Device remote monitor/recovery system

• US 7,861,127 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2006
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamashita, Akiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lohn; Joshua A
• Application Number:
  US11/914,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 714/26, 714/39, 714/40, 714/43, 714/57
• US Class Current: 714/57
• 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 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A system includes a support side host (PCh1) connected to a network (n1) and a monitored side system (u1) connected to the network (n1). The monitored side system (u1) is formed by monitored/support object devices (ud1, ud2) and an interface device (us4) connected between the devices and the network (n1) for transmitting and receiving data between the devices and the monitor host (PCh1) via the network (n1). The interface device (us4) has a debug log processing unit (us2) for directly communicating with the devices by serial interface connection with the devices (ud1, ud2) without using a device interface unit (us1) controlling the connection with the devices.

Claims

1. A remote monitor/recovery system comprising a support side monitor host computer connected to a communication network and a monitored side system connected to the communication network, the remote monitor/recovery system operating via the communication network, wherein

the monitored side system comprises:

a device to be monitored and supported; and

an interface apparatus connected between the device and the communication network for transmitting and receiving data between the device and the monitor host computer via the communication network, and

the interface apparatus comprises;

a device interface unit for controlling a connection to the device;

a network connection unit for controlling a connection to the communication network; and

a debug log processing unit connected to the device interface unit and the network connection unit for controlling and monitoring the device via the device interface unit in response to a command sent by the monitor host computer via the network connection unit, and

a serial interface connection between the debug log processing unit of the interface apparatus and the device for enabling the debug log processing unit and the device to communicate directly with each other without using the device interface unit,

the monitor host computer comprises;

support-dedicated software for the monitored side system; and

a database for storing error data patterns for the device and device recovery command sequences corresponding to the error data patterns,

the monitor host computer is configured for, on the basis of the support-dedicated software, executing;

a first step of issuing a command reporting on a status history of the device interface unit of the interface apparatus or a command reporting on a status history of the device, to the debug log processing unit of the monitored side system via the communication network to acquire an error data pattern in the status history of the device or device interface unit from the debug log processing unit;

a second step of checking the error data pattern in the status history of the device or device interface unit acquired in the first step against error data patterns in the database; and

a third step of issuing a recovery command sequence to the database corresponding to the error data pattern checked in the second step, to the debug log processing unit of the monitored side system via the communication network, the debug log processing unit then executing the recovery command to directly recover from an error in the device having the serial interface connection with the debug log processing unit of the interface apparatus,

the monitor host computer is configured for executing, before executing the first through third steps;

a fourth step of issuing a command checking whether or not the device is connected to the interface apparatus, to the debug log processing unit of the monitored side system via the communication network to check whether or not the device is connected to the interface apparatus on the basis of a response from the debug log processing unit;

a fifth step of, upon confirming in the fourth step that the device is not connected to the interface apparatus, determining that a power supply to the device is off and issuing a command activating the power supply to the device to the debug log processing unit of the monitored side system via the communication network to turn on the power supply to the device, and

the monitor host computer for executing;

a sixth step of, upon confirming in the fourth step that the device is connected to the interface apparatus, issuing a command checking whether or not the device interface unit is in operation, to the debug log processing unit of the monitored side system via the communication network and checking the device interface unit for an operational status thereof on the basis of a response from the debug log processing unit;

a seventh step of, upon failing to confirm in the sixth step that the device interface unit is in operation, checking whether or not a network function of the device interface unit is abnormal on the basis of a response of the operational status from the debug log processing unit,

wherein upon confirming in the seventh step that the network function of the device interface unit is abnormal, the monitor host computer issues the command reporting on the status history of the device interface unit in the first step.

2. The device remote monitor/recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the device is connected to the interface apparatus in accordance with an ATAPI data transmission scheme, an SCSI data transmission scheme, or an IDE data transmission scheme, and

the device interface unit of the interface apparatus is for transmitting and receiving data to and from the device in accordance with the data transmission scheme for the device.

3. The device remote monitor/recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the network connection unit of the interface apparatus has an IP security function, and

the data transmission between the network connection unit and the monitor host computer is executed in accordance with TCP/IP, and when transmitted, a header of a data block in a packet in accordance with TCP/IP contains the command.