the trouble can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a heterogeneous network connecting apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation until the information processing apparatus starts operation as an active system or a preparatory system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an automatic failure recovery device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating how the information processing apparatus detects frequent system switching.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system switching monitoring and notification device.

FIG. 6 is a recovery processing sequence diagram including a recovery instruction device and an information processing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 heterogeneous network connection device 101, 102 information processing device 103, 104 act signal flow 105 act information 106, 107 alarm notification 108 system switching monitoring and notification device 110, 111, 113, 114 terminal 112, 115, 121 network 120 recovery instruction Device 302 Act signal setting register 303 Act display count addition register 304 Reset detection circuit 310 Act system display shared register 501 Act system display register 502 Period timer value setting register 503 Main control unit 504 Report control unit

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Makoto Kumada 94, Kojiyama-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima Pref. MD02 5K035 AA07 BB03 CC01 HH07 JJ03 KK04 LL14 MM03 MM06

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An information processing system including a plurality of information processing devices and a recovery instruction device, both of which are a dual system of an active system and a preparatory system, wherein the active system is shared between the plurality of information processing devices. Act-system display sharing means, act-signal setting means for setting an act signal indicating an active system in the information processing apparatus, and act-display-number adding means for adding the act signal setting number set to the act signal setting means And means for recovering from a failure based on a processing command from the recovery instruction device that has received the system switching notification from the information processing device;
An automatic failure recovery device for an information processing system, comprising: 2. The information processing system includes a system switching monitoring and notifying device, and the means for recovering from the failure puts the information processing device into an operation state when an addition value of the act display number adding means is equal to or greater than a specified value. 2. The automatic fault recovery system for an information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for notifying the system switching monitoring and notification system as an alarm without making a transition. 3. The system switching monitoring and notifying device, wherein: act-system display means for displaying act information indicating operation systems of the plurality of information processing apparatuses; and monitor changes of the act-system display means at a constant cycle time. A period timer value setting unit for setting a timer value for performing the operation, a main control unit for monitoring system switching during the fixed period of time and judging that system switching is frequently occurring; 3. The automatic failure recovery device for an information processing system according to claim 2, further comprising: a notification control unit configured to notify the recovery instruction device by an alarm notification notified from the information processing device. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recovery instruction device receives a system switching notification from the information processing device and inquires the information processing device about an operation mode. Means for outputting to the information processing apparatus an instruction to rewrite the software of the apparatus and various data related thereto, and means for confirming the completion of the data rewriting and outputting a normal operation mode start instruction to the information processing apparatus; 2. The automatic failure recovery device for an information processing system according to claim 1, comprising: