Network system

• US 9,882,737 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Jun, Hidaka, Youichi, Higuchi, Junichi, Yoshikawa, Takashi, Baba, Teruyuki, Kami, Nobuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Winder, Patrice
• Assistant Examiner(s): Solomon, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US14/003,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20140059250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,203 Days
• Field of Search: 709253
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0026 PCI express
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/3808 Network interface controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A network system of the present invention includes a computer and a device connected via a network, and a system management device. The computer and the device include, respectively, bridges that encapsulate transmission/reception data transmitted and received to and from each other and transmit and receive the data to and from each other via the network. Each of the bridges includes a control data transmitting means for generating control data for controlling the state of the system based on control auxiliary data issued from the computer or the device and used for controlling the state of the system, and transmitting the control data to the system management device via the network. The system management device includes a system controlling means for controlling the state of the system in accordance with the control data received thereby.

Claims

1. A network system comprising a computer and a device connected via a network so as to be capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from each other, and also comprising, via the network, a system management device configured to control a state of a system including the computer and the device, wherein:

the computer and the device include, respectively, bridges configured to encapsulate transmission/reception data transmitted and received to and from each other and configured to transmit and receive the data to and from each other via the network;

each of the bridges includes a control data transmitting unit for generating control data for controlling the state of the system based on control auxiliary data issued from the computer or the device and used for controlling the state of the system, and transmitting the control data to the system management device via the network; and

the system management device includes a system controlling unit for controlling the state of the system in accordance with the control data received thereby, wherein;

each of the bridges includes a data discriminating unit for discriminating whether data issued from the computer or the device is the transmission/reception data or the control auxiliary data, and each of the bridges further includes an encapsulating/decapsulating unit for encapsulating the transmission/reception data transmitted thereby and terminating encapsulation of the transmission/reception data received thereby;

the data discriminating unit is configured to pass the transmission/reception data to the encapsulating/decapsulating unit and pass the control auxiliary data to the control data transmitting unit; and

the control data transmitting unit included by each of the bridges in configured to generate control data for controlling the state of the system based on the control auxiliary data, and transmit the control data to the system management device without subjecting the control data to encapsulation by the encapsulating/decapsulating unit.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the control data transmitting unit includes a control content identifying part for identifying a control content of the system corresponding to the control auxiliary data, a control judging part for judging whether to perform control of the control content identified by the control content identifying part based on the control auxiliary data, and a control data generating part for generating the control data in accordance with judgment by the control judging part and transmitting the control data to the system management device.

3. The network system according to claim 2, wherein the control data transmitting unit includes a response data transmitting part for transmitting response data to the computer or the device as a source that issues the control auxiliary data, in accordance with the judgment by the control judging part.

4. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the control data transmitting unit is configured to generate the control data for controlling allocation of the computer to the device based on the control auxiliary data issued from the computer.

5. The network system according to claim 2, wherein:

the control judging part included by the control data transmitting unit is configured to judge whether the control auxiliary data issued from the computer is not received for a fixed time; and

the control data generating part included by the control data transmitting unit is configured to, in a case that the control auxiliary data issued from the computer is not received for the fixed time, generate the control data for controlling the state of the system so that allocation to the device is changed to another computer.

6. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the control data transmitting unit is configured to generate the control data for controlling stop or restart of the computer based on the control auxiliary data issued from the device.

10. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the device is a PCI-Express-compatible device and data issued from the computer or the device is an I/O packet compliant with PCI Express.

7. A computer for transmitting and receiving data to and from a device connected thereto via a network, the computer comprising:

a bridge configured to encapsulate transmission/reception data transmitted and received to and from the device, and transmit and receive the data to and from the device via the network;

a memory storing instructions;

a processor executing the instructions to realize a plurality of units comprising;

a control data transmitting unit for, based on control auxiliary data issued from the computer, generating control data for controlling a state of a system in which the computer and the device are connected via the network, and transmitting the control data to a system management device configured to control the state of the system via the network;

a data discriminating unit for discriminating whether data issued from the computer is the transmission/reception data or the control auxiliary data; and

an encapsulating/decapsulating unit for encapsulating the transmission/reception data transmitted thereby and terminating encapsulation of the transmission/reception data received thereby, wherein;

the data discriminating unit is configured to pass the transmission/reception data to the encapsulating/decapsulating unit and pass the control auxiliary data to the control data transmitting unit; and

the control data transmitting unit is configured to generate control data for controlling the state of the system based on the control auxiliary data, and transmit the control data to the system management device without subjecting the control data to encapsulation by the encapsulating/decapsulating unit.

8. A device for transmitting and receiving data to and from a computer connected thereto via a network, the device comprising:

a bridge configured to encapsulate transmission/reception data transmitted and received to and from the computer, and transmit and receive the data to and from the computer via the network;

a memory storing instructions;

a processor executing the instructions to realize a plurality of units comprising;

a control data transmitting unit for, based on control auxiliary data issued from the device, generating control data for controlling a state of a system in which the device and the computer are connected via the network, and transmitting the control data to a system management device configured to control the state of the system via the network;

a data discriminating unit for discriminating whether data issued from the device is the transmission/reception data or the control auxiliary data; and

an encapsulating/decapsulating unit for encapsulating the transmission/reception data transmitted thereby and terminating encapsulation of the transmission/reception data received thereby, wherein;

the data discriminating unit is configured to pass the transmission/reception data to the encapsulating/decapsulating unit and pass the control auxiliary data to the control data transmitting unit; and

the control data transmitting unit is configured to generate control data for controlling the state of the system based on the control auxiliary data, and transmit the control data to the system management device without subjecting the control data to encapsulation by the encapsulating/decapsulating unit.

9. A network system controlling method in a network system that includes a computer and a device connected via a network so as to be capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from each other and also includes, via the network, a system management device configured to control a state of a system including the computer and the device, the network system controlling method comprising:

by respective bridges included by the computer and the device;

encapsulating transmission/reception data transmitted and received to and from each other, and transmitting and receiving the data to and from each other via the network; and

generating control data for controlling the state of the system based on control auxiliary data issued from the computer or the device and used for controlling the state of the system, and transmitting the control data to the system management device via the network; and

by the system management device, controlling the state of the system in accordance with the control data received thereby, wherein;

each of the bridges discriminates whether data issued from the computer or the device is the transmission/reception data or the control auxiliary data; and

encapsulates the transmission/reception data transmitted thereby and terminating encapsulation of the transmission/reception data received thereby;

each of the bridges passes the transmission/reception data to an encapsulating/decapsulating unit and passes the control auxiliary data to a control data transmitting unit; and

the control data transmitting unit is configured to generate control data for controlling the state of the system based on the control auxiliary data, and transmit the control data to the system management device without subjecting the control data to encapsulation by the encapsulating/decapsulating unit.