MONITORING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND ALARM SIGNAL OUTPUT METHOD

• US 20100052932A1
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Fujieda, Daishi
• Granted Patent: US 8,462,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/679
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0724 in a multiprocessor or a multi-core unit multiprocessors per se G06F15/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0772 Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers
• 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

Abstract

A monitoring device configured to be installed in an information processing apparatus to detect a failure of the information processing apparatus, and to output an alarm signal when the failure is detected, the monitoring device including an alarm signal generating unit that generates the alarm signal upon detecting the failure, an alarm signal storing unit that stores the generated alarm signal, an alarm signal output unit that outputs the stored alarm signal to outside, an alarm signal input unit that receives, when the monitoring device is in a standby state, another alarm signal from another monitoring device in an active state, and an alarm signal storage instructing unit that supplies to the alarm signal storing unit an instruction signal for storing said another alarm signal in the alarm signal storing unit.

Claims

1. A monitoring device configured to be installed in an information processing apparatus to detect a failure of the information processing apparatus, and to output an alarm signal when the failure is detected, the monitoring device comprising:

an alarm signal generating unit that generates the alarm signal upon detecting the failure;

an alarm signal storing unit that stores the generated alarm signal;

an alarm signal output unit that outputs the stored alarm signal to outside;

an alarm signal input unit that receives, when the monitoring device is in a standby state, another alarm signal from another monitoring device in an active state; and

an alarm signal storage instructing unit that supplies to the alarm signal storing unit an instruction signal for storing said another alarm signal in the alarm signal storing unit.

2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm signal storage instructing unit supplies the instruction signal to the alarm signal storing unit in response to detection of a switching signal for switching the monitoring device from the standby state to the active state.

3. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm signal storage instructing unit periodically supplies the instruction signal to the alarm signal storing unit.

4. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm signal storage instructing unit supplies the instruction signal to the alarm signal storing unit in response to detection of an input of said another alarm signal.

5. An information processing apparatus comprising plural monitoring devices which is either in a standby state or in an active state,

wherein a given one of the plural monitoring devices comprises:

an alarm signal generating unit that generates an alarm signal upon detecting a failure;

an alarm signal storing unit that stores the generated alarm signal;

an alarm signal output unit that outputs the stored alarm signal to outside;

an alarm signal input unit that receives another alarm signal from another one of the plural monitoring devices, said another one being in the active state, when said given one of the plural monitoring devices is in the standby state; and

an alarm signal storage instructing unit that supplies to the alarm signal storing unit an instruction signal for storing the other alarm signal in the alarm signal storing unit.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

an interface unit; and

a switch unit,

wherein the information processing apparatus is a communication device.

7. An alarm signal outputting method in an information processing apparatus including plural monitoring devices which is either in a standby state or in an active state, the alarm signal outputting method comprising:

detecting a failure of the information processing apparatus with a first monitoring device in the active state, the first monitoring device being one of the plural monitoring devices;

generating an alarm signal with the first monitoring device in response to detection of the failure by the first monitoring device in the active state;

outputting the alarm signal to outside with the first monitoring device in the active state;

inputting the alarm signal, which is output from the first monitoring device, with a second monitoring device in the standby state, the second monitoring device being another one of the plural monitoring devices;

supplying to an alarm signal storing unit of the second monitoring device an instruction signal for making the alarm signal storing unit store the alarm signal with the second monitoring device;

storing the alarm signal, which is input by the second monitoring device, with the alarm signal storing unit in response to the instruction signal; and

outputting the alarm signal, which is stored in the alarm signal storing unit, to the outside upon detection of, by the second monitoring device, a control signal for switching the second monitoring device from the standby state to the active state.

8. The alarm signal outputting method according to claim 7, wherein the instruction signal is supplied to the alarm signal storing unit with the second monitoring device in response to detection of the control signal by the second monitoring device.

9. The alarm signal outputting method according to claim 7, wherein the second monitoring device periodically supplies the instruction signal to the alarm signal storing unit.

10. The alarm signal outputting method according to claim 7, wherein the second monitoring device supplies the instruction signal to the alarm signal storing unit in response to detection of the input of the alarm signal by the second monitoring device.