JP2002278787A - System for controlling master/slave dynamic configuration - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable each device to automatically cope with a failure, when the failure takes place, by facilitating the management of a master/slave system and the integration/separation of the master/slave system. SOLUTION: A device state confirming means 12 confirms or judges the activation of a master/slave dynamic configuration control mechanism with respect to each device 10, the starting time of the mechanism, the acceptance/ rejection of recognition and the identification of the master/slave on the basis of the states information of other devices 10 and the state of its own device. A master/slave dynamic configuration controlling means 13 performs control that defines one device among all of the devices 10 as a master and the other devices as slaves, performs dynamic management/control in the master/slave system when its own device is the master, and performs control that defines a device 10, the starting time of the master/slave dynamic configuration control mechanism of which is the oldest, as a master when a master does not exist.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a master / slave dynamic configuration control method for cooperatively managing and controlling a plurality of devices in a master / slave system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an information processing system of a form such as multi-node or parallel processing, which operates by connecting a plurality of devices (devices equipped with a central processing unit / central processing unit), has been widely used. There is an increasing need for a mechanism for cooperatively managing and controlling a plurality of devices.

Conventionally, there have been the following methods a and b regarding "determination of master and slave" in a technique for performing this kind of "cooperative management control of a plurality of devices".

A. Without distinguishing master / slave,
Put all devices in an equal relationship.

B. Which device is the master / slave is fixedly determined.

Here, when a plurality of device groups (master / slave system, etc.) are integrated / separated based on such a determination method, the following operation has been performed.

That is, in the case of a in the above-described determination method, since all devices have an equal relationship, when integrating / separating a device group, the list of other devices is updated manually or automatically. Done.

Further, in the case of b in the above-mentioned determination method, since the master / slave is fixed, the master / slave is reset manually at the time of integrating / separating the device groups.

[0009]

The above-mentioned prior art has the following problems.

First, in the case of a in the above-described determination method, there is a problem that the master cannot perform collective management control or the like.

Secondly, in the case of b in the above-mentioned determination method, a manual reset must be performed at the time of integration / separation of a device group or at the time of occurrence of a fault, and the burden on an administrator or a user increases. There was a point.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to facilitate management of masters and slaves in a master-slave system and to easily and freely integrate / separate a plurality of master-slave systems. ,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a master / slave dynamic configuration control method that can automatically and appropriately respond to a failure of each device in a master / slave system.

[0013]

A master / slave dynamic configuration control system according to the present invention is a communication means for connecting devices and realizing communication between the devices in a master / slave system comprising a plurality of devices. And other device status information obtaining means in a master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in each device for obtaining status information of other devices in the master / slave system using the communication means, and the other device status information Based on the status information obtained by the obtaining unit and the status of the own device, “whether or not the master-slave dynamic configuration control mechanism is activated” and “start time of the master-slave dynamic configuration control mechanism” for other devices and the own device ”,“ Recognition availability ”,“ Identification as master or slave ”
The device status confirmation means in the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in each device for confirming / determining, and the confirmation / determination by the device status confirmation means, among all the devices in the master / slave system, Controls one device as a master and controls other devices as slaves. If the device is a master, it performs management and control in the master-slave system, and there is no master in the master-slave system. In the case of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism, the start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism is dynamically controlled so that the oldest device becomes the master. /
Slave dynamic configuration control means.

The master / slave dynamic configuration control system of the present invention more generally realizes communication between devices by connecting the devices in a master / slave system including a plurality of devices. The communication means exchanges information with another device using the communication means, and
A dynamic decision is made to control one of all devices in the slave system to be a master and the other devices to be slaves. If the own device is a master, the state of the own device and the communication The master / slave system in each device that dynamically manages and controls the master / slave system using the status information sent from the slave via the means.
And a slave dynamic configuration control mechanism.

Further, in the master / slave dynamic configuration control method of the present invention, each device in the master / slave system exchanges information with other devices using communication means, and all the devices in the master / slave system are exchanged. A dynamic decision is made to control one of the devices to be the master and the other device to be the slave. If the own device is the master, the state of the own device and the slave via the communication means Master / slave that dynamically manages and controls the master / slave system using the status information sent from
It is also possible to realize as a program for functioning as a slave dynamic configuration control mechanism.

[0016]

Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) First embodiment

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master / slave dynamic configuration control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the master / slave dynamic configuration control system according to the present embodiment is configured such that a plurality of devices 10 are connected to each other using communication means 20 (communication line or the like). Note that a master / slave system is realized by the plurality of devices 10 and the communication unit 20.

Each device 10 includes another device status information acquiring means 1
1, a device state confirmation unit 12 and a master / slave dynamic configuration control unit 13. Note that a master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism is realized by each of these units.

FIG. 2 shows a slave in the master / slave dynamic configuration control system according to the present embodiment (including a device 10 (hereinafter abbreviated as “activation device”) when the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism is activated). 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of FIG.
This processing includes the other device status information acquisition step 201, the activation status determination step 202, the master presence determination step 203, the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism activation time determination step 204, and the own device master setting step 20.
5 and an own device slave setting step 206.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a master process in the master / slave dynamic configuration control system according to the present embodiment. This processing is performed in step 3 of acquiring other device status information.
01, a new device recognition step 302, a new device management control under setting step 303, a non-recognizable slave presence determination step 304, a non-recognizable slave management control target exclusion step 305, and another master presence determination step 306;
It comprises a master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism activation time determination step 307, an own device master setting step 308, and an own device slave setting step 309.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation at the time of integration of a master / slave system using the master / slave dynamic configuration control method according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation when the master / slave system using the master / slave dynamic configuration control system according to the present embodiment is separated.

Next, the overall operation of the master / slave dynamic configuration control system according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

The operation described below is based on the following premise.
The devices 10 exchange state information with each other using the communication means 20.

Here, the "state information exchanged between the devices 10" refers to information indicating the status of the device 10, and specifically, such information as a and b below.

A. Information indicating whether the device 10 is a device corresponding to a master, a device corresponding to a slave, or a device that has not been activated.

B. Time when the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in the device 10 is activated

First, the operation of the device 10 corresponding to the slave (including the starting device) in the master / slave dynamic configuration control method according to the present embodiment will be described (see FIG. 2).

The other device status information acquiring means 11 in the device 10 corresponding to the slave / start-up device periodically acquires the status information of all the other devices 10 using the communication means 20 (step 201). .

The device status confirmation means 12 in the slave / start device does not activate the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in any other device 10 based on the status information obtained in step 201 (other devices). Is determined (including a case where a failure has occurred) (step 202).

The device status checking means 12 performs step 2
02, if it is determined that “the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism has not been activated in any other device 10”, the control is performed together with the fact that the master / slave in the own device (the device 10 including itself) is controlled. Move to dynamic configuration control means 13.

The master / slave dynamic configuration control means 1
3 sets and controls its own device to be the master (step 205).

The device status checking means 12 performs step 2
When it is determined in 02 that “the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism has been activated in one or more other devices 10”, based on the state information acquired in step 201,
It is determined whether a master exists in the one or more other devices 10 (step 203).

The device status checking means 12 determines in step 2
03 "the device 10 which is the master exists"
When the determination is made, the control is transferred to the master / slave dynamic configuration control means 13 accordingly.

The master / slave dynamic configuration control means 1
3 sets and controls the own device to be a slave (step 206). That is, when the own device is originally a slave, the setting is maintained as it is, and when the own device is a start device, the own device is set and controlled so as to be a slave.

The device status checking means 12 performs step 2
If it is determined in 03 that “there is no master”, the own device and the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism are activated based on the state of the own device and the state information acquired in step 201. Recognize and compare the start times of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in all other devices 10 and determine whether the start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in the own device is the oldest (step 204).

The device status checking means 12 performs step 2
When it is determined in 04 that “the start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in the own device is the oldest”, the control is transferred to the master / slave dynamic configuration control unit 13 with the determination.

The master / slave dynamic configuration control means 1
3 sets and controls its own device to be the master (step 205).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 204 that the activation time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in the own device is not the oldest in step 204, the device status confirmation means 12 performs control with this fact. The processing is transferred to the master / slave dynamic configuration control means 13.

The master / slave dynamic configuration control means 1
3 sets and controls its own device to remain as a slave (or to become a slave) (step 206).

As described above, in the master-slave system, control is performed such that the device 10 with the oldest activation time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism becomes the master.

Second, the device 1 corresponding to the master in the master / slave dynamic configuration control system according to the present embodiment
The operation at 0 will be described (see FIG. 3).

Other device status information acquisition means 11 in master
Periodically obtains the status information of all the other devices 10 in the master / slave system managed by the master using the communication means 20 (step 3).
01).

The device status confirmation means 12 in the master determines whether or not a new device 10 has been recognized based on the status information obtained in step 301 (step 302).

The device state checking means 12 determines in step 3
If it is determined in 02 that “the new device 10 has been recognized”, the control is transferred to the master / slave dynamic configuration control means 13 in the master.

The master / slave dynamic configuration control means 1
3 controls the new device 10 as a slave so as to be under the management control of its own device (the device 10 in which it is present, that is, the master) (step 303).

The device state checking means 12 determines in step 3
If it is determined in step 02 that “the new device 10 has not been recognized” or if the process of step 303 has been completed,
Whether or not there is a “slave (device 10) that tried to acquire status information but failed, that is, an unrecognizable slave (for example, a failed slave)” in the slave group under the management control of its own device (Step 3
04).

The device state checking means 12 determines in step 3
If it is determined in 04 that “there is a slave that could not be recognized”, the control is transferred to the master / slave dynamic configuration control means 13 accordingly.

The master / slave dynamic configuration control means 1
The device 3 sets and controls the device 10 (slave that cannot be recognized due to the occurrence of a failure or the like) so as to be excluded from management control (step 305).

The device status checking means 12 determines in step 3
If it is determined in step 04 that “there is no slave that cannot be recognized” or if the processing of step 305 is completed, based on the state information acquired in step 301,
It is determined whether a master other than the own device exists in the master-slave system (step 306).

The device status checking means 12 determines in step 3
If it is determined at 06 that “a master other than the own device exists”, the own device is “the device 10 with the oldest start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism” among all masters. Is determined (step 307).

The device status checking means 12 determines in step 3
If it is determined in 07 that “the own device is the device 10 having the oldest start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism”, the control is transferred to the master / slave dynamic configuration control means 13 with the effect.

The master / slave dynamic configuration control means 1
3 sets and controls itself to be the master, and controls the other masters to be the slaves (step 308). At that time, management and control are performed so that data (management information and the like) of all other masters are integrated into the own device (own device that is the selected master).

The device status checking means 12 determines in step 3
If it is determined in 07 that “the own device is not the device 10 whose start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism is the oldest”, the control is transferred to the master / slave dynamic configuration control means 13 accordingly.

The master / slave dynamic configuration control means 1
3 sets and controls itself to be a slave (step 309). At this time, control is performed so that data (management information and the like) managed by the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism as a master is integrated with another master whose activation time is the oldest.

When it is determined in step 306 that "there is no master other than the own device", when the processing of step 308 is completed, or when the processing of step 309 is completed, a series of operations shown in FIG. The process ends.

Third, the operation in the case where a plurality of master / slave systems to which the above-described master / slave dynamic configuration control system is applied is integrated / separated will be described.

The integration / separation of a plurality of master / slave systems in this case is realized as shown in Cases 1 and 2 below.

Case 1 In the case of integration (see FIG. 4)

When a plurality of master / slave systems to which the master / slave dynamic configuration control method according to the present embodiment is applied are integrated into one master / slave system, a plurality of master / slave systems are used. Of the masters having the oldest start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism becomes the master in the integrated master / slave system (step 308 in FIG. 3).
The other masters are slaves (see step 309 in FIG. 3).

Case 2 In the case of separation (see FIG. 5)

When one master / slave system to which the master / slave dynamic configuration control method according to the present embodiment is applied is separated into a plurality of master / slave systems, the former master is included. In the new master / slave system, the master continues to be the master, and the device 10 (slave) separated from the new master / slave system is excluded from the subject of management control of the master (see FIG. 3). Step 305).

On the other hand, in the new master / slave system that does not include the old master, the device 10 with the oldest start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism is connected to the new master / slave system (the old slave). It becomes a master in a new master / slave system in which the groups are merged (see step 205 in FIG. 2).

Fourth, the operation of the master / slave system to which the above-described master / slave dynamic configuration control system is applied when a failure occurs in the device 10 will be described.

The failure handling in the master-slave system in this case is realized as shown in Cases 3 and 4 below. That is, in the above-described master / slave dynamic configuration control method, even when a failure occurs in the device 10, it is possible to automatically and appropriately respond.

Case 3 When a Failure Occurs in the Slave

When a failure occurs in the device 10 corresponding to the slave, the device 10 is excluded from the target of the master management control in the master-slave system (see step 305 in FIG. 3).

Case 4 When a failure occurs in the master

When a failure occurs in the device 10 corresponding to the master, the device 10 with the oldest time when the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism is activated in the master / slave system becomes the new master (FIG. 7). 2 step 205).

(2) Second Embodiment

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master / slave dynamic configuration control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, a master / slave dynamic configuration control method according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
Is different from the master / slave dynamic configuration control method according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

The master / slave dynamic configuration control processing program 60 is read into each device 10 and
Is controlled as a master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism (other device status information acquisition means 11, device status confirmation means 12, and master / slave dynamic configuration control means 13). Master / slave dynamic configuration control processing program 60
Of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism (other device status information acquisition means 11, device status confirmation means 12, and master / slave dynamic configuration control means 13) under the control of The operation of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in each device 10 on the premise that the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in the first embodiment (the other device status information acquisition means 11, the device The operation is exactly the same as that of the state confirmation means 12 and the master / slave dynamic configuration control means 13), and therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0076]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The following effects are produced.

The first effect is that it is not necessary to fixedly set a master in an information processing system including a plurality of devices (there is no specific master or slave, and each device can be dynamically set). (To gain a role), which makes it easier to manage masters and slaves.

The second effect is that, as described above, since there is no specific master or slave and each device dynamically obtains a role, it is possible to easily and freely integrate / separate a plurality of master / slave systems. Is that it can be done.

The third effect is that, as described above, since there is no specific master or slave and each device dynamically takes a role, when a failure occurs in each device in the master-slave system, an appropriate and appropriate operation can be performed. It is possible to take action.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master / slave dynamic configuration control method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flowchart showing processing of a slave (including an activation device) in the master / slave dynamic configuration control system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing of a master in the master / slave dynamic configuration control system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation at the time of integration of a master / slave system to which the master / slave dynamic configuration control system shown in FIG. 1 is applied;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation at the time of separation of a master / slave system to which the master / slave dynamic configuration control system shown in FIG. 1 is applied;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master / slave dynamic configuration control method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Device 20 Communication means 11 Other device status information acquisition means 12 Device status confirmation means 13 Master / slave dynamic configuration control means 60 Master / slave dynamic configuration control processing program 201 Other device status information acquisition step 202 Start state determination step 203 Master Existence determination step 204 Master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism activation time determination step 205 Own device master setting step 206 Own device slave setting step 301 Other device status information acquisition step 302 New device recognition step 303 New device management control setting step 304 Recognition Impossible slave existence determination step 305 Unrecognizable slave management control target exclusion step 306 Other master existence determination step 307 Master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism activation time determination step 308 Own device master setting step -Up 309 own device slave setting step

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A master device comprising a plurality of devices.
In the slave system, a communication unit for connecting each device and realizing communication between the devices, and exchanging information with other devices using the communication unit, and one of all devices in the master / slave system. A dynamic determination for controlling one device as a master and the other device as a slave is performed, and when the own device is a master, the status of the own device and the status transmitted from the slave via the communication unit are used. A master / slave dynamic configuration control method, comprising: a master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in each device that dynamically manages and controls the master / slave system using state information. 2. A master device comprising a plurality of devices.
In the slave system, communication means for connecting each device to realize communication between the devices, and master / slave operation in each device for acquiring status information of other devices in the master / slave system using the communication means. Based on the status of the other device and its own device based on the status information obtained by the other device status information obtaining means in the dynamic configuration control mechanism and the status of the own device. Master in each device that checks / determines whether the mechanism has started, "Start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism", "Recognition availability", and "Identification as master or slave" / Device status confirmation means in the dynamic configuration control mechanism and all devices in the master / slave system based on confirmation / determination by the device status confirmation means. Of one of the devices as a master and the other devices as slaves. If the device itself is the master, it performs management and control in the master-slave system. If it does not exist, the master /
Master / slave dynamic configuration control in the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in each device that dynamically controls the device with the oldest start time of the slave dynamic configuration control mechanism as the master And a master / slave dynamic configuration control method. 3. When a plurality of master / slave systems are integrated into one master / slave system, the start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism among the masters in the plurality of master / slave systems is changed. 3. The master / slave dynamic configuration control method according to claim 1, wherein the oldest one is controlled as a master in the integrated master / slave system, and the other masters are controlled as slaves. 4. When one master / slave system is separated into a plurality of master / slave systems, the new master / slave system including the former master continues to be the master, The slave separated from the new master / slave system is excluded from the target of the management control of the master, and in the new master / slave system not including the previous master, the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism is used. 3. The master / slave dynamic configuration control method according to claim 1, wherein control is performed such that a device having the oldest start time is used as a master in the new master / slave system. 5. In a master-slave system, when a failure occurs in a slave, the slave is excluded from the subject of management and control of the master in the master-slave system. 3. The master / slave dynamic configuration control system according to claim 1, wherein the slave dynamic configuration control mechanism is controlled such that the oldest slave having the oldest activation time is set as a new master. 6. Each device in the master / slave system exchanges information with another device using communication means,
A dynamic judgment is made to control one of all devices in the master / slave system to be the master and the other devices to be the slaves. If the own device is the master, the state of the own device And a program for functioning as a master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism for dynamically managing and controlling the master / slave system using state information sent from the slave via the communication means. 7. Other device status information acquisition means in a master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism for acquiring status information of other devices in the master / slave system using communication means for each device in the master / slave system. Based on the status information obtained by the other device status information obtaining means and the status of the own device, “whether or not the master-slave dynamic configuration control mechanism is activated” and “master / slave dynamic Device status confirmation means in the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism for confirming / determining "start time of configuration control mechanism", "recognition availability", "identification as master or slave", and the device Based on the confirmation / judgment by the status confirmation means,
Performs control so that one of all devices in the slave system is a master and the other devices are slaves. If the own device is a master, the device performs management and control in the master-slave system. When the master does not exist in the slave system, the master / slave dynamic configuration dynamically controls the start time of the master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism so that the oldest device becomes the master. A program for functioning as master / slave dynamic configuration control means in the control mechanism. 8. A master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in a device corresponding to a slave / startup device in a master / slave system, comprising: a step of acquiring other device status information, a step of determining a startup state, a step of determining presence of a master,
The master / slave dynamic configuration control mechanism in the device corresponding to the master in the master-slave system performs a process consisting of a slave dynamic configuration control mechanism start time determination step, own device master setting step, and own device slave setting step. , Other equipment status information acquisition step, new equipment recognition step, new equipment management control setting step, unrecognizable slave existence determination step, unrecognizable slave management control object exclusion step, other master existence determination step, master / slave dynamic configuration control Mechanism start time determination step,
3. A process comprising a self-device master setting step and a self-device slave setting step.
The described master / slave dynamic configuration control method.