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

• US 6,341,308 B1
• Filed: 08/15/2000
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Haraguchi, Masatoshi, Yamaguchi, Toshio, Imai, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US09/638,027
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 709/213, 709/221, 709/220, 709/223, 709/201, 709/203, 345/330, 345/733, 345/735, 710/46, 714/4, 714/6
• 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. An input/output device information management method for a multi-computer system having a plurality of computers and a plurality of shared input/output devices, each of said shared input/output devices being coupled with at least two of said computers, said input/output device information management method comprising the steps of:

storing only one configuration information for each of said shared input/output devices, in a shared storage area accessed by, and connected to, the plurality of computers; and

referring to said one configuration information for each of said shared input/output devices stored in said shared storage area to select at least one of said shared input/output devices that adapted the requirement of the computers,

wherein said one configuration information for each of said shared input/out devices includes an information part and a connection information part for the input/output device, and said computers access the input/output device by referring to the configuration information.

2. An input/output device information management method according to claim 1, wherein one of the computers in the multi-computer system changes said input/output device configuration information stored in said shared storage area to change said at least one shared input/output device selected by the computers.

3. The input/output device information management method according to claim 1, wherein:

when adding a shared input/output device to the multi-computer system, deleting a shared input/output device from the multi-computer system, or changing a shared input/output device of the multi-computer system, one of the computers in the multi-computer system modifies the input/output device configuration information stored in the shared storage area.

4. The input/output device information management method according to claim 3, wherein:

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

5. The input/output device information management method according to claim 1, wherein:

when changing a shared input/output device of the multi-computer system, one of the computers in the multi-computer system modifies the shared input/output 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 input/output device, and the other computers in the multi-computer system refer to the input/output device configuration information to access the shared input/output device.

6. The input/output device information management method according to claim 1, wherein:

when adding a computer to the multi-computer system, deleting a computer from the multi-computer system, or changing a computer of the multi-computer system, one of the computers in the multi-computer system respectively adds, deletes or modifies a computer connection information in the input/output device configuration information stored in the shared storage area so that the added or modified computer refers to the information to access the plurality of shared input/output devices.

7. The input/output device information management method according to claim 1, wherein:

when changing the input/output device configuration information, either notifying the computers in the multi-computer system that the input/output device configuration information will be changed or notifying the computers in the multi-computer system that the input/output device configuration information has been changed.

8. The input/output device information management method according to claim 1, wherein:

when the input/output device configuration information is changed and a target shared input/output device is not selected, information indicating that the target shared input/output device is not available is set in the input/output device configuration information and the input/output device configuration information is changed.

9. A computer system having a plurality of computers comprising:

at least one output device, connected to and shared by the computers;

at least one input device, connected to and shared by the computers; and

a shared memory for storing only one configuration information for said at least one output device and said at least one input device, said configuration information accessed by the plurality of computers and including an information part and a connection information part,

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

10. A computer system according to claim 9, wherein the computers in the computer system change said input/output device configuration information stored in the shared memory.

11. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein:

when adding an input or output device to the computer system, deleting an input or output device from the computer system, or changing an input or output device of the computer system, one of the computers in the computer system modifies the input/output device configuration information stored in the shared memory.

12. The computer system according to claim 11, wherein:

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

13. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein:

when changing an input or output device of the computer system, one of the computers in the computer system modifies the input/output 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 computers in the computer system refer to the input/output device information to access the input and output devices.

14. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein:

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

15. The computer system according to claim 9, further including means for notifying the computers in the computer system that the input/output device configuration information will be changed when changing the input/output device configuration information or means for notifying the computers in the computer system that the input/output device configuration information has been changed when changing the input/output device configuration information.

16. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein:

when the input/output device information is changed and a target input or output device is not selected, information indicating that the target input or output device is not available is set in the input/output device configuration information and the input/output device configuration information is changed.

17. An input/output device information management method for a multi-computer system having a plurality of computers and a plurality of shared input/output devices, each of said shared input/output devices being connected with at least two—

of said computers, said input/output device information management method comprising the steps of;

copying a present input/output device configuration information to a configuration definition working table when a configuration of the input/output devices is changed; and

updating the configuration definition working table in accordance with a configuration change of the input/output devices.

18. An input/output device information management method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

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

19. An input/output device information management method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

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

generating a difference data between the updated configuration definition working table and the present input/output device configuration information;

updating an input/output device configuration information on a shared memory in accordance with the difference data; and

notifying end of a dynamic configuration change to the computers.

20. An input/output device information management method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of:

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