JP2009176284A - File sharing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a file sharing system that exclusively controls to prevent the access of other host computers during high-speed transfer of a shared file and access among a plurality of host computers. <P>SOLUTION: A register is provided in a storage device, and the register is accessed by the host computers at the start and end of access. The start and end of access are thereby detected, and an interrupt signal is generated and transmitted to the other host computers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a file sharing system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a file sharing system for sharing a file between a plurality of terminal devices, there is a system in which a shared file is stored in an external storage device (storage device) and a plurality of host computers are connected to the storage device.

  As a connection form between the storage apparatus and a plurality of host computers, there are mainly three types: DAS (Direct Attached Storage), SAN (Storage Area Network), and NAS (Network Attached Storage).

  In NAS, a storage device and a plurality of host computers are connected via a network, and a file server may be used as the storage device. In this case, file transfer is performed between the host computer connected to the network and the file server by using a dedicated protocol such as NFS (Network File System) or CIFS (Common Internet File System). Suitable for sharing.

  In the DAS, the host computer and the storage apparatus are connected by a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), and in the SAN, they are connected by an interface such as a fiber channel (Fibre Channel). In DAS and SAN, data transfer is performed in units of data blocks.

  In this way, when sharing a file using a storage device, if a plurality of host computers access one file at the same time, the access process may not be executed normally.

  Conventionally, as a technique related to shared file exclusive control, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes to apply NAS as a connection form and perform shared file exclusive control (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a table for managing the exclusive state of a file is provided in the storage apparatus, and when the storage apparatus side detects the release of file occupation, an interrupt is generated and notified to the host computer.

There is also a method in which a file management table is provided in each host computer, and locking / unlocking of a shared file is realized by message communication between the host computers (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-81435 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-312113

  An object of the present invention is to provide a file sharing system capable of performing exclusive access control in units of files regardless of the connection form between an external storage device and a terminal device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is a storage means for storing a plurality of shared files, and a plurality of signals for transmitting and receiving signals indicating information relating to the shared files between an external device and the storage means. The transmission / reception means and the sharing target to be processed when the connection to the shared file stored in the storage means is started and when the processing using the connected shared file is completed. When receiving an interrupt request signal indicating a connection start of a shared file stored in the storage means via a plurality of terminal devices that output an interrupt request signal indicating a file to the outside, the interrupt request signal is received. An interrupt signal that prohibits connection to the shared file indicated by the request request signal is generated and transmitted via another transmission / reception means, and the storage device is transmitted via the transmission / reception means. When an interrupt request signal indicating the end of connection of the shared file stored in is received, an interrupt signal for permitting connection to the shared file indicated by the interrupt request signal is generated and sent via other transmission / reception means. And an interrupt generation means for transmitting the file.

  The invention according to claim 2 further includes a register provided in the interrupt generation means for storing the interrupt request signal, wherein the interrupt generation means writes information to a predetermined address of the register. And the terminal device outputs the interrupt request signal to the outside by writing information to the assigned address by the interrupt generation means. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the interrupt generation means further includes interrupt request signal alignment means for maintaining a plurality of interrupt request signals input via the transmission / reception means in an input order. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 4 uses a connection method between the terminal device and the external storage device in which the transmission / reception means becomes an endpoint when sending / receiving the code from the terminal device to the external storage device. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the interrupt generation means outputs an interrupt signal via the preset transmission / reception means among the other transmission / reception means.

  The invention of claim 6 provides a heartbeat signal indicating that the access operation is being performed from the terminal device to the interrupt generation means during a part or all of the time when the terminal device is accessing the storage means. Further comprising a heartbeat signal transmission means for transmitting, wherein the interrupt generation means monitors the input state of the heartbeat signal, and when there is an abnormality in the heartbeat signal, the transmission source of the heartbeat signal The connection of the terminal device to the storage means is stopped.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the heartbeat signal is a periodic signal, and monitoring by the heartbeat signal confirms whether or not the heartbeat signal is received in the periodic unit, and is stored in the storage means. The period from the start of connection to the shared file to the completion of processing using the connected shared file is a relatively short period, and the other period is a relatively long period. To do.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform exclusive access control on a file basis, regardless of the connection form between the external storage device and the terminal device.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform exclusive access control on a file basis without providing a dedicated processor or management table.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, the interrupt request signal can be sequentially processed.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform exclusive access control on a file basis at a higher speed than in the case of using another connection method.

  According to invention of Claim 5, an interrupt signal can be output to the terminal device set beforehand.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, if it is recognized that the connected host computer is abnormal, exclusive access control can be canceled.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to detect an abnormality of the host computer that occurs during the access period to the shared file more quickly than other periods, and to release the exclusive access control.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the entire file sharing system 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the file sharing system 10 includes a plurality of host computers 12 and a storage device 16. FIG. 1 shows a case where two host computers 12 a and 12 b are connected to the storage apparatus 16. Hereinafter, when the description is made without distinguishing the host computers 12a and 12b, the alphabet at the end of the reference numerals is omitted.

  Each host computer 12 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 26 that stores various programs, parameters, and the like, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 24 that executes the various programs, and a work performed when the CPU 24 executes the various programs. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 28 used as an area or the like is included. These CPU 24, ROM 26, and RAM 28 are connected to the bus 30.

  In addition, the host computer 12 includes an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 22 that stores various data and files generated when the CPU 24 executes various programs, an input device 18 such as a keyboard and a mouse, an HDD 22, a ROM 26, and a RAM 28. Are also provided with a display 20 for displaying images and the like based on data and files stored therein, and an input / output port 32 for controlling input / output of data to / from an external device. These HDD 22, input / output device 18, The display 20 and the input / output port 32 are also connected to the bus 30.

  The storage device 16 also includes a plurality of input / output ports (I / O ports) 40 that control input / output of data to / from an external device, a memory 48 that stores shared files and the like, and an I / O port 40 by the host computer 12. And a control circuit 46 that manages access to the memory 48 via the network, and each is connected to the bus 42.

  The memory 48 stores a shared file 60 (not shown in the figure, see FIG. 2) accessed by the host computer 12 and a table 58 (for example, see Table 1 below) indicating the storage destination of the shared file. ing.

表１に示すテーブルにおいて、「ファイル名」は共有ファイル６０のファイル名であり、「ブロック」は、各ファイルを構成するデータが記憶されているデータブロックである。例えば、表１では、「Ａｐｐｌｅ」というファイル名のファイルは、「ａ」、「ｂ」、「ｅ」、「ｇ」のデータブロックに記憶されていることを示している。なお、表のフォーマットはメモリ４８のファイルシステムによって異なる。

In the table shown in Table 1, “file name” is the file name of the shared file 60, and “block” is a data block in which data constituting each file is stored. For example, Table 1 indicates that a file having a file name “Apple” is stored in data blocks “a”, “b”, “e”, and “g”. The format of the table differs depending on the file system of the memory 48.

  Further, the storage device 16 holds a table in which the “file name” and the “data block name” of the data constituting the file are respectively associated in the memory 48 as shown in Table 1 above. The shared file 60 can be accessed from the host computer 12.

  Further, the I / O port 32a of the host computer 12a is connected to the I / O port 40a of the storage device 16, and the I / O port 32b of the host computer 12b is connected to the I / O port 40b of the storage device 16, respectively. Has been.

  Although FIG. 1 shows a mode in which two host computers are connected, the present invention is suitable for realizing shared file transfer in a small-scale configuration. For example, one storage device 16 may be applied to a configuration in which about 4 to 8 host computers 12 are connected. In this case, the number of I / O ports 40 of the storage apparatus 16 is provided by the number of host computers to be connected.

  The host computer 12 accesses the memory 48 of the storage apparatus 16 by transmitting a transfer data signal 50 to the I / O port 40 of the storage apparatus 16 via the I / O port 32. The I / O port 40 of the storage device 16 sends the received transfer data signal 50 to the memory 48 in the storage device. Thereby, access to the memory 48 by the host computer 12 that has transmitted the transfer data signal 50 is started.

  The host computer 12 stores, reads, and writes the shared file to be accessed by accessing the memory 48.

  When the host computer 12 stores the shared file 60 in the memory 48, data indicating the shared file is transferred to the memory 48 via the I / O port 32 and the I / O port 40 as the transfer data signal 50.

  When the host computer 12 reads the shared file 60, information indicating the file name is transferred to the memory 48 via the I / O port 32 and the I / O port 40 as the transfer data signal 50. . As a result, data indicating the shared file 60 corresponding to the memory 48 is transferred to the host computer 12 via the I / O port 40 and the I / O port 32.

  When the host computer 12 writes the shared file 60, the write data is transferred to the memory 48 via the I / O port 32 and the I / O port 40 as the transfer data signal 50.

  In the host computer 12, an interrupt request signal 52 is output to the storage device 16 when access to the shared file 60 is started and when access is completed.

  Here, in the storage device 16, an interrupt generation unit 47 is provided to allow each host computer 12 to exclusively access the memory 48 using the transfer data signal 50 in units of shared files. Note that the interrupt generation unit 47 indicates a part of functions executed by the control circuit 46.

  The interrupt generation unit 47 includes a register unit 49. In the I / O port 40 of the storage device 16, when the interrupt request signal 52 is input from the host computer 12, the interrupt request signal 52 is stored in a preset area of the register unit 49 of the interrupt generation unit 47. Is executed. The interrupt generation unit 47 generates an interrupt signal 54 when information is stored in a preset area of the register unit 49. The interrupt generation unit 47 outputs the generated interrupt signal 54 to the I / O port 40 other than the I / O port 40 that has executed the storing of the interrupt request signal 52 in the register 49.

  The address indicating the area for storing the interrupt request signal 52 in the register 49 is mapped in advance to the I / O port address space of the host computer 12, and the host computer 12 assigns an interrupt to the mapped register address. Request signal 52 is output.

  For example, a case where access from the host computer 12a to the shared file 60 is started will be described. The host computer 12a transmits an interrupt request signal 52a to an address mapped in advance via the I / O port 32a. When the interrupt request signal 52a is stored in a preset area of the register 49 via the I / O port 40a, the interrupt generation unit 47 is connected to the I / O port 32b of the host computer 12b. Interrupt signal 54b is output to / O port 40b.

  As a result, the host computer 12b receives the interrupt signal 54b from the storage device 16 to detect that the host computer 12a has started accessing the shared file 60.

  The operation of the first embodiment will be described below.

  In the file sharing system 10 according to the first embodiment, an access operation to the shared file 60 stored in the memory 48 of the storage apparatus 16 is instructed by a user input operation via the input device 18 of the host computer 12. Then, the host computer 12 accesses the storage device 16.

  FIG. 3 shows a flow of file access processing executed by the CPU 24 when the host computer 12 accesses the shared file 60 in the memory 48 of the storage device 16. Hereinafter, the file access process according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The file access processing program is stored in the ROM 26 in advance.

  First, in step 100, in order to write the interrupt request signal 52 to the register 49 of the interrupt generation unit 47, the interrupt request signal 52 is transmitted to a register address mapped in advance in the address space of the I / O port 32. Here, in step 100, information indicating the start of access to the shared file 60 designated by the user (hereinafter referred to as “lock interrupt request signal”) is transmitted as the interrupt request signal 52.

  Next, in step 102, the shared file 60 designated by the user is opened. Specifically, the host computer 12 accesses the memory 48, reads data indicating the selected shared file 60, and displays the shared file 60 on the display 20 based on the read data.

  In the next step 104, it is determined whether or not there is an instruction to close the open shared file 60. If it is determined in step 104 that a close instruction has been given, step 104 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 105, the display of the shared file 60 on the display 20 is terminated, the file is closed, Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 106. Note that, as the close process in step 105, when the display contents are changed, an update process of the shared file 60 that appropriately reflects the changed contents in the shared file 60 may be executed.

  In step 106, in order to write the interrupt request signal 52 to the register 49 of the interrupt generation unit 47, the interrupt request signal 52 is transmitted to the register address previously mapped in the address space of the I / O port 32. End the file access process. In step 106, information indicating the end of access to the shared file 60 designated by the user (hereinafter referred to as “unlock interrupt request signal”) is transmitted as the interrupt request signal 52.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 104 that the close instruction to the shared file 60 being accessed has not been input, the determination in step 104 is negative and the process proceeds to step 108 to determine whether or not a write instruction has been issued. to decide. If it is determined in step 108 that an instruction to write to the shared file 60 has been given, step 108 is affirmative, and the process proceeds to step 110 to write to the shared file. When the writing in step 110 is completed, the process returns to step 104 again.

  If the determination in step 108 is negative, it is determined that a write instruction has not been input, and the process returns to step 104.

  Next, FIG. 4 shows the flow of an interrupt generation process executed by the control circuit 46 when the interrupt request signal 52 (see step 100 and step 106 in FIG. 3) is received.

  In step 114, the contents accessed to the register 49 are read. In step 116, it is determined whether or not the read contents of the register 49 are a lock interrupt request signal. If the determination in step 116 is affirmative, it is determined that the register 49 has received the lock interrupt request signal 52, and the process proceeds to step 118 for all the host computers 12 that have not accessed the shared file 60. Then, a shared file interrupt signal (shared file lock interrupt signal) 54 is transmitted, and then the interrupt generation process is terminated.

  If the determination in step 116 is negative, it is determined that an unlock interrupt request signal has been received, and the process proceeds to step 120 where an unlock interrupt request signal (shared file unlock interrupt signal) is obtained. 52 is transmitted, and then the interrupt generation process is terminated.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows an access prohibition process showing a process flow of the host computer 12 when the interrupt signal 54 (see step 118 and step 120 in FIG. 4) is received from the storage apparatus 16.

  In step 122, the received interrupt signal 54 is accepted as a lock interrupt signal for the shared file 60, and then in step 124, it is determined whether or not the interrupt signal 54 has been received.

  If the determination in step 124 is negative, the process proceeds to step 130 where it is determined whether or not the user has requested access to the shared file 60 via the input device 18. If the determination in step 130 is negative, the process returns to step 124 again.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 130 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 132 to determine whether or not the shared file 60 requested to be accessed is an access request for the shared file 60 that is locked. Similarly, if the determination in step 132 is affirmative, the process returns to step 124.

  If the determination in step 132 is negative, it is determined that the access request is for a shared file 60 different from the shared file 60 that is locked, and access to the shared file 60 requested to be accessed in step 134 is permitted. Is done.

  That is, the processing from step 130 to step 134 is performed after the lock interrupt signal is received in step 122 until the interrupt signal 54 is received in step 124.

  Thus, for example, in the table 58 shown in FIG. 2, the file such as the shared file “Orange” or “Banana” is not accessed even when the file access for the shared file “Apple” is being executed. The other shared file 60 can be accessed without being affected by the access to the shared file “Apple” by the other host computer 12.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step 124 is affirmative, it is determined that an unlock interrupt signal has been received, and the process proceeds to step 125.

  In step 125, it is determined whether or not the received interrupt signal 54 is an unlock interrupt signal. If the determination in step 125 is negative, the process returns to step 122.

  If the determination in step 125 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 126 to determine whether or not a file access request for the locked shared file 60 (see step 122) has been made.

  If the determination in step 126 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 128, and the lock is released when the file access to the locked shared file 60 receives the unlock interrupt signal (see step 125). Since the file can be accessed, the access process is permitted, and the process proceeds to step 129.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 126, the process proceeds to step 129 without passing through step 128.

  In step 129, it is determined whether there is a shared file 60 that is waiting to receive an unlock interrupt signal (locked) in the shared file 60 other than the unlocked shared file 60.

  If the determination in step 129 is affirmative, the access prohibition process ends.

If a negative determination is made in step 129, the process returns to step 122, and processing for the locked shared file 60 is performed.
(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, a mode in which the host computer 64 and the storage device 68 are connected by a PCI Express interface will be described.

  Note that in the second embodiment, identical symbols are assigned to configurations similar to those in the first embodiment and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 6 shows the data flow of the shared file 60 stored in the memory 48 with the host computer 12a, the host computer 12b, and the storage device 68 in the file sharing system 62 according to the second embodiment. It is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the second embodiment, PCI Express is used for communication between the host computers 64a and 64b and the I / O port 70 in the storage device 68. This is different from the form of the file sharing system 10.

Thereby, communication between the host computer 64a and the storage device 68 can be made a PCI Express standard signal. Further, the PCI Express endpoint is provided in the I / O port 70 in the storage device 68, and the register address is mapped to the PCI Express address space.
(Third embodiment)
In the first and second embodiments, the control circuit 46 is configured to individually input the interrupt request signals 52a and 52b. However, in the third embodiment, the interrupt request signal is aligned in the control circuit 46. A file sharing system including the unit 76 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding parts in FIG. 1 and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the interrupt request signal alignment unit 76 is connected to the I / O port 40 and the register 49. The interrupt request signal aligning unit 76 employs, for example, a first-in first-out (FIFO) format and stores the data in the order of input.

  When a plurality of interrupt request signals 52 are input to the interrupt request signal alignment unit 76, the interrupt request signals 52 are arranged one by one and reach the register 49. By providing the interrupt request signal aligning unit 76, the interrupt request signal aligning unit 76 sequentially writes the interrupt request signal 52 in the register 49.

  When a plurality of interrupt request signals 52 are input to the interrupt request signal alignment unit 76, the interrupt request signals are arranged one by one and reach the register 49. By providing the interrupt request signal alignment unit 76, the interrupt generation unit 47 sequentially writes the interrupt request signal 52 in the register 49.

  The interrupt request signal 52 input via the I / O port 40 is temporarily held in the interrupt request signal alignment unit 76 and stored in the register 49 in the input order.

  Thereby, the interrupt generation unit 47 sequentially processes the interrupt request signals 52 transmitted from the host computer 12.

  In the first to third embodiments, when the interrupt request signal 52 is input to the register, the interrupt signal 54 is output to all other host computers. However, it is also possible to output the interrupt signal 54 only to the designated host computer by setting the host computer that outputs the interrupt signal 54 in advance.

  In the first to third embodiments, when a shared file is opened, a lock interrupt signal is generated by a register so that other host computers cannot access the opened file. Although the interrupt request signal 52 is provided with three types of interrupt request signals, that is, a read request signal, a write request signal, and a read / write interrupt request signal, the type of the interrupt request signal is read request In the case of a signal, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a lock interrupt signal is not output. This is because a read-only request signal for the shared file 60 may be conflicted without being exclusively controlled even when accessed from another host computer.

  On the host computer 12 side, only read-only access may be permitted even when locked.

  In the first to third embodiments, after writing to the register, the process of opening the shared file 60 (see steps 100 and 102) or performing the file closing, The process of closing the shared file 60 (steps 105 and 106) is executed. For example, as a file input / output function library in C language, the file open function and the file close function have a file lock and a file unlock. It is also possible to prepare functions each including a register access function for notification.

  As a result, the prepared function is called and executed by the application program.

That is, in this case, since the file access function is executed only by changing the function library, there is no need to change the program itself.
(Fourth embodiment)
In the fourth embodiment, a mode in which a heartbeat signal 82 is transmitted and received between the host computer 12 and the storage apparatus 91 will be described. Hereinafter, the host computer 12 will be described, but the host computer 64 illustrated in FIG. 6 may be used.

  Note that in the fourth embodiment, identical symbols are assigned to configurations similar to those in the first through third embodiments and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 8 shows the data flow of the shared file 60 stored in the memory 48 with the host computer 12a, the host computer 12b, and the storage device 91 in the file sharing system 90 according to the fourth embodiment. It is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the fourth embodiment, the storage apparatus 91 receives a heartbeat signal 82 (see FIG. 9) transmitted from the host computer 12. Unlike the first to third embodiments, the heartbeat analysis unit 80 in the storage device 91 analyzes whether or not the heartbeat signal is continuously received from the host computer 12 at a predetermined cycle. ing.

  Here, the heartbeat signal 82 is transmitted from the host computer 12 to the storage apparatus 91 at a predetermined cycle in order to indicate that the connection between the host computer 12 accessing the shared file 60 and the storage apparatus 91 is valid. It is a signal that keeps going. If the storage apparatus 91 does not continue to receive the heartbeat signal 82 from the connected host computer 12 at a constant cycle (for example, when it does not receive it at regular intervals), the storage device 91 has a fault (abnormality). ) Occurred. When the storage device 91 recognizes that a failure has occurred, the storage device 91 disconnects from the host computer 12. This disconnection means release of exclusive exclusion of the corresponding host computer 12.

  FIG. 9 shows a contact signal 84 according to the fourth embodiment. The communication signal 84 is a signal obtained by combining the heartbeat signal 82 with the interrupt request signal 52 according to the first to third embodiments. As the heartbeat signal 82, for example, a pulse signal transmitted at a constant interval can be used.

  The heartbeat signal 82 shown in FIG. 9 is an interrupt request signal that the host computer 12 transmits when the access is completed from the interrupt request signal 52 that is transmitted when the access to the shared file 60 in the memory 48 in the storage device 91 is started. 52 is a signal output to the storage apparatus 91 during the period 52 (hereinafter, this period is referred to as “file access period”). For this reason, the storage apparatus 91 continues to receive the heartbeat signal 82 from the host computer 12 every predetermined time during the file access period.

  The file access period is a state in which the host computer 12 connected to the shared file 60 monopolizes the shared file 60. During this period, the storage apparatus 91 receives the heartbeat signal 82 from the host computer 12 at a constant period, thereby confirming whether a failure has occurred in the host computer 12.

  The operation of the fourth embodiment will be described below.

  FIG. 10 shows a flow of file access processing executed by the CPU 24 when the host computer 12 accesses the shared file 60 in the storage apparatus 91. Note that the same steps as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same step numbers, and the description thereof is partially omitted.

  In step 100, an interrupt request signal 52 indicating the start of access to the specified shared file 60 is transmitted, and when writing to the register unit 49 is performed, the process proceeds to step 200.

  In step 200, transmission of the heartbeat signal 82 to the heartbeat analysis unit 80 in the storage device 91 is started.

  When the heartbeat signal 82 starts to be transmitted in step 200, the process proceeds to step 102, and the file is opened. When the processing from step 102 to step 105 is completed and the file is closed, the process proceeds to step 202.

  When the transmission of the heartbeat signal 82 is completed in step 202, the process proceeds to step 106, where an interrupt request signal 52 indicating completion of access to the shared file 60 is transmitted, and writing to the register unit 49 is performed.

  Next, FIG. 11 shows a register read control (heartbeat signal monitoring) routine executed by the control circuit 46 in the storage apparatus 91.

  In step 210, it is determined whether or not a signal from the host computer 12 is registered in the register unit 49 in the register unit 49. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 212. Migrate to

  In step 212, the type of signal registered in step 210 is determined. If it is a lock interrupt request signal, the process proceeds to step 214, and the shared file lock interrupt request signal is transmitted to another host computer 12 not accessing the shared file 60, and the process proceeds to step 216.

  On the other hand, if it is an unlock interrupt request signal, the process proceeds to step 224, and the shared file unlock interrupt request signal is transmitted to another host computer 12 that is not accessing the shared file 60, and the process proceeds to step 216. To do.

  In step 216, it is determined whether there is a host computer 12 accessing the shared file 60. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 218. If the determination is negative, the process ends.

  In step 218, the heartbeat signal 82 transmitted from the host computer 12 accessing the shared file 60 is monitored, and the process proceeds to step 220.

  In step 220, it is determined whether or not the monitored heartbeat signal 82 has not been received at a certain period, that is, whether or not a failure has occurred.

  If the determination is negative, that is, if a failure has not occurred, the process is terminated, while if the determination is affirmative, that is, if a failure has occurred, the process proceeds to step 222.

In step 222, since a failure (abnormality) has occurred in the host computer 12 accessing the shared file 60, the communication is forcibly disconnected, the process proceeds to step 224, and the subsequent processing is performed.
(Fifth embodiment)
In the fifth embodiment, a mode in which a heartbeat signal 82 is transmitted and received between the host computer 12 and the storage apparatus 91 while being connected to the memory 48 will be described.

  In the fifth embodiment, a file sharing system 90 (see FIG. 8) according to the fourth embodiment is applied and described.

  FIG. 12 shows a contact signal 86 according to the fifth embodiment.

  The heartbeat signal 82 shown in FIG. 12 is a period during which the host computer 12 is executing a communication protocol for connecting to or disconnecting from the shared file 60 (hereinafter referred to as “storage access”). The heartbeat signal 82 is continuously transmitted from the “period”.

  If the heartbeat signal 82 is not normally transmitted from the host computer 12 during the storage access period, it is determined that the host computer 12 is not operating normally, and the storage apparatus 91 starts to access the shared file 60. Even if the indicated interrupt request signal 52 is received, the subsequent processing is not performed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the heartbeat signal 82A during the storage access period is transmitted at a relatively low frequency, and the heartbeat signal 82B during the file access period is transmitted at a relatively high frequency. Good.

  By making the heartbeat signal 82B during the file access period relatively frequent, it is possible to quickly detect the occurrence of a failure in the host computer 12 while the shared file 60 is actually opened.

  The operation of the fifth embodiment will be described below.

  FIG. 14 shows a flow of file access processing executed by the CPU 24 when the host computer 12 accesses the shared file 60 in the storage apparatus 91. Hereinafter, the file access processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the step similar to FIG.3 and FIG.10, the same step number is attached | subjected and the description is partially abbreviate | omitted.

  In FIG. 14, first, in step 206, the heartbeat signal 82 is transmitted from the storage access period to the heartbeat analysis unit 80 in the storage apparatus 91 at a constant cycle. By transmitting the heartbeat signal 82A at a constant cycle, it is confirmed that the host computer 12 is operating normally.

  Next, the process proceeds to step 100. When the processing from step 100 to step 106 is completed, the writing of the register unit 49 is completed, and the file access period is completed, the process proceeds to step 208. In step 208, transmission of the heartbeat signal 82 is terminated.

  Next, FIG. 15 shows a register read control (heartbeat signal monitoring) routine executed by the control circuit 46 in the storage apparatus 91. In addition, about the process similar to FIG. 11, the same number is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In step 230, it is determined whether or not the shared file 60 is already locked. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 210. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 232.

  In step 232, the heartbeat signal 82 transmitted from the host computer 12 accessing the shared file 60 is monitored, and the process proceeds to step 234.

  In step 234, it is determined whether or not the monitored heartbeat signal 82 has not been received at a certain period, that is, whether or not a failure has occurred. If the determination is affirmative, that is, if a failure has occurred, the process proceeds to step 236, the communication between the shared file 60 and the accessing host computer 12 is forcibly disconnected, and the process ends.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made, that is, if no failure has occurred, the process proceeds to step 210, and thereafter the same processing as in FIG. 11 is performed.
(Sixth embodiment)
In the fourth to fifth embodiments, the heartbeat between the host computer 12 and the storage apparatus 91 is performed using the contact signals 86 and 88 in which the interrupt request signal 52 and the heartbeat signal 82 are combined. Although the signal 82 has been described, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the interrupt request signal 52 and the heartbeat signal 82 may be transmitted and received via different signal lines.

  In this case, a signal obtained by combining the interrupt request signal 52 and the heartbeat signal 82 in FIG. 16 corresponds to the communication signal 84 in FIG.

  Similarly, a signal combining the interrupt request signal 52 and the heartbeat signal 82 in FIG. 17 corresponds to the communication signal 86 in FIG. 12, and a signal combining the interrupt request signal 52 and the heartbeat signals 82A and 82B in FIG. Corresponds to the communication signal 88 of FIG.

  In the fourth to sixth embodiments, the heartbeat signal 82 is transmitted from the host computer 12 to the storage apparatus 91. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only the heartbeat signal 82 is received. The heartbeat signal 82 of the host computer 12 and the storage device 91 may be transmitted to the computer, and arbitration may be performed by the computer that has received the heartbeat signal 82.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the file sharing system which concerns on embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the file sharing system which concerns on embodiment functionally. It is a flowchart which shows a process in case a host computer accesses a shared file. 6 is a flowchart showing processing of the storage apparatus when accepting access to a shared file from a host computer. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing when a host computer that has received exclusive control from a storage apparatus accesses a shared file. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the file sharing system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the file sharing system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the file sharing system which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is the schematic of the signal wire | line transmitted to the storage apparatus from the host computer which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process in case the host computer which concerns on 4th Embodiment accesses a shared file. 15 is a flowchart showing processing of the storage apparatus when accepting access to a shared file from a host computer according to the fourth embodiment. It is the schematic of the signal wire | line transmitted to the storage apparatus from the host computer which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is the schematic of the signal wire | line transmitted to the storage apparatus from the host computer which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a process in case the host computer which concerns on 5th Embodiment accesses a shared file. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the storage apparatus when accepting the access to a shared file from the host computer which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is the schematic of the signal wire | line transmitted to the storage apparatus from the host computer which concerns on 6th Embodiment. It is the schematic of the signal wire | line transmitted to the storage apparatus from the host computer which concerns on 6th Embodiment. It is the schematic of the signal wire | line transmitted to the storage apparatus from the host computer which concerns on 6th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10 File sharing system 12a, 12b Host computer 16 Storage device 18 Input device 20 Display 22 HDD
24 CPU
26 ROM
28 RAM
30 Bus 32 Input / output port 40 Input / output port 42 Bus 46 Control circuit 48 Memory 49 Register 50a, b Transfer data signal 52a, b Interrupt request signal 54a, b Interrupt signal 58 Table 60 Shared file 76 Interrupt request signal alignment unit 80 Heartbeat analysis unit 82 Heartbeat signal

Claims (7)

Storage means for storing a plurality of shared files;
A plurality of transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving a signal indicating information on a shared file between an external device and the storage means;
An interrupt indicating the shared file to be processed when connection to the shared file stored in the storage unit is started and when processing using the connected shared file is completed. A plurality of terminal devices that output request signals to the outside;
An interrupt signal for prohibiting connection to the shared file indicated by the interrupt request signal when an interrupt request signal indicating the start of connection of the shared file stored in the storage means is received via the transmission / reception means; When the interrupt request signal indicating the end of connection of the shared file stored in the storage means is received via the transmission / reception means, the interrupt request signal is generated and transmitted via the other transmission / reception means. An interrupt generation means for generating an interrupt signal for permitting connection to the indicated shared file and transmitting it via another transmission / reception means;
Including file sharing system. Provided in the interrupt generation means, further comprising a register for storing the interrupt request signal;
The interrupt generation means accepts the interrupt request signal when information is written to a predetermined address of the register,
The terminal device outputs the interrupt request signal to the outside by writing information to an allocated address by the interrupt generation means.
The file sharing system according to claim 1. The interrupt generation means further comprises an interrupt request signal alignment means for aligning and holding a plurality of interrupt request signals input via the transmission / reception means in the input order,
The file sharing system according to claim 2. As a connection method between the terminal device and the external storage device, a connection method in which the transmission / reception means becomes an endpoint when sending and receiving the code from the terminal device to the external storage device is used,
The file sharing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The interrupt generation means outputs an interrupt signal via the preset transmission / reception means among the other transmission / reception means,
The file sharing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the file sharing system is characterized in that: Heartbeat signal transmission means for transmitting a heartbeat signal indicating that the access operation is being performed from this terminal apparatus to the interrupt generation means during a part or all of the period when the terminal device is accessing the storage means. Further comprising
The interrupt generation means monitors the input state of the heartbeat signal and, when there is an abnormality in the heartbeat signal, connects the terminal device that is the transmission source of the heartbeat signal to the storage means. 6. The file sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the file sharing system is stopped.   The heartbeat signal is a periodic signal, and monitoring by the heartbeat signal confirms whether or not the heartbeat signal is received in the periodic unit, and starts connection to the shared file stored in the storage means 7. The file sharing system according to claim 6, wherein the period from the time to the completion of the process using the connected shared file is set to a relatively short period, and the other period is set to a relatively long period.

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