Protocol duplexer and protocol duplexing method

• US 20040017828A1
• Filed: 05/14/2003
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duaxes Corporation
• Original Assignee: Duaxes Corporation
• Inventors: Nagoya, Mitsugu
• Granted Patent: US 7,328,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/469
• 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 method of duplicating protocol for making identical the order of reception and contents of packets on the two computers of a duplicated computer system with respect to packets of specific types of communication. On the first computer, each packet taken in is checked to determine whether the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication before protocol processing. If the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication, the packet is passed to the protocol processing process and added to a virtual queue created in its shared memory. On the second computer, each packet taken in is checked to determine whether the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication before protocol processing. If the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication, the packet is discarded, and the one at the head of the virtual queue in its shared memory is passed to the protocol processing process.

Claims

1. Protocol duplicating configuration for making identical the order of reception and contents of packets on first and second computers which are connected to a network, have shared memories forming the same address space, and make up a duplicated computer system for packets of specific types of communication, characterized by having the following means on each of the first and second computers:

queue holding means for storing packets to be processed in the order of reception;

protocol processing means that is executed in response to reception of packets from the network;

temporary queue holding means for temporally storing the packets having been processed by the protocol processing means; and

virtual queue holding means for storing packets of the specific types of communication.

2. The protocol duplicating configuration of claim 1, wherein the protocol processing means has packet taking-in means which takes in packets from the queue holding means and determines whether each packet taken in is a packet of the specific types of communication, protocol processing means for performing protocol processing on the packet, and packet output means for outputting the packet having been processed by the protocol processing means to the temporary queue holding means, and

the protocol processing means on the first computer takes in the packets stored in the queue holding means by means of the packet taking-in means and determines whether each packet taken in is a packet of the specific types of communication, and if the packet is not a packet of the specific types of communication, performs the protocol processing on the packet by means of the protocol processing means and outputs the packet to the temporary queue holding means by means of the packet output means.

3. The protocol duplicating configuration of claim 1 or 2, wherein the protocol processing means on the first computer takes in the packets stored in the queue holding means by means of the packet taking-in means and determines whether each packet taken in is a packet of the specific types of communication, and if the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication, performs the protocol processing on the packet by means of the communication processing means and in addition stores the packet in the virtual queue holding means.

4. The protocol duplicating configuration of claim 1, wherein the protocol processing means on the second computer takes in the packets stored in the queue holding means by means of the packet taking-in means and determines whether each packet taken in is a packet of the specific types of communication, and if the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication, discards the packet and passes the packet at the head of the virtual queue to the communication processing means.

5. The protocol duplicating configuration of claim 1, wherein the protocol processing means on the second computer takes in the packets stored in the queue holding means in order by means of the packet taking-in means and determines whether each packet taken in is a packet of the specific types of communication, and if the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication, compares the packet with the packet at the head of the virtual queue, and only if both packets are identical, discards the packet taken in and passes the packet at the head of the virtual queue to the communication processing means.

6. A method of duplicating protocol for making identical the order of reception and contents of packets on first and second computers which are connected to a network, have shared memories forming the same address space and make up a duplicated computer system for packets of specific types of communication, characterized by having the following steps executed on each computer:

storing packets to be processed in a queue in order of reception;

executing protocol processing in response to reception of packets from the network;

temporally storing packets having been subjected to the protocol processing in a temporary queue; and

virtual queue holding means for storing packets of the specific types of communication.

7. The method of duplicating protocol of claim 6, wherein the protocol processing comprises:

packet taking-in step which takes in packets from the queue and checks each packet taken in to determine whether the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication;

protocol processing step which performs the protocol processing on the packet from the packet taking-in step; and

packet output step which outputs the packet having been subjected to the protocol processing step to the temporary queue;

and takes in the packets stored in the queue and checks each packet taken in to determine whether the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication by the packet taking-in step on the first computer, and

if the packet is not a packet of the specific types of communication, performs the protocol processing on the packet by the communication processing step and outputs the packet to the temporary queue by the packet output step.

8. The method of duplicating protocol of claim 6 or 7, characterized by taking in the packets stored in the queue and checking each packet taken in to determine whether the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication by the packet taking-in step on the first computer, and

if the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication, performing the protocol processing on the packet by the communication processing step and in addition storing the packet in the virtual queue.

9. The method of duplicating protocol of claim 6, characterized by taking in the packets stored in the queue in order and checks each packet taken in to determine whether the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication by the packet taking-in step on the second computer, and

if the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication, discarding the packet and passing the packet at the head of the virtual queue to the communication processing step.

10. The method of duplicating protocol of claim 6, characterized by taking in the packets stored in the queue and checking each packet taken in to determine whether the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication by the packet taking-in step on the second computer, and

if the packet is a packet of the specific types of communication, comparing the packet with the packet at the head of the virtual queue, and only if both packets are identical, discarding the packet and passing the packet at the head of the virtual queue to the communication processing means.