Compound information platform and managing method for the same

Abstract

Module combination candidates which compose an information platform, to reduce human error when a platform is composed, and to permit automatic configuration changes. There is therefore provided a compound information platform comprising information platforms combining one or more universal processing modules and dedicated processing modules, wherein a management module has a means which computes processing module combination candidates when newly composing the information platform, computes the sum total value of the maximum guaranteed communication bandwidth of an IO protocol interface for each physical interconnection PL using an interface setting management information, adding an additional maximum guaranteed communication bandwidth due to a processing module combination candidate, and determining whether this is a possible module combination candidate by comparing the addition result with the maximum permitted communication bandwidth of each physical interconnection.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the compound information platform according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the IO protocol interface of the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of module management information in the management module of the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an information platform type which can be assembled in the compound information platform of the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of composition management information in the management module of the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of interface setting management information in the management module of the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of information about a connection endpoint for each physical interconnection in the management module of the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a management method when the information platform of the first embodiment is composed;

FIG. 9 is a descriptive diagram showing an example of a management method when the information platform of the first embodiment is composed;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an information platform composition request from the management server to the management module of the first embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a platform configuration according to the information platform configuration request from the management server to the management module of the first embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the method of calculating information platform configuration candidates according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of platform configuration specification information in the management module of the first embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a platform module composition according to an information platform configuration request from the management server to the management module of the first embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of information about module combination candidates used with the information platform configuration candidate calculation method of the first embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of configuration information about an IO protocol interface of a module combination candidate used in the information platform configuration candidate calculation method of the first embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of setting information about a physical interconnection used with the information platform configuration candidate calculation method of the first embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of setting information about a physical interconnection to which a module combination candidate used with the information platform configuration candidate calculation method of the first embodiment is added;

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of information about information platform configuration candidates notified to the management server from the management module of the first embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing an information platform configuration candidate calculation method according to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of information about information platform configuration candidates notified to the management server from the management module of the second embodiment;

FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing an information platform configuration candidate calculation method according to a third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 23 is a diagram of an IO protocol interface verification method according to the third embodiment;

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of information about information platform configuration candidates notified to the management server from the management module of the third embodiment;

FIG. 25 is a flow chart showing an information platform configuration candidate calculation method according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of information about information platform configuration candidates notified to the management server from the management module of the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 27 is a flow chart showing an information platform configuration candidate calculation method according to a fifth embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of information about information platform configuration candidates notified to the management server from the management module of the fifth embodiment.

Claims

1. A compound information platform which may comprise one or more different types of information platform, comprising one or more universal processing modules having a universal processing function, one or more dedicated processing modules having a dedicated processing function specific to the module, a management module which manages said universal processing module and dedicated processing module, and one or more I/O switches which connect these modules together and perform communication data switching, wherein these modules have one or more I/O adapters for communication using said I/O switches, said platform being formed by combining said universal processing modules and said dedicated processing modules, wherein said management module comprises interface monitoring means having: configuration management information including information regarding the connection between said universal processing modules, said dedicated processing modules and said I/O switches;module management information including the type of devices which can be composed by said universal processing modules and said dedicated processing modules, and the type ID of the information platform currently assigned; andinterface setting management information comprising physical interconnections showing the path of each communications interface between said I/O adapters and modules set using said I/O switches in said information platform, the maximum guaranteed communications bandwidth setting and the used communications bandwidth which was actually monitored; andsaid I/O switch monitors the communications bandwidth used by the physical interconnection of each inter-module communications interface, and notifies the monitored communications bandwidth used to said management module, wherein:said management module further comprises candidate calculation means which, when it is desired to compose a new information platform, computes module combination candidates derived from said plural universal processing management modules or said dedicated processing modules, specifies the physical interconnections of the communications interfaces between the modules constituting each module combination candidate, adds the maximum guaranteed communications bandwidth of the communications interfaces between the modules constituting said module combinations for the specified physical interconnections to the total values of the maximum guaranteed communications bandwidths of the inter-module communications interfaces for each physical interconnection computed from said interface setting management information, selects module combination candidates by comparing the addition result with the maximum permitted communication bandwidth of said physical interconnections, and deduces module combination candidates which can form part of said compound information platform.

2. The compound information platform according to claim 1, wherein said management module comprises means which, when recomposing an information platform including or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules not yet installed in said compound information platform, computes module combination candidates for one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are candidates for said information platform, including the I/O switch connection points of said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are not yet installed in said compound information platform, and deduces module combination candidates which can form part of said compound information platform.

3. The compound information platform according to claim 1, wherein said management module comprises means which removes said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules composing said information platform, and when recomposing said information platform using one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules not yet installed in said compound information platform, or installed in the compound information platform but not yet assigned thereto, computes module combination candidates comprising said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are candidates for composing said information platform, including the I/O switch connection points of said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules removed from said information platform, and the I/O switch connection points of said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules not yet installed in said compound information platform, and deduces module combination candidates which can form part of said compound information platform.

4. A compound information platform, wherein said management module comprises means which removes said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules composing said information platform from said platform, computes module combination candidates comprising said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are candidates for composing said information platform, including the I/O switch connection points of said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules removed from said information platform, and deduces module combination candidates which can form part of said compound information platform.

5. The compound information platform according to claim 1, wherein said management module contains configuration specification information for the information platform relating to module combination specifications for each type of information platform, said platform candidate calculation means determines whether or not the specification conditions of the configuration specification information for said information platform are suitable, computes module combination candidates derived from said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are candidates for composing said information platform, and deduces module combination candidates which can form part of said compound information platform.

6. The compound information platform according to claim 1, wherein said platform candidate calculation means, with regard to the module combination candidates derived from said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are candidates for composing said information platform, assigns a preference order to module combination candidates based on the size of the unassigned communications bandwidth for I/O switch ports from said calculated communication bandwidth of the inter-module communications interfaces for each physical interconnection, and the suitability of specification conditions of the configuration specification of said information platform, and deduces module combination candidates which can form part of said compound information platform.

7. The compound information platform according to claim 1, wherein said universal processing module and said dedicated processing manual have interface verification means which verifies communication for the module combination candidates deduced by said platform candidate calculation means of said management module by actually sending and receiving test packets along paths of the inter-module communications interfaces formed by said information platform.

8. A method of managing a compound information platform, which may be one or more different types of information platform, comprising one or more universal processing modules having a universal processing function, one or more dedicated processing modules having a dedicated processing function specific to the module, a management module which manages said universal processing module and dedicated processing module, and one or more I/O switches which connect these modules together and perform communication data switching, wherein these modules have one or more I/O adapters for communication using said I/O switches, said platform being formed by combining said universal processing modules and said dedicated processing modules, said managing method comprising the steps of: when said information platform is composed using said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules; performing communication between said I/O switches, said universal processing modules and said dedicated processing modules using a management interface, and generating configuration management information comprising connection relations between said universal processing modules, said dedicated processing modules and said I/O switches;performing communication between said universal processing modules and said dedicated processing modules using a management interface, and genrerating module management information comprising the type of information platform which can be composed and the information platform identification which is currently assigned;performing communication between said I/O switches, said universal processing modules and said dedicated processing modules using a management interface, and generating interface setting management information comprising information of the physical interconnections, setting information of the maximum communications bandwidth and the used communications bandwidth which was actually monitored for each inter-module communications interface set using said I/O adapters and said I/O switches in the configured information platform;calculating module combination candidates derived from said plural universal processing modules or said dedicated processing modules which are candidates for said information platform;specifying the physical interconnections of the inter-module communications interface forming these module combination candidates for each module combination candidate;adding the maximum guaranteed communications bandwidth of the communications interfaces between the modules of said module combination candidates for said specified physical interconnections, to each of the total values of the maximum guaranteed communications bandwidths of the inter-module communications interfaces for each physical interconnection computed from said interface setting management information; andselecting feasible module combination candidates by comparing said total values of the maximum guaranteed communications bandwidths for each physical interconnection, which is the addition result, with the maximum permitted communication bandwidth of the physical interconnections.

9. A method of managing a compound information platform according to claim 8, wherein, when recomposing an information platform including or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules not yet installed in said compound information platform, module combination candidates derived from one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are candidates for said information platform, including the I/O switch connection points of said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are not yet installed in said compound information platform, are computed, and feasible module combination candidates are selected from said computed module combination cadidates.

10. A method of managing a compound information platform according to claim 8, wherein, when removing said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules forming said information platform, and recomposing said information platform using one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules not yet installed in said compound information platform, or installed in the compound information platform but not yet assigned thereto, module combination candidates comprising said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are candidates for composing said information platform, including the I/O switch connection points of said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules removed from said information platform, and the I/O switch connection points of said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules not yet installed in said compound information platform, are computed, and feasible module combination candidates selected from said computed module combination cadidates.

11. A method of managing a compound information platform according to claim 8, wherein when removing one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules composing said information platform from said platform, module combination candidates comprising said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are candidates for composing said information platform, including the I/O switch connection points of said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules removed from said information platform, are computed, and feasible module combination candidates selected from said computed module combination cadidates.

12. The method of managing a compound information platform according to claim 8, wherein: said management module contains composition specification information for the information platform relating to module combination specifications for each type of information platform, said platform candidate calculation means determines whether or not the specification conditions of the composition specification information for said information platform are suitable, computes module combination candidates derived from said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are candidates for composing said information platform.

13. The method of managing a compound information platform according to claim 8, wherein: when said information platform is composed using one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules, said management module, with regard to the module combination candidates derived from said one or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules which are candidates for composing said information platform, assigns a preference order to module combination candidates based on the size of the unassigned communications bandwidth for I/O switch ports from said calculated communication bandwidth of the inter-module communications interfaces for each physical interconnection, and the suitability of specification conditions of the configuration specification of said information platform.

14. The method of managing a compound information platform according to claim 8, wherein: said universal processing module and said dedicated processing module have interface verification means which, when the information platform is composed using said or more universal processing modules or dedicated processing modules, verifies communication for the module combination candidates deduced by said platform candidate calculation means of said management module by actually sending and receiving test packets along paths of the inter-module communications interfaces formed by said information platform.