Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing
Utility Patent
1998-11-09
2001-01-02
Maung, Zarni (Department: 2758)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
C709S224000
Utility Patent
active
06170010
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a computer operation management system in which a plurality of computers are connected via a network to a managing computer for managing these computers.
Japanese periodicals “NIKKEI COMPUTER” (issued on Jan. 22, 1996, in pages 115 to 117), and “NIKKEI OPEN SYSTEM” (issued in June, 1997, No. 51, pages 234 to 239) describe the following conventional computer systems. That is, in these conventional computer systems, the functions for executing the operation processes are provided as independent programs. As the operation processes, there are the controls of turning ON/OFF the power supply, the job execution control, the print control, and the like. Also, these Japanese periodicals describe that the function for managing the conditions of the computers and the communication network is provided as a program independent from a product for controlling/monitoring the executions of the above-described operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,655 entitled “System for administration and management of network from remote or central station through an operator interface which prepare and stores the management orders for execution” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,508 entitled “Distributed control method and apparatus for job execution” disclose approaches for performing network management and job execution management as independent operations at remote management stations
As a result, in these computer systems, with respect to each of the respective computers, or each of the operation processes executed in the respective computers, a display monitor screen used to confirm the definition of the execution schedule for this operation process, and also the display screen used to confirm the execution result of each of the operation processes are constituted. Furthermore, the screen used to confirm the conditions of the computers and the communication network is arranged as a separate screen from the above-described management screens for the operation processes.
The above-mentioned conventional computer systems are suitable only for such a case that only necessary operation functions are utilized in relatively small-scaled networks. However, if the above-mentioned conventional computer systems are applied to such a large-scale computer system, then a total operation management could not be practically realized as a computer system. That is, in this large-scale computer system, there are many possibilities that a plurality of operation processes are combined with each other when these operation processes are executed. This is because the computers and the communication networks should be furthermore and in an integrated manner managed with respect to each of the operation processes.
In addition, since the respective operation processes are independently operated and both the computers and the communication network are separately managed, it is practically difficult to solve the problem occurring in the operation processes in correspondence with the problem occurring in the computers.
However, when all of the operation management processes are carried out by the managing computer, since communications are required between the managing computer and each of the computers, network traffics must be considered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and a program, and furthermore, a computer or a system using the same in a computer system to which a plurality of computers are connected, in which a managing computer for managing these computers manages operations executed by the respective computers in a batch mode, and the managing computer can execute operating of the operations and managing of the computers themselves in relation to each other, and a problem occurring in the operations process can be readily solved in relation to a problem occurred in the computers themselves and in a communication network.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and a program capable of avoiding an excessive load on the communication network, and to provide a computer, or a system with employment of this method and program.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, in a computer operation management system where a plurality of computers are connected via a network to a managing computer, the managing computer comprises:
means for managing a series of operations collectively or integrally, the series of operations executing operations designated in such a case that a power supply of the respective computers, or of a computer for executing a job in combination with the respective computers is turned ON and turned OFF, a job is executed, an execution result is printed, and a specific event happens to occur;
operation monitoring means for representing the respective operations executed on the computers by symbols, for representing an execution order of the respective operations by links with directions among the symbols, and further for representing execution conditions of the respective operations by colors of the symbols;
computer monitoring means for representing a connection relationship among the computers by links among symbols, and furthermore for representing operation conditions of the computers by colors of symbols;
means for mutually switching a monitor screen displayed by the operation monitoring means and a monitor screen displayed by the computer monitoring means to display the switched monitor screen, while making a relationship between the computers and the operations executed on the computers, and also for clarifying the relationship among the operations and the computers;
means for displaying the computer symbols of the computer monitoring means in a plurality of colors in response to conditions of the computers; and
means for displaying the operation symbols of the operation monitoring means in a plurality of colors in response to conditions of the operations.
Also, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in a computer operation management system where a plurality of computers are connected via a network to a managing computer, the managing computer comprises:
means for displaying thereon a message in which a change in the operation and the condition of the computer is notified as an event on the managing computer;
means for changing a display color of the message in accordance with an importance degree of the event;
means for instructing a previously designated computer to execute an action of a previously designated operation when a specific event is received;
means for referring to conditions of the respective computers managed by the computer monitoring means in the case that an operation cannot be accomplished under normal condition due to a cause of computers, or an operation program, and for instructing the computers operated under normal condition to retry the operations by returning back to a time instant when the operation can be retried;
means for regularly acquiring load conditions of the respective computers whose operations should be executed;
means for monitoring a time instant of an execution result with respect to a scheduled execution time instant of an operation; and
means for interrupting the execution of operation on the computer at an execution point of a switchable operation when the execution result time instant exceeds a predesignated time range, and for instructing another computer whose load is lower than, or equal to a predetermined load to execute an operation from a next execution point.
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Fujino Shuji
Hirata Toshiaki
Matsumura Eiji
Urano Akihiro
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Hitachi , Ltd.
Maung Zarni
Windee Patrice
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