Input/output device information management system for multi-computer system

• US 6,526,441 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2001
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Haraguchi, Masatoshi, Yamaguchi, Toshio, Imai, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US09/963,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 709/213, 709/220-221, 709/201, 709/214, 709/215, 709/216-217, 709/223, 710/46, 714/4, 714/6, 711/100, 711/147, 711/221
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/161 Computing infrastructure, e.g. computer clusters, blade chassis or hardware partitioning casings, cabinets, racks or drawers for data centers H05K5/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

In a multi-computer system having a plurality of computers, an input/output device configuration definition table and an input/output device configuration reference table are adapted to be collectively managed. A configuration management program manages the configuration definition of all input/output devices of a plurality of computers by using the input/output device configuration definition table, and generates a changed data file when an input/output device configuration is changed. Dynamic system alteration is effected by changing the contents of the input/output device configuration reference table stored in a shared memory, in accordance with the changed data file. The input/output device configuration definition table and the input/output device configuration reference table each have an input/output device information part and an input/output device connection information part arranged in a matrix form to allow addition/deletion of an input/output device and a computer.

Claims

1. A computer system having control programs executable by the computer system, comprising:

at least one output device, said at least one output device connected to and shared by said control programs;

at least one input device, said at least one input device connected to and shared by said control programs; and

a shared memory storing configuration information for said at least one output device and said at least one input device, said configuration information accessed by the control programs and including an information part and a connection information part,

wherein each of said control programs referring to said configuration information stored in said shared memory to select the input and output devices that adapted the requirement of the control programs.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein when adding a disk storage device to the computer system, deleting a disk storage device from the computer system, or changing a disk storage device of the computer system, one of the control programs in the computer system modifies the disk storage device configuration information stored in the shared memory.

3. A computer system according to claim 1, wherein the control programs in the computer system change said disk storage device configuration information stored in the shared memory.

4. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein;

when adding a disk storage device to the computer system or changing a disk storage device of the computer system, it is checked that at least one of an address and a name of an added or changed disk storage device is not registered twice in the disk storage device configuration information.

5. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein;

when changing a disk storage device of the computer system, one of the control programs in the computer system modified the disk storage device configuration information corresponding to the changed device stored in the shared memory, the information including at least one of an attribute, a name, and an address of each device, and the other control programs in the computer system refer to the disk storage device information to access the input and output devices.

6. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein;

when adding a control program to the computer system, deleting a control program from the computer system, or changing a control program in the computer system, one of the control programs in the computer system respectively adds, deletes or modifies a control program connection information in the disk storage device configuration information stored in the shared memory so that the added or modified control program refers to the information to access the input and output devices.

7. The computer system according to claim 1, further including means for notifying the control programs in the computer system that the disk storage device configuration information will be changed when changing the disk storage device configuration information or means for notifying the control programs in the computer system that the disk storage device configuration information has been changed when changing the disk storage device configuration information.

8. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein;

when the disk storage device information is changed and a target disk storage device is not selected, information indicating that the target disk storage device is not available is set in the disk storage device configuration information and the disk storage device configuration information is changed.

9. A disk storage device management method for a computer system having control programs and a plurality of shared disk storage devices, each of said shared disk storage devices being coupled with at least two of said control programs, said disk storage device management method comprising the steps of:

storing a one configuration information for each of said shared disk storage devices, in a shared storage area accessed by, and connected to the control programs; and

referring to said one configuration information for each of said shared disk storage devices stored in said shared storage area to select at least one of said shared disk storage devices that adapted the requirement of the control programs,

wherein said one configuration information for each of said shared input/out devices includes an information part and a connection information part for the disk storage device, and said control programs access the disk storage device.

10. A disk storage device management method according to claim 9, wherein one of the control programs in the computer system changes said disk storage device configuration information stored in said storage area to change said at least one shared disk storage device selected by the control programs.

11. The disk storage device management method according to claim 9, wherein:

when adding a shared disk storage device to the computer system, deleting a shared disk storage device form the computer system, or changing a shared disk storage device of the computer system, one of the control programs in the computer system modifies the disk storage device configuration information stored in the shared storage area.

12. The disk storage device management method according to claim 11, wherein:

when adding a disk storage device to the system or changing a disk storage device of the system, at least one of an address and a name of added or changed disk storage device is checked that is not registered twice in the disk storage device configuration information.

13. The disk storage device management method according to claim 9, wherein:

when changing a shared disk storage device of the computer system, one of the control programs in the computer system modifies the shared disk storage device configuration information corresponding to the changed device in the shared storage area, the information including at least one of an attribute, a name, and an address of the shared disk storage device, and the other control programs in the computer system refer to the disk storage device configuration information to access the shared disk storage device.

14. The disk storage device management method according to claim 9, wherein:

when adding a control program to the computer system, deleting a control program from the computer system, or changing a control program of the computer system, one of the control programs in the computer system respectively adds, deletes or modifies a control program connection information in the disk storage device configuration information stored in the shared storage area so that the added or modified control program refers to the information to access the plurality of shared disk storage devices.

15. The disk storage device management method according to claim 9, wherein:

when changing the disk storage device configuration information, either notifying the control programs in the computer system that the disk storage device configuration information will be changed or notifying the control programs in the computer system that the disk storage device configuration information has been changed.

16. The disk storage device management method according to claim 9, wherein:

when changing the disk storage device configuration information is changed and a target shared disk storage device is not selected, information indicating that the target shared disk storage device is not available is set in the disk storage device configuration information and the disk storage device configuration information and the disk storage device configuration information is changed.

17. A disk storage device management method for a computer system having control programs and a plurality of shared disk storage devices, each of said shared disk storage devices being connected with at least two of said control program, said disk storage device management method comprising the steps of:

copying a present disk storage device configuration information to a configuration definition working table when a configuration of the disk storage devices is changed; and

updating the configuration definition working table in accordance with a configuration change of the disk storage devices.

18. A disk storage device management method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

copying the updated configuration definition working table to the disk storage device configuration information on a shared file when the configuration change is not dynamically performed.

19. A disk storage device management method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

notifying start of a dynamic configuration change to the control programs, when the configuration change is dynamically performed;

generating a difference data between the updated configuration definition working table and the present disk storage device configuration information;

updating a disk storage device configuration information on a shared memory in accordance with the difference data; and

notifying end of a dynamic configuration change to the control programs.

20. A disk storage device management method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of:

copying the updated configuration definition working table to the disk storage device configuration information on a shared file when the dynamic configuration change is not temporary.