Accessible network of performance index tables

• US 6,519,640 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2002
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Oeda, Takashi, Hara, Tsutomu, Ogura, Toshihiko, Osaka, Hideki, Hattori, Ryuichi, Tobita, Tsunehiro, Okazawa, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): PEIKARI, BEHZAD
• Application Number:
  US10/082,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/217, 709/216, 709/219, 714/57, 714/47, 714/46
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

In each of the information processing apparatuses connected to each other via a network, there is arranged a quality of service (QOS) table to which functions and performance thereof are registered. When an information processing apparatus is additionally linked with the network, a QOS table thereof is automatically registered to a local directory of the network such that an agent converts the contents of the QOS table into service information to be supplied via a user interface to the user. Thanks to the operation, information of functions and performance of each information processing apparatus connected to the network is converted into service information for the user. Consequently, the user can much more directly receive necessary services.

Claims

1. An information processing system, comprising:

a plurality of information processing apparatuses, each having a table in which information on functions and performance of at least one other of said plurality of information processing apparatuses, which has a plurality of storage device is registered;

a network for connecting the plurality of information processing apparatuses to each other;

a directory connected to the network and controlling the tables of the respective information processing apparatuses; and

an agent function operable in one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses for referencing contents of the directory and supplying a user with the information on functions and performances of said at least one other information processing apparatus registered in the table,

wherein the information on functions and performance includes at least one of a transfer speed, a random input/output performance, and access time, a bit error ratio, a mean time to data loss, and a mean time data availability of the plurality of storage devices.

2. An information processing server connected to a network of a plurality of information processing apparatuses, comprising;

a directory including information of functions and performance of each of the plurality of information processing apparatuses; and

an agent function for referencing contents of the directory,

wherein the agent function sends the information of functions and performance to one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses when the information processing server receives a request from said one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses.

3. An information processing server according to claim 2, wherein some of the plurality of information processing apparatus have a plurality of storage units and the information of functions and performance includes performance of the plurality of storage units.

4. An information processing server according to claim 3, wherein the performance of the plurality of storage units includes a transfer speed, a sequential performance, a random input/output performance, or access time.

5. An information processing server according to claim 4, wherein when a new information processing apparatus is connected to the network, the information processing server gets information of functions and performance from the new information processing apparatus and adds the information of functions and performance to the directory.

6. An information processing server according to claim 5, wherein one information processing apparatus delete the information of functions and performance from the directory when said one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses is disconnected from the network.

7. An information processing server according to claim 6, wherein the network is connected to another network via one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses.