JPS6258317A - Reporting system for power supply abnormality of input and output device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To avoid the useless interruption of processing by counting the started frequency given from a host device by a counter while an abnormality alarm given from an input/output device lasts, reporting the abnormality of a power supply to the host device only when the count value of the counter reaches a specific level and performing the normal processing against the start of a single time given from the host device with said specific value. CONSTITUTION:A microprocessor 7 is started from a channel CH of a host computer P and detects the presence or absence of an abnormality alarm given from an upper monitor part 4. If no alarm is detected, the start processing is carried out. While the value of a counter 8 set within an input/output controller C is preset at N as long as the value of the counter 8 is equal to '0' when the abnormality alarm is detected. At the same time, a request is given in replay to the computer P via a channel interface control part 9 for report of the presence of a trouble.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] When a semiconductor memory is used as an information storage device for an input/output device, it is necessary to use other backup means for the information stored in the semiconductor memory, especially input information. Since it is practically difficult to prepare for this, redundant power supplies are being used to prevent information loss.

In such an input/output device equipped with a redundant power supply, even if an abnormality occurs in one power supply, it is possible to continue operation using the other power supply, so even if an abnormality occurs in one power supply, it is possible to continue operation from the host device. It is not necessary to report the abnormality each time the system is started, and it is sufficient for the maintenance staff to report the abnormality of the power supply to the operator or maintenance staff to the extent necessary to replace the power supply unit in which the abnormality has occurred.

Therefore, the present invention can be widely applied to input/output devices equipped with such dual power supplies.

[Conventional technology and problems]

Conventionally, even if a failure occurs in either one of the redundant power supplies, it is repeatedly reported to the host computer, which has the disadvantage of interrupting processing or requiring unnecessary processing time.

[Means to solve problems]

The input/output control device is equipped with a counter that counts the number of times it is activated from the host device during the period when an abnormality alarm from the input/output device is present, and only when the count value of this counter reaches a specific value, a power supply abnormality is detected. to be reported to the higher-level device,
Normal processing is performed for the (specific count value of the counter - engineering) times of activation from the host device.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which an input/output control device (C) connected to a channel (CH) of a host computer (P) is connected to an input/output device (D) via an interface.
is connected.

The input/output device (D) is equipped with a semiconductor memory (1) such as a semiconductor disk device, and in order to prevent accidents such as erasure of the stored contents, two sets of semiconductor memories (1) each backed up by batteries (3a, 3b) are provided. It has a power supply section (2) that is duplicated by power supply devices (2a, 2b), and supplies power in parallel through a diode for preventing backflow. These power supplies (
2a.

2b) and batteries (3a, 3b) are constantly monitored for abnormalities by the monitoring unit (4), and when an abnormality occurs, the devices in the input/output control unit interface control unit (5) and the input/output control unit (C) Interface control unit (6
) to the control microprocessor (7) of the input/output control device (C).

As shown in FIG. 2, when this microprocessor (7) is activated from the channel (CH) of the host computer (P), it detects the presence or absence of an abnormality alarm from the monitoring section (4) and generates an abnormality alarm. If there is no alarm, the process for startup is executed, but if there is an abnormal alarm, this input/output control device (C)
If the value is 0, the value of the counter (8) is presented to N and sent to the host computer (P) via the channel interface control unit (9). responds with an intervention request to report the existence of a fault. When the microprocessor (7) refers to the numerical value of the counter (8), if the value is not 0, it subtracts 1 from the numerical value of this counter and executes processing for activation.

In addition, as another operation mode, the counter (8) is reset to 0 when the failure alarm disappears from the monitoring unit (4), and this counter (8) is counted up each time it is activated when a failure alarm exists. If this is done, an intervention request can be sent to the host computer (P) when this counter counts N or overflows. According to such an aspect, the counter is N
It is also possible to achieve the effect that processing will not be interrupted if there is a failure that recovers naturally, such as a momentary power interruption, before counting or overflowing.

Note that the preset value N or overflow value of the counter can be appropriately set in consideration of the period that can exist in only one power supply, the frequency of activation, convenience of the circuit configuration, etc.

〔Effect of the invention〕

In the present invention, with the above-described configuration, the existence of a failure is reported to the host computer without processing the startup at a rate of once for every N startups, which is preset in the counter. For N-1 startups, the process is executed in the same way as when there was no failure, so this has the special effect of not causing unnecessary processing interruptions during the period of operation with a failure-free power supply. can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart of processing related to the present invention by a microprocessor in an input/output control device. In FIG. 1, P is a host computer which is a host device, C is an input/output control device, D is an input/output device, 4 is a monitoring unit,
8 indicates a counter. 3b Burning 4ri・1 Fig. 1 Ma-yuguro at 7℃・Zof/lJL蒐7U-Dried Eat Fig. 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] The input/output device (D) having a redundant power supply is provided with a monitoring section (4) for detecting abnormalities in the power supply, and when the power supply is abnormal, an abnormality alarm is sent to the input/output control device (C). ), the host device (P)
An input/output device characterized in that it is provided with a counter (8) that counts the number of times it has been started up, and that an abnormality in the power supply is reported to a host device only when this counter (8) reaches a predetermined value. Power abnormality reporting method.