Information processing apparatus and method for controlling information processing apparatus

• US 20110145455A1
• Filed: 02/10/2011
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Takahashi, Jin
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2005 using redundant communication controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/38 Information transfer, e.g. on bus G06F13/14 takes precedence

Abstract

According to an aspect of the embodiment, a system control apparatus includes a control signal transmitting unit which transmits a control signal to control circuits via first signal line. The control signal includes a command for performing a control setting on other control circuits other than own control circuit or to all control circuits. Each control circuit includes a signal receiving unit which receives the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit via the first signal line, a signal transfer unit which transfers the command included in the received control signal via second signal lines to the control circuit, and a control setting unit which performs the control setting on the own control circuit according to the command included in the received control signal or a command transferred from the other control circuits other than the own control circuit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a system control apparatus connected to each of a plurality of control circuits via a first signal line;

a plurality of control circuits each of which is connected to other control circuits other than own control circuit via second signal lines;

a control signal transmitting unit provided in the system control apparatus, and that transmits a control signal to the plurality of control circuits via the first signal line, the control signal including a command for performing a control setting on the other control circuits other than the own control circuit or to all of a plurality of control circuits;

a signal receiving unit provided in each of the plurality of control circuits, and that receives the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit of the system control apparatus via the first signal line;

a signal transfer unit provided in each of the plurality of control circuits, and that transfers the command included in the control signal received by the signal receiving unit to a control circuit that is a control setting target via the second signal lines; and

a control setting unit provided in each of the plurality of control circuits, and that performs the control setting on the own control circuit according to a command included in the control signal received by the signal receiving unit or a command transferred from the other control circuits other than the own control circuit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an abnormality determining unit provided in the system control apparatus, and that determines whether abnormality occurs in the plurality of control circuits,

wherein the first signal line and the second signal lines are serial buses,

wherein the control signal transmitting unit transmits a control signal including a command for performing the control setting on a control circuit which is determined that abnormality occurs therein by the abnormality determining unit to the other control circuits other than the own control circuit via the first signal line, and

wherein signal transfer units included in the other control circuits transfer the command included in the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit of the system control apparatus to the control circuit which is determined that the abnormality occurs therein via the second signal lines.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an abnormality determining unit provided in the system control apparatus, and that determines whether abnormality occurs in the plurality of control circuits;

a packet generating unit provided in each of the plurality of control circuits, and that generates packet data including the command included in the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit of the system control apparatus; and

a command converting unit provided in each of the plurality of control circuits, and that converts the packet data transferred from the other control circuits other than the own control circuit into a command used for the control setting for the own control circuit,

wherein the first signal line is a serial bus, and the second signal lines are data buses for packet data to be processed in the plurality of control circuits,

wherein the control signal transmitting unit transmits a control signal including a command for performing the control setting on a control circuit which is determined that abnormality occurs therein by the abnormality determining unit to the other control circuits other than the own control circuit via the first signal line, and

wherein the signal transfer unit transfers the packet data generated by the packet generating unit to the control circuit which is determined that the abnormality occurs therein via the second signal lines.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first signal line and the second signal lines are serial buses,

wherein the control signal transmitting unit transmits a control signal including a command that has control setting targets of all of the plurality of control circuits to a single representative control circuit among the plurality of control circuits via the first signal line, and

wherein the signal transmitting and receiving unit of the single representative control circuit receives the control signal including the command, and the signal transfer unit of the single representative control circuit transfers the command included in the control signal to the control circuit that is the control setting target via the second signal lines.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an abnormality determining unit provided in the system control apparatus, and that determines whether abnormality occurs in the plurality of control circuits;

a packet generating unit provided in each of the plurality of control circuits, and that generates packet data including the command included in the control signal transmitted from the control signal transmitting unit of the system control apparatus; and

a command converting unit provided in each of the plurality of control circuits, and that converts the packet data transferred from the other control circuits other than the own control circuit into a command used for the control setting for the own control circuit,

wherein the control signal transmitting unit transmits a control signal including a command that has control setting targets of all of the plurality of control circuits to a single representative control circuit among the plurality of control circuits via the first signal line, and

wherein the signal transmitting and receiving unit of the single representative control circuit receives the control signal including the command, the packet generating unit of the single representative control circuit generates packet data including the received command, and the signal transfer unit of the single representative control circuit transfers the generated packet data to the control circuit that is the control setting target via the second signal lines.

6. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus comprising a system control apparatus connected to each of a plurality of control circuits via a first signal line, and a plurality of control circuits each of which is connected to other control circuits other than own control circuit via second signal lines, the method comprising;

transmitting a control signal including a command for performing a control setting on the other control circuits other than the own control circuit or to all of a plurality of control circuits from the system control apparatus to the plurality of control circuits via the first signal line;

receiving the control signal transmitted from the system control apparatus via the first signal line by the plurality of control circuits, and transferring the command included in the control signal to a control circuit that is a control setting target via the second signal lines; and

performing the control setting on the own control circuit according a command included in the control signal received by the signal receiving unit or a command transferred from the other control circuits other than the own control circuit.

7. The method according to claim 6,

wherein the first signal line and the second signal lines are serial buses,

wherein the system control apparatus determines whether abnormality occurs in the plurality of control circuits, and transmits a control signal including a command for performing the control setting on a control circuit which is determined that abnormality occurs therein to the other control circuits other than the own control circuit via the first signal line, and

wherein the other control circuits transfer the command included in the control signal transmitted from the system control apparatus to the control circuit which is determined that the abnormality occurs therein via the second signal lines.

8. The method according to claim 6,

wherein the first signal line is a serial bus, and the second signal lines are data buses for packet data to be processed in the plurality of control circuits,

wherein the system control apparatus determines whether abnormality occurs in the plurality of control circuits, and transmits a control signal including a command for performing the control setting on a control circuit which is determined that abnormality occurs therein to the other control circuits other than the own control circuit via the first signal line,

wherein the other control circuits generate packet data including the command included in the control signal transmitted from the system control apparatus, and transfer the packet data to the control circuit which is determined that the abnormality occurs therein via the second signal lines, and

wherein the control circuit which is determined that the abnormality occurs therein converts the packet data transferred from the other control circuits into a command, and performs the control setting for the own control circuit according to the converted command.

9. The method according to claim 6,

wherein the first signal line and the second signal lines are serial buses,

wherein the system control apparatus transmits a control signal including a command that has control setting targets of all of the plurality of control circuits to a single representative control circuit among the plurality of control circuits via the first signal line, and

wherein the single representative control circuit transfers the command included in the control signal to the control circuit that is the control setting target via the second signal lines.

10. The method according to claim 6,

wherein the first signal line is a serial bus, and the second signal lines are data buses for packet data to be processed in the plurality of control circuits,

wherein the system control apparatus transmits a control signal including a command that has control setting targets of all of the plurality of control circuits to a single representative control circuit among the plurality of control circuits via the first signal line,

wherein the single representative control circuit receives the control signal including a command, generates packet data including the command, and transfers the generated packet data to the control circuit that is the control setting target via the second signal lines, and

wherein the control circuit to which the packet data is transferred converts the packet data to a command used for the control setting for the own control circuit, and performs the control setting for the own control circuit according to the converted command.