Method and apparatus for detecting faults in a computer network

• US 5,487,148 A
• Filed: 02/09/1994
• Issued: 01/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Morita, Akio, Suzuki, Katsuaki, Komori, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fisch, Alan M.
• Application Number:
  US08/194,075
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 395/575, 395/182.02, 395/184.01, 395/183.13, 395/183.15, 395/183.19, 371/11.2, 371/16.3
• US Class Current: 714/4.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display

Abstract

The present invention is for a fault detecting system for a computer network comprising a plurality of computer systems which are placed apart and interconnected by a communication network, and a central computer system monitors faults in the network. The central computer system stores fault information which is transmitted from a plurality of computer systems and judges whether the information indicates a fault occurring for a slight fault or for a serious fault based on the length of the duration of the fault, and display means performs the alarm display for a case of a serious fault and does not display for a case of a slight fault. As a result, the central computer system effectively detects faults in a computer network in which a plurality of computer systems are interconnected with the central computer system by means of a monitoring system that automatically distinguishes serious faults from slight faults.

Claims

1. A method for detecting faults in a computer network comprising a central monitoring system and a plurality of computer systems interconnected by a communication network, each computer system capable of detecting occurrences of (1) fault conditions affecting such computer system, and (2) fault restoration conditions affecting such computer system, and further capable of generating and transmitting over the communication network to the central monitoring system information (1) fault information in response to the occurrence of a detected fault condition and (2) fault restoration information in response to the occurrence of a detected fault restoration condition, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) receiving fault information in the central monitoring system from one of the computer systems by means of the communication network;

(2) storing in the central monitoring system a data record for received fault information, each data record corresponding to the transmitting computer system and indicating occurrence of a first level fault;

(3) receiving fault restoration information in the central monitoring system from one of the computer systems by means of the communication network;

(4) comparing received fault restoration information to a corresponding stored data record in the central monitoring system, and resetting such data record to indicate a no-fault condition;

(5) repeatedly accessing each data record, and changing each data record indicating a first level fault to indicate occurrence of a second level fault if the data record has not been reset to indicate a no-fault condition before lapse of a first pre-set time period;

(6) indicating in the central monitoring system an alarm condition corresponding to each data record set to the second level fault condition, the alarm condition indicating a serious fault condition.

2. A central monitoring system for detecting faults in a computer network comprising a plurality of computer systems interconnected to the central monitoring system by a communication network, each computer system capable of detecting occurrences of (1) fault conditions affecting such computer system, and (2) fault restoration conditions affecting such computer system, and further capable of generating and transmitting over the communication network to the central monitoring system information (1) fault information in response to the occurrence of a detected fault condition and (2) fault restoration information in response to the occurrence of a detected fault restoration condition, the central monitoring system including:

(1) receiving means for receiving fault information from one of the computer systems by means of the communication network;

(2) storing means for storing a data record for received fault information, each data record corresponding to the transmitting computer system and indicating occurrence of a first level fault;

(3) receiving means for receiving fault restoration information from one of the computer systems by means of the communication network;

(4) comparison means for comparing received fault restoration information to a corresponding stored data record, and resetting such data record to indicate a no-fault condition;

(5) search means for repeatedly accessing each data record, and changing each data record indicating a first level fault to indicate occurrence of a second level fault if the data record has not been reset to indicate a no-fault condition before lapse of a first pre-set time period;

(6) indicator means for indicating an alarm condition corresponding to each data record set to the second level fault condition, the alarm condition indicating a serious fault condition.

3. A method for detecting faults in a computer network comprising a central monitoring system and a plurality of computer systems interconnected by a communication network, each computer system capable of detecting occurrences of (1) fault conditions affecting such computer system, and (2) fault restoration conditions affecting such computer system, and further capable of generating and transmitting over the communication network to the central monitoring system information (1) fault information in response to the occurrence of a detected fault condition and (2) fault restoration information in response to the occurrence of a detected fault restoration condition, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) receiving fault information in the central monitoring system from one of the computer systems by means of the communication network;

(2) storing in the central monitoring system a data record for received fault information, each data record corresponding to the transmitting computer system and indicating occurrence of a first level fault;

(3) receiving fault restoration information in the central monitoring system from one of the computer systems by means of the communication network;

(4) comparing received fault restoration information to a corresponding stored data record in the central monitoring system, and resetting such data record to indicate a no-fault condition;

(5) repeatedly accessing each data record, and changing each data record indicating a first level fault to indicate occurrence of a second level fault if the data record has not been reset to indicate a no-fault condition before lapse of a first pre-set time period;

(6) repeatedly accessing each data record, and changing each data record indicating a second level fault to indicate occurrence of a third level fault if the data record has not been reset to indicate a no-fault condition before lapse of a second pre-set time period;

(7) indicating in the central monitoring system an alarm condition corresponding to each data record set to the third level fault condition, the alarm condition indicating a serious fault condition.

4. A central monitoring system for detecting faults in a computer network comprising a plurality of computer systems interconnected to the central monitoring system by a communication network, each computer system capable of detecting occurrences of (1) fault conditions affecting such computer system, and (2) fault restoration conditions affecting such computer system, and further capable of generating and transmitting over the communication network to the central monitoring system information (1) fault information in response to the occurrence of a detected fault condition and (2) fault restoration information in response to the occurrence of a detected fault restoration condition, the central monitoring system including:

(1) receiving means for receiving fault information from one of the computer systems by means of the communication network;

(2) storing means for storing a data record for received fault information, each data record corresponding to the transmitting computer system and indicating occurrence of a first level fault;

(3) receiving means for receiving fault restoration information from one of the computer systems by means of the communication network;

(4) comparison means for comparing received fault restoration information to a corresponding stored data record, and resetting such data record to indicate a no-fault condition;

(5) search means for repeatedly accessing each data record, and changing each data record indicating a first level fault to indicate occurrence of a second level fault if the data record has not been reset to indicate a no-fault condition before lapse of a first pre-set time period;

(6) search means for repeatedly accessing each data record, and changing each data record indicating a second level fault to indicate occurrence of a third level fault if the data record has not been reset to indicate a no-fault condition before lapse of a second pre-set time period;

(7) indicator means for indicating an alarm condition corresponding to each data record set to the third level fault condition, the alarm condition indicating a serious fault condition.