INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20080091970A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hanai, Takehiro, Iwata, Yoji, Hayashi, Ryuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,716,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/4.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1658 Data re-synchronization of a redundant component, or initial sync of replacement, additional or spare unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2048 where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups

Abstract

In information processing between computers which perform a remote operation via a network, all or a part of process information being executed by an operation target and data for use in a process are transmitted beforehand to an operation unit, and the operation unit continues the processing by use of the process information transmitted beforehand when connection via the network for communication between the computers is interrupted or cut. When it is detected that the communication returns to a normal state, the process information being executed by the operation unit and the data for use in the process are transmitted to the operation target, and the operation target continues execution of an information processing program by use of the received process information and the data for use in the process.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

a first information processing device; and

a second information processing device,

the first information processing device comprising;

an input transmitting unit which transmits, to the second information processing device, input data to be transferred to a process executed in the second information processing device;

a user interface which outputs a processing result received from the second information processing device;

a communication monitoring unit which monitors communications between the first information processing device and the second information processing device; and

an execution monitoring unit which starts execution of the process based on configuration data for use in the execution of the process of the second information processing device, received from the second information processing device, when it is detected that fault is generated in the communication between the first information processing device and the second information processing device,

the second information processing device comprising;

a transmitting unit which receives the input data to transmit, to the first information processing device, a result of the processing executed by transferring the input data to the process; and

a configuration data control unit which transmits, to the first information processing device, the configuration data for use in the execution of the process.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein when the execution monitoring unit detects that the communication has returned to a normal state, the execution monitoring unit transmits the stored configuration data to the second information processing device;

and

the configuration data control unit receives the configuration data transmitted from the first information processing device to store the configuration data, and starts the execution of the process based on the configuration data.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the configuration data of the process includes a plurality of program modules which realize functions performed by executing the processes;

a storage unit of the second information processing device records a data size of each program module; and

the configuration data control unit transmits the configuration data to the first information processing device so that a total value of the data sizes of the program modules transmitted to the first information processing device does not exceed a predetermined value when the configuration data is transmitted to the first information processing device.

4. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein when it is not detected for a predetermined period that the fault has been generated in the communication between the first information processing device and the second information processing device, the communication monitoring unit detects that the communication between the first information processing device and the second information processing device returns to the normal state.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the execution monitoring unit monitors a free capacity of a memory of the first information processing device, compares the free capacity with a predetermined value, and discontinues writing of the configuration data transmitted from the second information processing device in the memory in accordance with a result of the comparison.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the execution monitoring unit monitors whether or not an authentication unit which specifies an operator of the first information processing device is mounted, and discontinues the execution of each process when it is detected that the authentication unit has been removed.

7. An information processing method of an information processing system comprising a first information processing device and a second information processing device, comprising:

transmitting by the first information processing device to the second information processing device, input data to be transferred to a process executed in the second information processing device, and outputting a processing result received from the second information processing device to a user interface;

receiving by the second information processing device, the input data to transmit, to the first information processing device, a result of the processing executed by transferring the input data to the process;

monitoring by the first information processing device, communications between the first information processing device and the second information processing device;

transmitting by the second information processing device, to the first information processing device, configuration data for use in the execution of the process;

receiving by the first information processing device, the configuration data to store the configuration data; and

starting by the first information processing device, the execution of the process based on the stored configuration data when it is detected that fault is generated in the communication between the first information processing device and the second information processing device.

8. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein when it is detected that the communication has returned to a normal state, the first information processing device transmits the stored configuration data to the second information processing device;

and

the second information processing device receives the configuration data transmitted from the first information processing device to store the configuration data, and starts the execution of the process based on the configuration data.

9. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the configuration data of the process includes a plurality of program modules which realize functions performed by executing the processes;

and

when the second information processing device stores a data size of each program module and transmits the configuration data to the first information processing device, the second information processing device transmits the configuration data to the first information processing device so that a total value of the data sizes of the program modules transmitted to the first information processing device does not exceed a predetermined value.

10. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein when any data is not transmitted from the second information processing device for a predetermined period, the first information processing device detects that the fault is generated in the communication between the first information processing device and the second information processing device.

11. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein the first information processing device detects that the fault is generated in the communication between the first information processing device and the second information processing device when any data is not transmitted from the second information processing device for a predetermined period;

and

the first information processing device detects that the communication between the first information processing device and the second information processing device returns to the normal state when it is not detected for a predetermined period that the fault has been generated in the communication between the first information processing device and the second information processing device.

12. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the first information processing device monitors an available capacity of a memory of the first information processing device, compares the available capacity with a predetermined value, and discontinues writing of the configuration data transmitted from the second information processing device in the memory in accordance with a result of the comparison.

13. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein the first information processing device monitors whether or not an authentication unit which specifies an operator of the first information processing device is mounted, and discontinues the execution of each process when it is detected that the authentication unit has been removed.

14. An information processing device comprising:

an input transmitting unit which transmits, to another information processing device, input data to be transferred to a process executed in the other information processing device;

a user interface which displays an execution result of the process, received from the other information processing device;

a communication monitoring unit which monitors communications between the information processing device and the other information processing device;

a storage unit which receives configuration data for use in the execution of the process from the other information process device to store the configuration data; and

an execution monitoring unit which starts the execution of the process based on the stored configuration data when it is detected that fault is generated in the communication between the information processing device and the other information processing device.