System for operating a plurality of terminal equipments

• US 20020046270A1
• Filed: 01/31/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kochi, Kazutaka, Iizuka, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,277,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/004 Error avoidance G06F11/07 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2025 using centralised failover control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems

Abstract

An administrative server automatically manages the operating time of each device and promotes the rotation between the devices having longer operating times and the devices having shorter operating times to thereby reduce the occurrence of trouble, whereby the operating efficiency is improved.

The operating times of a plurality of terminal equipments are measured, so that the operating times of the respective terminal equipments can be equalized at the expiry of a predetermined operation period tf. Rotation candidate terminal equipments are determined among the plurality of terminal equipments based on the accumulated operating times of the respective terminal equipments by then before the expiry of the predetermined operation period tx, and terminal equipments rotation messages are sent to the rotation candidate terminal equipments so determined. Stored data of the rotation candidate terminal equipments is backup processed onto an administrative unit in accordance with the message, and after one of the rotation candidate terminal equipments is exchanged with another of the rotation candidate terminal equipments and they are connected back to a system, the data associated with the one of the rotation candidate terminal equipments is downloaded on the another of the rotation candidate terminal equipments. The operation of the respective terminal equipments are resumed all together after the rotation of all the rotation candidate terminal equipments has been completed.

Claims

1. A system for operating a plurality of terminal equipments comprising:

means for measuring operating time of each of a plurality of terminal equipments;

means for determining rotation candidates among said plurality of terminal equipments based on accumulated operating times of said units with a view to equalizing the accumulated operating times of said respective terminal equipments and sending terminal equipments rotation messages to said rotation candidates;

means for backup processing data stored in said rotation candidate terminal equipments in accordance with said messages; and

means for downloading said data associated with one of said rotation candidate terminal equipments on another of said rotation candidate terminal equipments after the rotation between said one of said rotation candidate terminal equipments and said another of said rotation candidate terminal equipments one has been completed.

2. A system for operating a plurality of terminal equipments as set forth in claim 1, wherein said operating time measuring means measures the operating time of each of said terminal equipments which have replied to operating time confirming messages sent thereto by said operating time measuring means and holds accumulated operating time for each of said terminal equipments.

3. A system for operating a plurality of terminal equipments as set forth in claim 1, wherein having:

means for displaying said rotation messages on said respective rotation candidate terminal equipments; and

means for performing a backup process by transferring in accordance with said displayed message said data stored in said one of said rotation candidate terminal equipments from said one of said rotation candidate terminal equipments to another location.

4. An administrative unit for managing a plurality of terminal equipments comprising:

a memory having backup areas where stored data stored in said respective terminal equipments can be stored separately for each of said terminal equipments;

operating time measuring means for measuring accumulated operating times for said respective terminal equipments; and

control means for determining rotation candidates among said plurality of terminal equipments with a view to equalizing accumulated operating times of said respective terminal equipments, directing said rotation candidate terminal equipments to perform a backup process of said stored data and further directing said respective terminal equipments to resume the operation thereof after the rotation of said rotation candidate terminal equipments has been completed.

5. An administrative unit as set forth in claim 4, wherein said operating time measuring means confirms the receipt of replies to messages sent to said respective terminal equipments and then starts to measure the operating times of said respective terminal equipments.

6. An administrative unit as set forth in claim 4, wherein said control means sends terminal equipments rotation messages to said rotation candidate terminal equipments when said rotation candidate terminal equipments are determined and directs said rotation candidate terminal equipments to display said messages.

7. An administrative unit for managing a plurality of terminal equipments comprising:

means for measuring operating time of each of said plurality of terminal equipments; and

means for determining rotation candidates among said plurality of terminal equipments based on accumulated operating times of said equipments with a view to equalizing the accumulated operating times of said respective terminal equipments and notifying said rotation candidate terminal equipments to that effect.

8. A terminal equipment adapted to be connected to an administrative unit comprising:

memory for storing data associated with said terminal equipment;

display means for displaying a terminal processing rotation message from said administrative unit;

input means for operating said terminal equipment in accordance with a direction of said message so displayed; and

control means for executing a backup process of said data stored in said memory on said administrative unit by performing a rotation operation in accordance with a direction of said message.

9. A terminal equipment as set forth in claim 8, wherein after having executed said backup process of said data stored in said memory on said administrative unit, said control means downloads data associated with another terminal equipment which is backed up in said administrative unit on said memory.

10. A terminal equipment as set forth in claim 8, wherein said control means sends a reply message indicating that said terminal equipment is in operation when said control means receives an operation confirming message.

11. A terminal equipment control method comprising the steps of:

during a predetermined operation period for a plurality of terminal equipments determining rotation candidate terminal equipments among said plurality of terminal equipments based on accumulated operating times of said respective terminal equipments with a view to equalizing the accumulated operating times of said respective terminal equipments;

performing a backup process of data associated with said rotation candidate terminal equipments; and

performing a download process of said data associated with one of said rotation candidate terminal equipments on another of said rotation candidate terminal equipments after the rotation between said one of said rotation candidate terminal equipments and said another of said rotation candidate terminal equipments has been completed.

13. A terminal equipment control method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

when terminal equipments rotation messages are sent to said rotation candidate terminal equipments, displaying said rotation messages on said rotation candidate terminal equipments; and

performing in accordance with said displayed message a backup process by transferring said stored data of said rotation candidate terminal equipments from said rotation candidate terminal equipments to another location.

15. A computer readable recording medium as set forth in claim 14, having recorded therein further a program for rendering said computer execute:

storing data transferred from said rotation candidate terminal equipments in response to said notice; and

transferring said stored data to said rotation candidate terminal equipments accordingly.

17. A computer readable recording medium as set forth in claim 16, having recorded therein further a program for rendering said computer to execute:

downloading another data stored in said computer from said administrative unit for storage.

12. A terminal equipment control method comprising the steps of:

when receiving replies from a plurality of terminal equipments to operation confirming messages sent thereto, measuring operating time of each of said terminal equipments from which said replies have been received and holding accumulated operating times of said respective terminal equipments;

determining rotation candidate terminal equipments among said plurality of terminal equipments based on the accumulated operating times with a view to equalizing the accumulated operating times of said respective terminal equipments;

sending terminal equipments rotation messages to said rotation candidate terminal equipments;

backup processing stored data of said rotation candidate terminal equipments in accordance with said messages;

downloading said data associated with one of said rotation candidate terminal equipments on another of said rotation candidate terminal equipments after the rotation between said one of said rotation candidate terminal equipments and said another of said rotation candidate terminal equipments has been completed; and

resuming the operation of said respective terminal equipments after the rotation among all said rotation candidate terminal equipments has been completed.

14. A computer readable recording medium having recorded therein a program for rendering a computer managing a plurality of terminal equipments execute:

measuring operating time of each of said plurality of terminal equipments;

determining rotation candidate terminal equipments among said plurality of terminal equipments based on accumulated operating times of said terminal equipments with a view to equalizing the accumulated times of said respective terminal equipments; and

notifying said rotation candidate terminal equipments to that effect.

16. A computer readable recording medium having recorded therein a program for rendering a computer connected to an administrative unit to execute:

receiving a rotation message from said administrative unit; and

performing a backup process of data stored in said computer onto said administrative unit through rotating operation in accordance with a direction of said message.