Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing – Peripheral monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-25
2001-09-18
Lee, Thomas (Department: 2182)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
Peripheral monitoring
C711S114000, C360S069000, C360S075000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06292851
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system having a supervisory module and one or more supervised modules mounted on separate circuit cards in a single housing.
One example of this type of system is a communication switch having line interface modules connectable to various types of electrical and optical communication lines. A single supervisory module in the switch initializes the line interface modules, monitors their status during subsequent operation, runs diagnostic tests, and responds to alarms and other conditions by changing register settings in the integrated circuits in the line interface modules.
The supervisory module communicates with the line interface modules through supervisory interface circuits in the line interface modules. In conventional switching systems of this type, the supervisory interface circuits provide read and write access to the registers in the integrated circuits in a line interface module by having a processor in the line interface module specify the physical addresses of the registers.
The physical address of a register depends on the internal structure of the integrated circuit in which the register is disposed, and the way in which the integrated circuit is connected to the supervisory interface circuit. The physical addresses of all of the registers in the line interface modules must be programmed into the supervisory module. The supervisory module must also be programmed with all of the initial register settings that must be made in each integrated circuit in each line interface module.
A resulting problem is that when the internal configuration or initial settings of a line interface module are changed, the software of the supervisory module must also be changed. These software changes are time-consuming, and the altered software must be tested, which takes further time. System development and maintenance become troublesome and difficult, because each change in a line interface module requires a corresponding change in the supervisory module. The troubles and difficulties are multiplied if the change alters not only register addresses, but also the meaning of the information placed in the registers.
These problems are not limited to line interface modules in switching systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a system in which a supervised module can be modified without requiring modification of the supervisory module.
Another object of the invention is to speed up the process of supervising the supervised module.
The invented system has a supervisory module and at least one supervised module. The supervisory module and supervised module are mounted on separate circuit cards in a common housing, and are interconnected by a supervisory interface signal line, through which the supervisory module sends control information to a supervisory interface circuit in the supervised module, and receives alarm and status information from the supervisory interface circuit.
The supervised module has a memory unit that stores the alarm and status information, control information, and a control program, and a processing unit that executes the control program. By executing the control program, the processing unit gathers the alarm and status information from other integrated circuits in the supervised module, writes the alarm and status information at predetermined addresses in the memory unit, transfers the alarm and status information from the memory unit to the supervisory interface circuit, and uses the control information received from the supervisory module to change internal settings of the other integrated circuits in the supervised module.
The memory unit preferably also stores initial settings with which the processing unit initializes the integrated circuits in the supervised module at power-up.
According to one aspect of the invention, the processing unit converts the physical addresses of registers in the integrated circuits in the supervised module to addresses in the memory unit, permitting the supervisory module to obtain alarm and status information and change register settings by specifying addresses in the memory unit, instead of by specifying the physical register addresses themselves.
According to another aspect of the invention, the supervisory module sends command identifiers and command type codes to the supervised module. Each command identifier corresponds to an area in the memory unit in the supervised module, and to a command processing task executed by the processing unit in the supervised module. Different command type codes enable the supervisory module to read and write data in the memory unit, have the processing unit execute a command processing task, and determine when the command processing task has been completed.
Since the supervisory module specifies command identifiers, or predetermined addresses in the memory unit, instead of the physical addresses of registers in the supervised module, the supervised module can be modified without need for modifications in the supervisory module.
Alarm and status information can be placed in consecutive addresses in the memory unit, for high-speed transfer to the supervisory module.
In a system with more than one supervised module, the processing units in the supervised modules can execute initialization processing or command processing tasks in parallel, thereby also speeding up system supervision.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5652839 (1997-07-01), Giorgio et al.
patent: 5890204 (1999-03-01), Ofer et al.
patent: 5996030 (1999-11-01), Ofer
patent: 4-364646 (1992-12-01), None
patent: 5-134997 A (1993-06-01), None
patent: 06069977 A (1994-03-01), None
patent: 09153023 A (1997-06-01), None
Elamin Abdelmoniem
Lee Thomas
OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Rabin & Berdo P.C.
LandOfFree
System for allowing a supervisory module to obtain alarm and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with System for allowing a supervisory module to obtain alarm and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and System for allowing a supervisory module to obtain alarm and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2490396