Apparatus and method for fault-tolerant control using fully distributed common memory

• US 20030131281A1
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Jung-sik, Jung, Woo-sug, Song, Kwang-suk
• Granted Patent: US 7,137,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1666 where the redundant component is memory or memory area
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2043 where the redundant components share a common memory address space
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups

Abstract

A control system, which is capable of performing a fault-tolerant function realized in the manner of duplication by merely transferring memory ownership from one processor module to another with the use of a method of extending a memory bus, is provided. Each processor module in the control system includes an A-port memory and a B-port memory which store memory data of their own processor module (the self processor module) or memory data of the other processor module and a memory bus switch which performs switching-over to selectively store data of the self processor module or data transmitted from the other processor module in the A-port or B-port memory, depending on whether the self processor module or the other processor module has memory ownership.

Claims

1. An apparatus for fault-tolerant control, which fixes errors by transferring system functions from an active processor module performing the system functions to a standby processor module when the errors are detected in the active processor module, each of the processor modules comprising:

an A-port memory and a B-port memory which store memory data of their own processor module (the self processor module) or memory data of the other processor module; and

a memory bus switch which performs switching-over to selectively store data of the self processor module or data transmitted from the other processor module in the A-port or B-port memory, depending on whether the self processor module or the other processor module has memory ownership.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory bus switch comprises:

a memory control matching unit which is connected to a memory controller and transmits data between the memories and the memory controller;

a memory matching unit which matches with the memories;

a data transmission channel matching unit which connects the processor modules so as to maintain the consistency of data in the processor modules; and

a non-block crossbar switch which provides a path for receiving/transmitting a control signal, an address, and data from/to the memory matching unit and switches the corresponding signals to the memory matching unit, depending on an operation mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the matching switch, providing the path for receiving/transmitting the corresponding data to the memory matching unit, comprises:

a mode setting unit which generates a control signal depending on the result of the operation mode negotiation between the processor modules and thus determines a fault-tolerant operational state;

a unilateral signal switch which switches a unilateral signal to the A-port memory or the B-port memory, depending on the control signal; and

a bilateral signal switch which switches a bilateral signal to the A-port memory or the B-port memory, depending on the control signal,

whereby the unilateral signal switch and the bilateral signal switch set up a path for receiving and transmitting data depending on the control signal input from the mode setting unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein when an address and a control signal input from the memory controller of the self processor module are called memory signals and an address and a control signal input from the other processor module via a data transmission channel are called channel signals, the unilateral signal switch comprises an A-port multiplexer and a B-port multiplexer which receive the memory signals from the memory controller and the channel signals from the data transmission channel matching unit and output the memory signals or the channel signals to their respective memories, depending on the operational mode.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein when the operational mode is a duplication mode the A-port multiplexer and the B-port multiplexer output the channel signals and the memory signals to the A-port memory and the B-port memory, respectively, if the other processor module has the ownership of the A-port memory and the self-processor module has the ownership of the B-port memory, and the A-port multiplexer and the B-port multiplexer output the memory signals and the channel signals to the A-port memory and the B-port memory, respectively, if the self processor module has the ownership of the A-port memory and the other processor module has the ownership of the B-port memory.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the bilateral signal switch comprises:

an input switch which switches data signals input from the memory controller of the self processor module and data signals input from the other processor module via the data transmission channel to the A-port memory or the B-port memory, depending on the fault-tolerant operational state; and

an output switch which transmits the data signals input from the A-port or B-port memory to the memory controller of the self processor module or a memory of the other processor module via the data transmission channel.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein when the data signals input from the memory controller of the self processor module are called memory data and the data signals input from the other processor module via the data transmission channel are called channel data in a duplication mode, the input switch outputs the memory data to a memory enabled in response to a memory port enabling signal if the self processor module operates in an active mode, and the input switch outputs the memory data and the channel data to the enabled memory and the other memory, respectively, if the self processor module operates in a standby mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the output switch selects the output data of the A-port memory or the output data of the B-port memory in response to the memory port enabling signal to output the selected output data to the memory controller of the self processor module, and if the operation mode is an active mode and a duplication mode, the output switch transmits the selected output data via the data transmission channel so that the selected output data can be reflected in the memory of the other processor module.

9. An apparatus for fault-tolerant control, which fixes errors by transferring system functions from an active processor module performing the system functions to a standby processor module when the errors are detected in the active processor module, each of the processor modules comprising:

an A-port memory and a B-port memory which store memory data of their own processor module (the self processor module) and memory data of the other processor module;

a data transmission channel matching unit which connects the processor modules so as to maintain the consistency of data in the processor modules; and

a non-block crossbar switch for switching signals to their respective memories which generates a control signal depending on the result of an operation mode negotiation between the processor modules to determine a fault-tolerant operational state, and switches into the A-port memory or the B-port memory according to the control signal to provide a path for receiving/transmitting a control signal, an address, and data from/to the memory matching unit, depending on the operation mode.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein memory signals input from the memory controller of the self processor module are output to a memory, the ownership of which belongs to the self-processor module, and channel signals input from the other processor module via a data transmission channel are output to the other memory, the ownership of which belongs to the other processor module.

11. A method for fault-tolerant control using memories in an apparatus for fault-tolerant control, which fixes errors by transferring system functions from an active processor module performing the system functions to a standby processor module when the errors are detected in the active processor module, each of the processor modules comprising an A-port memory and a B-port memory which store memory data of the self processor module and memory data of the other processor module, the method comprising:

generating a control signal depending on the result of an operational mode negotiation between the processor modules and thus determining a fault-tolerant operational state; and

performing switching-over to selectively store the data of the self processor module or the data transmitted from the other processor module in the A-port or B-port memory, depending on whether the self processor module or the other processor module has memory ownership,

wherein when signals input from a memory controller of the self processor module are called memory signals, and signals input from the other processor module are called channel signals, the memory signals are output to a memory, the ownership of which belongs to the self-processor module, and channel signals are output to the other memory, the ownership of which belongs to the other processor module.