Redundant input/output management device, notably for data routing

• US 20020010750A1
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airsys ATM SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Airsys ATM SA (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Baretzki, Laurent
• Granted Patent: US 7,707,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0745 in an input/output transactions management context input/output processing in general G06F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a device with built-in redundancy for input/output management, notably a data routing system. The device includes first management means and second management means connected to each other via two interfaces, one a network and the other a standby line, said means mutually exchanging polling messages via these two interfaces, said first means being considered to be defective by said second means when they no longer sends messages during a given time interval on at least one of said two interfaces, characterized in that it includes at least one algorithm to reset said first and second means, the defective means being deactivated and the other means activated during the reset after detection of a failure. The device is applicable to the handling of air traffic data and, more generally, to all digital data input/output management systems necessitating a high level of operational reliability without an excessive cost premium.

Claims

1. Device for digital input and output data management, including first management means and second management means connected to each other via two interfaces, one a network and the other a standby line, said means mutually exchanging polling messages via these two interfaces, said first means being considered to be defective by said second means when they no longer sends messages during a given time interval on at least one of said two interfaces, characterized in that it includes at least one algorithm to reset said first and second means, the defective means being deactivated and the other means activated during the reset after detection of a failure.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein said reset algorithm is included in said first means and is activated by said second means, the memory address of the algorithm being accessible from these second means.

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein said reset algorithm is also included in said second means.

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein on initialization of its operation, said first means have the role of master and said seconds means have the role of slave, with the master managing the input and output data.

5. Device according any of the preceding claims, wherein said means are connected to one or more systems via said network.

6. Device according any of the preceding claims, wherein said means are connected to one or more systems via one or more serial links, a “

Y-split cable”

connecting a given port of said first and second means to each system.

7. Device according any of the preceding claims, wherein said means have the same functions and include the same software and same configuration files.

8. Device according any of the preceding claims, wherein when one of said means are detected as being defective by the other means, the latter deactivate the defective means.

9. Device according to claims 4 and 8, wherein when said means detected as being defective are the master, said slave means deactivate the master'"'"'s inputs/outputs and active their own inputs/outputs.

10. Device according any of the preceding claims, wherein said polling messages, the transmission interval between these messages, and the time limit between two messages are stored in a configuration file contained in both the said first and second means, possibly with several sets of such parameters being stored to serve different applications.

11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that at initialization of said means, the parameters specific to an application are loaded into a RAM memory.

12. Device according any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes means of alert to warn of a failure.

13. Device according any of the preceding claims, wherein said network is a digital local area network.

14. Device according any of the preceding claims, wherein said means of input/output data management are data routers.

15. Device according to claim 14, wherein said routers operate in open (Open Communication Processor) mode.

16. Device according to any of claims 1 to 13, wherein said means of input/output data management are data servers.