Storage system with online manual

• US 20020056058A1
• Filed: 04/03/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hiwatashi, Junichi, Minefuji, Masanari, Nishio, Takanori
• Granted Patent: US 6,728,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Online manual display mechanisms that display a portion of a manual during execution of an application program are available conventionally. However, those manuals are not easy to use because manual display cannot be performed so as to follow execution of an application program or a proper portion cannot be opened. The invention provides a unified means for realizing a function displaying a manual portion corresponding to a manipulation for each program by providing, as a manual management mechanism, a graphical user interface to be used for registering manipulation units and a manual as well as APIs that can be referred to by an application program during its execution. The invention also provides a means for downloading a manual from its storage site over the Internet.

Claims

1. A storage system with an online manual, comprising:

a storage apparatus; and

a maintenance apparatus connected to the storage apparatus, the maintenance apparatus comprising;

a CPU for executing a maintenance program for performing a maintenance control on the storage apparatus and a manual display program for displaying a manipulation procedure of the maintenance program;

an output device for displaying an output result of the maintenance program and the manual display program;

a storage device for storing the maintenance program and the manual display program as well as manual data corresponding to the maintenance program and a manual management table showing a corresponding relationship between the manual data and pieces of identification information for identifying respective manipulation units of the maintenance program; and

an input device for performing input processing for the maintenance program and the manual display program,

wherein the manual display program passes a piece of identification information for the maintenance program to the output device and thereby causes the output device to output corresponding manual data.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance apparatus is further connected to a manual defining apparatus, the manual defining apparatus comprising:

output means for outputting the manual data; and

input means for a generating a corresponding relationship between manual data and pieces of identification information for identifying respective manipulation units of the maintenance program,

wherein the manual defining apparatus registers the corresponding relationship generated by the input means in the manual management table that is stored in the maintenance apparatus.