Communication processing system in which communication by terminals is controlled according to a terminal management table

• US 5,155,857 A
• Filed: 05/25/1988
• Issued: 10/13/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yasue, Tosikazu, Kunisaki, Osamu, Saeki, Yuuji, Oishi, Shiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, David Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Treat, William M.
• Application Number:
  US07/198,206
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.06, 340/825.08, 340/825.5, 340/825.51, 370/85.8, 370/95.2, 395/800, 364/900 MS File, 364/200 MS File
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/126 and has means for transferring I/O instructions and statuses between control unit and main processor

Abstract

A terminal controller detects state of a plurality of terminal devices by polling system, and the detected state is in a terminal management table possessed by the terminal controller and each terminal device, and the communication processing is performed corresponding to the table content. The terminal controller and each terminal device comprise respectively a main processor connected through a bus to a main memory and a communication control adapter. The communication control adapter is composed of a local processor, a local memory and a communication data send/receive circuit, and terminal management table region is provided on the main memory and the local memory. The local processor executes management of the terminal management table, and rewrites the terminal management information on the local memory and at the same time transfers the terminal management information onto the main memory by the DMA function provided on the communication control adapter.

Claims

1. Communication processing system in a cluster communication system, in which a terminal control device controls a plurality of terminal devices using a polling system, each of the terminal devices comprising:

a main processor connected to a bus;

a main memory connected to said bus;

a communication control adapter connected to said main processor and said memory through said bus, said communication control adapter being composed of a local processor, a local memory and a communication data send/receive circuit; and

a terminal management table for storing terminal management information to indicate a state of each of the terminal devices, said terminal management information being used by said terminal control device during polling to determine whether transmission to another of said terminal devices is possible and if possible permitting data to be transmitted to said another of said terminal devices, said terminal management table being formed both in said memory and in said local memory, and said local processor controlling reading/writing of said terminal management information from/into said terminal management table.

2. Communication processing system according to claim 1, wherein said local processor in each terminal device rewrites said terminal management information in said terminal management table of said local memory and controls transfer of said terminal management information from said terminal management table of said local memory to said terminal management table of said main memory.

3. Communication processing system according to claim 2, wherein said communication control adapter further includes DMA means responsive to said local processor for transferring said terminal management information rewritten in said terminal management table of said local memory into said terminal management table of said main memory.

4. Communication processing system according to claim 1, wherein said local processor in one terminal device transmits said terminal management information in said local memory through said communication data send/receive circuit and a line to another of the terminal devices.

5. Communication processing system wherein a terminal controller sends/receives terminal management information corresponding to states of a plurality of terminal devices by a polling system, comprising:

each of the terminal controller and the terminal devices being composed of a main processor, a main memory, and a communication control unit, all of which are connected through a bus;

said communication control unit being composed of a local memory, a local processor and a communication data send/receive circuit; and

terminal management tables being held in both said main memory and local memory for storing the terminal management information, the terminal management information stored in said terminal management table being re-written by said local processor, said terminal management information being used by said terminal controller during polling to determine whether transmission to one of said terminal devices is possible and if possible permitting data to be transmitted to said one of said terminal devices.

6. Communication processing system according to claim 5, wherein said communication control unit further includes DMA means responsive to said local processor for transferring the terminal management information from said local memory to said main memory, and said local processor rewrites the terminal management information of said terminal management table of said local memory and transfers the rewritten terminal management information to said main memory using said DMA means immediately after rewriting the terminal management information in said local memory.

7. Communication processing system according to claim 5, wherein said local processor in one of the terminal devices updates the terminal management information of said terminal management table, and transmits at least part of the information of said terminal management table through said communication data send/receive means and a line to another of the terminal devices.

8. In a communication control system, in which a terminal control device communicates with a plurality of terminal devices using polling, said terminal control device being connected to said terminal devices, each of the terminal control device and the terminal devices comprising:

a main processor and a main memory, both connected to a bus;

a communication control adapter connected to said bus, said communication control adapter including a local processor means connected to said a bus, a local memory connected to said local processor means, and send/receive data processing means connected to said local processor means; and

terminal management tables formed in said main memory and in said local memory, each terminal management table storing terminal management information indicating a respective state of all of the terminal devices, said terminal management information being used by said terminal control device during polling to determine whether transmission to one of said terminal devices is possible and if possible permitting data to be transmitted to said one of said terminal devices, said terminal management information of said terminal management table formed in said local memory being managed by said local processor means.

9. The communication control system according to claim 8, wherein said local processor means has a function of direct memory access to said main memory, and operates to send said terminal management information stored in said terminal management table of said local memory via said bus to said terminal management table of said main memory by said direct memory access function.

10. The communication control system according to claim 9, wherein said local processor means includes bus interface means connected to said bus, memory interface means connected to said local memory, a data link control layer controller connected to said send/receive data processing means, DMA means connected between said bus interface means and said memory interface means to perform said direct memory access function, and sequence control means for controlling said local processor in response to a sequence program.

11. The communication control system according to claim 8, wherein said local processor means of the terminal control device operates to send said terminal management information stored in said local memory thereof via said send/receive data processing means thereof to said send/receive data processing means of the terminal devices, and each of the terminal devices stores said terminal management information in each local memory and said main memory of the respective terminal device.

12. A cluster communication processing system, in which a terminal controller detects terminal management information of a plurality of terminal devices by means of a polling system, and a plurality of the terminal devices are controlled in response to the terminal management information, the system comprising:

the terminal controller and each of the terminal devices having a main processor, a main memory, and a communication control unit;

said main processor being connected through a bus to said main memory;

said communication control unit being connected to said bus, said communication control unit having a local processor, a local memory being connected to said local processor and a communication data send/receive circuit being connected to said local processor for sending/receiving the terminal management information via a line;

a terminal management table for storing the terminal management information, said terminal management table being installed in each main memory and in each local memory, said terminal management information being used by said terminal controller during polling to determine whether transmission to one of said terminal devices is possible and if possible permitting data to be transmitted to said one of said terminal devices; and

said communication control unit of the terminal controller having means for sending at least part of the terminal management information stored in said terminal management table via said line to said communication control units of the terminal devices.

13. A cluster communication processing system according to claim 12, wherein said communication control unit of the terminal devices operates to rewrite the terminal management information stored in the terminal management table of said local memory thereof in response to receipt of at least said part of the terminal management information sent from the terminal controller.

14. A cluster communication processing system according to claim 13, wherein said communication control unit has a direct memory access function, and at least said part of the terminal management information is sent from local memory to said main memory using said direct memory access function.