Power supply control device, power supply control method, and power supply control program

Abstract

A power supply control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with: a first power source and a second power source that supply power to a first device and a second device mutually monitored by means of a mutual monitoring process in a redundant device system; and a power source control unit that switches between operation states of the first device and the second device on the basis of whether power consumption patterns of a first power consumption of the first device and a second power consumption of the second device are normal.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply control device, a power supply control method, and a power supply control program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, as disclosed in non-patent document 1, in a redundant system having an active-standby (ACT-SBY) configuration, mutual monitoring is performed between the two devices to prevent both devices from entering an active-active state due to a failure or the like. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Overview of Pacemaker", [online], Linux(R)-HA Japan, [searched on March 15, 2021], Internet<URL:https: / / linux-ha.osdn.jp / wp / manual / pacemaker_outline> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventionally, when mutual monitoring in an ACT-SBY configuration is interrupted due to a failure or other reason, the software on the device in SBY state is stopped and the redundant system configuration is degraded to a single configuration in order to prevent the device in standby (SBY) state from transitioning to active (ACT) state. Therefore, if mutual monitoring fails and the device in active state goes into an abnormal state due to a failure or other reason, both configurations will be stopped.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to enable a redundant system to continue to operate normally even if mutual monitoring is interrupted and a device in ACT state goes into an abnormal state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the power supply control device of the present invention is provided in a redundant device system, comprising a first power supply and a second power supply that supply power to a first device and a second device that are mutually monitored by a mutual monitoring process, and a power supply control unit that switches the operating states of the first device and the second device based on whether the power consumption patterns of the first power consumption of the first device and the second power consumption of the second device are normal. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, even if mutual monitoring is interrupted and a device in the ACT state goes into an abnormal state, the redundant system can operate normally. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a redundant system including a redundant device system and a power supply control device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the 0-system device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the power supply control device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the power supply control operation of the power supply control device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a table showing the power supply status in each state of the 0-system device and the 1-system device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [composition] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a redundant system including a redundant device system 10 and a power supply control device 20. As shown in FIG.

[0010] The redundant device system 10 comprises a 0-system device 100 and a 1-system device 101. The 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 are devices having the same or similar processing capabilities, and when one is in the ACT state, the other is in the SBY state. The 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 monitor each other so that neither device goes into the ACT state or the SBY state. The method of mutual monitoring will be described later.

[0011] The 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 of the redundant device system 10 may be, for example, a server. That is, the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 may provide services to other devices through a network. In addition, the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 can transition from an SBY state to an ACT state depending on the power supply.

[0012] The power supply control device 20 supplies power to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 of the redundant device system 10. The power supply control device 20 includes a 0-system power supply 200, a 1-system power supply 201, a power supply monitoring unit 202, and a power supply control unit 203.

[0013] The 0 system power supply 200 and the 1 system power supply 201 are capable of supplying power to the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101, respectively. For example, when the 0 system device 100, the 1 system device 101, and the mutual monitoring are operating normally, the 0 system power supply 200 supplies power to the 0 system device 100, and the 1 system power supply 201 supplies power to the 1 system device 101. This example is merely an example, and it goes without saying that both the 0 system power supply 200 and the 1 system power supply 201 may supply power to the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101.

[0014] The power supply monitoring unit 202 monitors the power supplied from the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101, and detects the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101. The power supply monitoring unit 202 transmits power consumption information including information on the detected power consumption of the 0-system device 100 and the power consumption of the 1-system device 101 to the power supply control unit 203.

[0015] The power supply control unit 203 controls the power supply from the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 .

[0016] Furthermore, the power supply control unit 203 judges whether the power consumption pattern based on the power consumption included in the power consumption information is normal or abnormal. The judgment of whether the power consumption pattern based on the power consumption is normal or abnormal will be described later.

[0017] Furthermore, the power supply control unit 203 determines whether the 0-system device 100 is in the ACT state by comparing the power consumption of the 0-system device and the power consumption of the 1-system device. For example, when the power consumption of the 0-system device is greater, the power supply control unit 203 determines that the 0-system device 100 is in the ACT state.

[0018] Furthermore, the power supply control unit 203 determines whether the operating state of the 0-system device 100 or the 1-system device 101 in the ACT state is normal based on the power consumption. For example, when the 1-system device 101 is in the ACT state, the power supply control unit 203 determines whether the operating state of the 1-system device 101 is normal based on whether the power consumption of the 1-system device 101 is within a certain range.

[0019] Furthermore, the power supply control unit 203 controls the power supply from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 depending on whether the 0-system device 100 or the 1-system device 101 in the ACT state is normal or abnormal. The control method will be described later. The power supply control unit 203 may also transmit control signals to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 as shown by the dashed arrows in Fig. 1, and control the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 to transition from the SBY state to the ACT state.

[0020] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the 0-system device 100. Note that the 1-system device 101 configures a redundant system together with the 0-system device, and has the same or similar hardware as the 0-system device. The 0-system device 100 has a hardware processor 1001 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). A program memory 1002, a data memory 1003, a communication interface 1004, and an input / output interface 1005 are connected to the processor 1001 via a bus 1006. In addition, in FIG. 2, the "input / output interface" is written as "input / output IF."

[0021] The program memory 1002 can be a storage medium that can be used by combining a non-volatile memory that can be written and read at any time, such as an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD), with a non-volatile memory such as a read only memory (ROM). The program memory 1002 stores programs required for executing various processes. That is, the processing function units in the 0-system device 100 or the 1-system device 101 can be realized by reading and executing the programs stored in the program memory 1002 by the processor 1001. The programs stored in the program memory 1002 include a mutual monitoring program that performs mutual monitoring with another system device (the 1-system device 101 in this case) and transitions the ACT state / SBY state of the device itself depending on the state of the other system device.

[0022] The data memory 1003 is a storage that uses a combination of a nonvolatile memory that can be written to and read from at any time, such as a HDD or a memory card, and a volatile memory, such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), as a storage medium. The data memory 1003 is used to store data acquired and generated in the course of the processor 1001 executing a program and performing various processes.

[0023] The communication interface 1004 includes one or more wired or wireless communication modules. For example, the communication interface 1004 includes a communication module for wired or wireless connection to other devices. The communication interface 1004 may further include a wireless communication module for wireless connection to a Wi-Fi access point, a base station, or the like. The communication interface 1004 may further include a wireless communication module for wireless connection to other devices using short-range wireless technology. That is, the communication interface 1004 may be a general communication interface as long as it can communicate with other devices and the like under the control of the processor 1001 and transmit and receive various information.

[0024] An input unit 1007 and a display unit 1008 are connected to the input / output interface 1005 .

[0025] The input unit 1007 is, for example, an input detection sheet that employs an electrostatic or pressure method and is placed on the display screen of a display device, which is the display unit 1008, and outputs the touch position of the administrator of the 0-system device to the processor 1001 via the input / output interface 1005.

[0026] The display unit 1008 is a display device that uses, for example, liquid crystal, organic EL (Electro Luminescence), or the like, and displays images and messages according to signals input from the input / output interface 1005 .

[0027] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the power supply control device 20. As shown in FIG.

[0028] The power supply control device 20 has a hardware processor 2001 such as a CPU or an MPU. A program memory 2002, a data memory 2003, a communication interface 2004, an input / output interface 2005, a 0-system power supply 200, and a 1-system power supply 201 are connected to the processor 2001 via a bus 2006. In addition, in FIG. 3, the "input / output interface" is written as "input / output IF."

[0029] The program memory 2002 may be a storage medium that can be used by combining a nonvolatile memory that can be written to and read from at any time, such as an EPROM, HDD, or SSD, with a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM. The program memory 2002 stores programs necessary for executing various processes. That is, all of the processing function units in the power supply control device 20 can be realized by reading and executing the programs stored in the program memory 2002 by the processor 2001. The programs stored in the program memory 2002 include a power supply control program according to one embodiment.

[0030] The data memory 2003 is a storage that uses a combination of a nonvolatile memory that can be written to and read from at any time, such as a HDD or a memory card, and a volatile memory, such as a RAM, as a storage medium. The data memory 2003 is used to store data acquired and generated in the course of various processes performed by the processor 2001 by executing a program.

[0031] The communication interface 2004 includes one or more wired or wireless communication modules. For example, the communication interface 2004 includes a communication module that connects to another device by wire or wirelessly. That is, the communication interface 2004 may be a general communication interface as long as it can communicate with other devices and transmit and receive various information under the control of the processor 2001. For example, the processor 2001 can transmit control signals to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 via the communication interface 2004.

[0032] An input unit 2007 and a display unit 2008 are connected to the input / output interface 2005 .

[0033] The input unit 2007 is, for example, an input detection sheet employing an electrostatic or pressure method, which is placed on the display screen of a display device, which is the display unit 2008, and outputs the touch position of the administrator of the power supply control device 20 to the processor 2001 via the input / output interface 2005.

[0034] The display unit 2008 is a display device using, for example, a liquid crystal, an organic electroluminescence (EL), or the like, and displays images and messages according to signals input from the input / output interface 2005 .

[0035] 1, the 0 system power supply 200 and the 1 system power supply 201 are capable of supplying power to the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101, respectively. The 0 system power supply 200 and the 1 system power supply 201 are power supplies that supply power to the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101, and may be configured as separate power supply devices, or may be configured by one power supply device and a switch that supplies / cuts off power and is arranged on a power supply path to the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101.

[0036] A processor 2001 that executes a power supply control program according to an embodiment controls whether or not power is supplied from the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201 to the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101 via a bus 2006. Furthermore, the processor 2001 acquires information on the amount of power that the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201 are respectively supplying to the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101 via the bus 2006, and can detect the power consumption of the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101 from the acquired amount of power.

[0037] [Operation] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the power supply control operation of the power supply control device 20. The processor 1001 of the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 reads and executes a program stored in the program memory 1002, respectively, and the processor 2001 of the power supply control device 20 reads and executes a power supply control program stored in the program memory 2002, thereby realizing the operation of this flowchart.

[0038] Here, this flowchart shows operations that are repeated at regular intervals while the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 are operating.

[0039] The 0-system device 100 may operate by being supplied with power from the 0-system power supply 200, or may operate by being supplied with power from both the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201. Similarly, the 1-system device 101 may operate by being supplied with power from the 1-system power supply 201, or may operate by being supplied with power from both the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201.

[0040] The power supply monitoring unit 202 detects the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 (step ST101). The power supply monitoring unit 202 detects the amount of power supplied by the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101, respectively. Then, the power supply monitoring unit 202 detects the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 from the detected amount of power. Here, the power supply monitoring unit 202 can detect the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 and the power consumption of the 1-system device 101 individually. For example, when the 0-system power supply 200 supplies power to the 0-system device and the 1-system power supply 201 supplies power to the 1-system device 101, the power supply monitoring unit 202 detects the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 from the power supplied by the 0-system power supply 200, and detects the power consumption of the 1-system device 101 from the power supplied by the 1-system power supply 201. Furthermore, when the 0 system power supply 200 and the 1 system power supply 201 are respectively supplying power to both the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101, the power supply monitoring unit 202 detects the power consumption of the 0 system device 100 from the sum of the power supplied by the 0 system power supply 200 and the 1 system power supply 201 to the 0 system device 100. Similarly, the power supply monitoring unit 202 detects the power consumption of the 1 system device 101 from the sum of the power supplied by the 0 system power supply 200 and the 1 system power supply 201 to the 1 system device 101. Furthermore, the power supply monitoring unit 202 transmits power consumption information including the detected power consumption to the power supply control unit 203.

[0041] The power supply control unit 203 judges whether the power consumption pattern of the power consumption caused by the mutual monitoring process is normal (step ST102). Specifically, for example, the power supply control unit 203 judges whether the mutual monitoring process in the redundant device system 10 is normal based on the power consumption of the power consumption information received from the power supply monitoring unit 202. A normal mutual monitoring process, for example, encrypts and transmits information such as the operating state and various statuses of the transmitting device, and decrypts the information in the receiving device to detect the state of the transmitting device. This mutual monitoring process is performed, for example, in synchronization with a heartbeat period. Therefore, the load of the processor 1001 of the transmitting and receiving devices increases periodically due to the processing caused by this mutual monitoring process, and the power consumption also changes periodically. However, the power consumption of an abnormal mutual monitoring process is not constant or does not change periodically. The power supply control unit 203 judges whether the power consumption pattern is normal based on the power consumption included in the power consumption information.

[0042] When it is determined that the power consumption pattern is normal, that is, when the mutual monitoring process is normal, the power supply control unit 203 controls the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201 to supply power to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 (step ST103). Specifically, for example, when it is determined that the power consumption changes at a constant cycle according to the mutual monitoring process, that is, when it is determined that the power consumption pattern is normal, the power supply control unit 203 controls the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201 to supply power to both the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101. As a result, when the mutual monitoring process is operating normally, power is supplied from the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201, and the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 operate in the ACT state or the SBY state. For example, the 0-system device 100 operates in the ACT state, and the 1-system device 101 operates in the SBY state. Then, when the mutual monitoring process detects an abnormal state of the 0-system device 100 operating in the ACT state in the 1-system device 101 in the SBY state, the 1-system device 101 transitions to the ACT state and can take over the operations that were being performed by the 0-system device 100.

[0043] If it is determined that the power consumption does not change at a constant cycle or does not change periodically, that is, the power consumption pattern is abnormal, the power supply control unit 203 determines whether the 0 system is in the ACT state (step ST104). Specifically, for example, the power supply control unit 203 compares the power consumption of the 0 system device 100 and the power consumption of the 1 system device 101 included in the power consumption information, and determines that the one with the larger power consumption is in the ACT state. This is because the power consumption of a device in the ACT state is large, so the power supply control unit 203 determines that the device with the larger power consumption is in the ACT state.

[0044] When it is determined that the 1-system device 101 is in the ACT state, the power supply control unit 203 determines whether the operation state of the 1-system device 101 is normal (step ST105). If the 1-system device 101 in the ACT state is operating normally, the power consumption of the 1-system device 101 does not fluctuate greatly. Therefore, the power consumption per unit time of the 1-system device 101 falls within a predetermined range. On the other hand, the 1-system device 101 may be in an abnormal state, for example, by performing an infinite loop process, and the power consumption may increase, or, for example, the operation of a certain process may stop, and the power consumption may decrease. In this case, the power consumption of the 1-system device 101 increases or decreases, so that the power consumption deviates from the predetermined range. Therefore, when the power consumption of the 1-system device 101 in the ACT state is within the predetermined range, the power supply control unit 203 determines that the 1-system device is operating normally. On the other hand, when the power consumption of the 1-system device 101 is outside the predetermined range, the power supply control unit 203 determines that the 1-system device 101 is in an abnormal state.

[0045] When the operating state of the 1-system device 101 is normal, the power supply control unit 203 cuts off the power supply to the 0-system device 100 and supplies power only to the 1-system device 101 (step ST106). Since the mutual monitoring process is abnormal, for example, even if an abnormality occurs in the 1-system device 101, the 0-system device 100 in the SBY state cannot be switched to the ACT state by the mutual monitoring process. Therefore, the power supply control unit 203 uses the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201 to control so that the power supply to the 0-system device 100 in the SBY state is stopped and only the 1-system device 101 in the ACT state operates in order to reduce power consumption. Specifically, for example, when the 0-system device 100 is configured to receive power from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system device 101 is configured to receive power from the 1-system power source 201, the power supply control unit 203 cuts off the power supply from the 0-system power source 200, that is, stops the 0-system power source 200, and continues the power supply from the 1-system power source 201. Also, for example, when the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 are supplied with power from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201, respectively, the power supply control unit 203 performs control so as to cut off the power supply from the 0-system power source 200 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 and to continue the power supply from the 1-system power source 201 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101. In this case, the power supply control unit 203 further transmits a control signal including an instruction to shut down to the 0-system device 100, as indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. Furthermore, when the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101 are supplied with power from the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201, respectively, and each has a configuration for cutting off the power supply midway along its power supply path, the power supply control unit 203 cuts off the power supply from the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201 to the 0 system device 100, and performs control so as to continue the power supply from the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201 to the 1 system device 101. By cutting off the power supply in this way (and sending a control signal), the 0 system device 100, which was in the SBY state, is shut down.

[0046] When it is determined in step ST105 that the 1-system device 101 is in an abnormal state, the power supply control unit 203 supplies power only to the 0-system device 100 and cuts off the power supply to the 1-system device 101 (step ST107). Specifically, for example, when the 0-system device 100 is supplied with power from the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system device 101 is supplied with power from the 1-system power supply 201, the power supply control unit 203 starts the power supply from the 0-system power supply 200 and cuts off the power supply from the 1-system power supply 201. Also, for example, when the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 are supplied with power from the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201, respectively, the power supply control unit 203 controls so as to start the power supply from the 1-system power supply 201 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 and cut off the power supply from the 0-system power supply 200 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101. In this case, since the 1-system device 101 is in an abnormal state, even if the power supply control unit 203 transmits a control signal including an instruction to shut down to the 1-system device 101, the 1-system device 101 may not accept the control signal. However, even in this case, it is desirable to transmit a control signal including an instruction to shut down to the 1-system device 101. Also, for example, when the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 are supplied with power from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201, respectively, and each has a configuration for cutting off the power supply in the middle of the power supply path, the power supply control unit 203 cuts off the power supply from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201 to the 1-system device 101, and controls so as to start the power supply from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201 to the 0-system device 100. By cutting off the power supply in this way, the 1-system device 101 in which an abnormality such as a failure has occurred is shut down, and the 0-system device 100, which was in the shutdown state, starts up in the SBY state. For example, the 0-system device 100, which is a server, is set so as to start up when power is supplied from a shutdown state according to the settings of a Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI).

[0047] The processor 1001 of the 0-system device 100 switches the 0-system device 100 from the SBY state to the ACT state (step ST108). For example, the power supply control unit 203 transmits a control signal including an instruction to transition from the SBY state to the ACT state to the 0-system device 100, as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 1. Then, the processor 1001 of the 0-system device 100 transitions from the SBY state to the ACT state based on the control signal. Also, in a configuration in which the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 are supplied with power from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201, respectively, when it is detected in the above step ST107 that the power supply from the 1-system power source 201 is cut off and that only the power supply from the 0-system power source 200 is being received, the processor 1001 of the 0-system device 100 switches the 0-system device 100 from the SBY state to the ACT state. In this way, the processor 1001 of the 0-system device 100 can detect that the 1-system device 101 is in an abnormal state without relying on a mutual monitoring process when the power supply from the 1-system power source 201 is stopped and the processor 1001 receives power only from the 0-system power source 200, and based on this detection, switches the 0-system device 100 from the SBY state to the ACT state.

[0048] As described above, the power supply control unit 203 monitors the power consumption of the 0 system power supply 200 and / or the 1 system power supply 201 that supplies power to the 1 system device 101, and immediately when the 1 system device 101 in the ACT state enters an abnormal state, it cuts off the power supply to the 1 system device 101 and starts supplying power to the 0 system device 100 whose power supply is cut off, thereby switching the 0 system device 100 to the ACT state.

[0049] When it is determined in step ST104 that the 0-system device 100 is in the ACT state, the power supply control unit 203 determines whether the operating state of the 0-system device 100 is normal (step ST109). If the 0-system device 100 in the ACT state is operating normally, the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 falls within a predetermined range. On the other hand, when the 0-system device 100 is in an abnormal state, the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 increases or decreases, so that the power consumption deviates from the predetermined range. Therefore, when the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 in the ACT state is within the predetermined range, the power supply control unit 203 determines that the 0-system device 100 is operating normally. On the other hand, when the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 is outside the predetermined range, the power supply control unit 203 determines that the 0-system device 100 is in an abnormal state.

[0050] When the operating state of the 0-system device 100 is normal, the power supply control unit 203 cuts off the power supply to the 1-system device 101 and supplies power only to the 0-system device 100 (step ST110). Since the mutual monitoring process is abnormal, for example, even if an abnormality occurs in the 0-system device 100, the 1-system device 101 in the SBY state cannot be switched to the ACT state by the mutual monitoring process. Therefore, the power supply control unit 203 uses the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201 to control so that the power supply to the 1-system device 101 in the SBY state is stopped and only the 0-system device 100 in the ACT state operates in order to reduce power consumption. Specifically, for example, when the 0-system device 100 is configured to receive power from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system device 101 is configured to receive power from the 1-system power source 201, the power supply control unit 203 cuts off the power supply from the 1-system power source 201 and continues the power supply from the 0-system power source 200. Also, for example, when the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101 are supplied with power from the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201, respectively, the power supply control unit 203 performs control to cut off the power supply from the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201 to the 1 system device 101 and to continue the power supply from the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201 to the 0 system device 100. In this case, the power supply control unit 203 further transmits a control signal including an instruction to shut down to the 1 system device 101, as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. Furthermore, when the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101 are supplied with power from the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201, respectively, and each has a configuration for cutting off the power supply midway along its power supply path, the power supply control unit 203 cuts off the power supply from the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201 to the 1 system device 101, and performs control so as to continue the power supply from the 0 system power source 200 and the 1 system power source 201 to the 0 system device 100. By cutting off the power supply in this way, the 1 system device 101, which was in the SBY state, is shut down.

[0051] When it is determined in step ST109 that the 0-system device 100 is in an abnormal state, the power supply control unit 203 supplies power only to the 1-system device 101 and cuts off the power supply to the 0-system device 100 (step ST111). Specifically, for example, when the 0-system device 100 is supplied with power from the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system device 101 is supplied with power from the 1-system power supply 201, the power supply control unit 203 starts the power supply from the 1-system power supply 201 and cuts off the power supply from the 0-system power supply 200. Also, for example, when the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 are supplied with power from the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201, respectively, the power supply control unit 203 controls so as to start the power supply from the 0-system power supply 200 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 and cut off the power supply from the 0-system power supply 200 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101. In this case, since the 0-system device 100 is in an abnormal state, even if the power supply control unit 203 transmits a control signal including an instruction to shut down to the 0-system device 100, the 0-system device 100 may not accept the control signal. However, even in this case, it is desirable to transmit a control signal including an instruction to shut down to the 0-system device 100. Also, for example, when the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 are supplied with power from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201, respectively, and each has a configuration for cutting off the power supply in the middle of the power supply path, the power supply control unit 203 cuts off the power supply from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201 to the 0-system device 100, and controls to start the power supply from the 0-system power source 200 and the 1-system power source 201 to the 1-system device 101. By cutting off the power supply in this way, the 0-system device 100 in which an abnormality such as a failure has occurred is shut down, and the 1-system device 101 in the shutdown state is started up in the SBY state. For example, the first-system device 101, which is a server, is set by the BIOS or UEFI settings so as to start up when power is supplied from a shutdown state.

[0052] The processor 1001 of the 1-system device 101 switches the 1-system device 101 from the SBY state to the ACT state (step ST112). For example, the power supply control unit 203 transmits a control signal including an instruction to transition from the SBY state to the ACT state to the 1-system device 101, as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 1. Then, the processor 1001 of the 1-system device 101 transitions from the SBY state to the ACT state based on the control signal. Also, in the case where the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 are configured to receive power from the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201, respectively, when it is detected in the above step ST111 that the power supply from the 0-system power supply 200 is cut off and that only the 1-system power supply 201 is receiving power, the processor 1001 of the 1-system device switches the 1-system device 101 from the SBY state to the ACT state. In this way, the processor 1001 of the 1-system device 101 can detect that the 0-system device 100 is in an abnormal state without relying on a mutual monitoring process when the power supply from the 0-system power supply 200 is stopped and the processor 1001 receives power only from the 1-system power supply 201, and based on this detection, switches the 1-system device 101 from the SBY state to the ACT state.

[0053] As described above, the power supply control unit 203 monitors the power consumption of the 0 system power supply 200 and / or the 1 system power supply 201 which supply power to the 0 system device 100, and immediately when the 0 system device 100 in the ACT state enters an abnormal state, it cuts off the power supply to the 0 system device 100 and starts supplying power to the 1 system device 101 whose power supply is cut off, thereby switching the 1 system device 101 to the ACT state.

[0054] Fig. 5 is a table showing the power supply state in each state of the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101. For example, Fig. 5 shows how power is supplied depending on whether the operation of the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 is ACT or SBY, whether mutual monitoring is normal or abnormal, and whether the operating state is normal or abnormal.

[0055] For example, when the operation of the 0-system device 100 is in the ACT state, the mutual monitoring process is normal, and the operation state is abnormal, and the operation of the 1-system device 101 is in the SBY state, the mutual monitoring process is normal, and the operation state is normal, it indicates that power is supplied to both the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101. With reference to the flowchart in Fig. 4, this is due to the fact that the mutual monitoring process is normal.

[0056] Also, for example, when the operation of the 0-system device 100 is ACT, the mutual monitoring process is abnormal, and the operating state is abnormal, and when the operation of the 1-system device 101 is SBY, the mutual monitoring process is abnormal, and the operating state is normal, it indicates that the power supply to the 0-system device 100 is cut off and power is supplied only to the 1-system device 101. With reference to the flowchart in Fig. 4, this indicates that the operation of the 1-system device is switched from SBY to ACT because the 0-system device 100, which is in the ACT state, has failed.

[0057] 5, it is not possible for both the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101 to be in the ACT state or the SBY state. Furthermore, there is no case in which the mutual monitoring process is in different states between the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101.

[0058] [Effects] Even if the mutual monitoring process becomes inoperable due to a failure and a device in the ACT state goes into an abnormal state, the redundant system can continue to operate by switching the device in the SBY state to the ACT state.

[0059] Furthermore, if the mutual monitoring process fails and the device in the ACT state is normal, it is possible to reduce power consumption by cutting off the power supply to the 0-system device 100 or the 1-system device 101 in the SBY state. Then, as soon as the device in the ACT state goes into an abnormal state, power supply to the device whose power supply is cut off is started, and the device can be switched to the ACT state.

[0060] [Other embodiments] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, although an example of a redundant device system 10 consisting of two devices has been shown, the present invention can also be applied to a redundant device system 10 consisting of three or more devices.

[0061] Furthermore, the power supply monitoring unit 202 detects the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 based on the power supplied from the 0-system power supply 200 and the 1-system power supply 201 to the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101. If the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 have means for measuring their own power consumption, the measurement results can be input to the power supply control unit 203, making it possible to omit the power supply monitoring unit 202.

[0062] Furthermore, abnormality detection in the mutual monitoring process in the redundant device system 10 and abnormality detection in the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101 may be performed by a method other than that based on the power consumption of the 0-system device 100 and the 1-system device 101.

[0063] Also, in step ST106 or step ST110, a warning of the occurrence of an abnormality in the mutual monitoring process may be issued in addition to controlling the 0 system power supply 200 and the 1 system power supply 201. Similarly, in step ST107 or step ST111, a warning of the occurrence of an abnormal operation in the 0 system device 100 or the 1 system device 101 may be issued in addition to controlling the 0 system power supply 200 and the 1 system power supply 201. This makes it possible to reduce the possibility of the system stopping due to the simultaneous occurrence of an abnormality in the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101.

[0064] In addition, the 0 system device 100 and the 1 system device 101 of the redundant device system 10 may be configured to start up in the ACT state rather than the SBY state when started up from the shutdown state, thereby omitting the operations of steps ST108 and ST112.

[0065] The method described in the above embodiment can be stored as a program (software means) that can be executed by a calculator (computer) in a storage medium such as a magnetic disk (floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, etc.), optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, MO, etc.), semiconductor memory (ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc.), and can also be distributed by transmitting it via a communication medium. The program stored on the medium side also includes a setting program that configures the software means (including not only execution programs but also tables and data structures) that the calculator executes in the computer. The computer that realizes this device reads the program stored in the storage medium, and in some cases, configures the software means by the setting program, and executes the above-mentioned processing by controlling the operation of the software means. The storage medium referred to in this specification is not limited to a storage medium for distribution, but also includes a storage medium such as a magnetic disk or semiconductor memory provided inside the computer or in a device connected via a network.

[0066] In short, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. Moreover, each embodiment may be implemented in combination as appropriate as possible, in which case the combined effect can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiment includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of the disclosed constituent elements. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 10...Redundant equipment systems 100…0 series device 101…1 system equipment 1001...Processor 1002...Program memory 1003...Data memory 1004...Communication interface 1005... Input / Output interface 1006…Bus 1007...Input section 1008...Display section 20...Power supply control device 200…0 series power supply 201…1 system power supply 202...Power supply monitoring section 203...Power supply control unit 2001…Processor 2002…Program memory 2003…Data Memory 2004…Communication Interface 2005… Input / Output Interface 2006… Bus 2007… Input section 2008...Display section

Claims

1. In the redundant device system, a first power supply and a second power supply supply power to a first device and a second device that are mutually monitored by a mutual monitoring process; a power supply control unit that switches the operation states of the first device and the second device based on whether a power consumption pattern of a first power consumption of the first device and a second power consumption of the second device is normal; the first power consumption and the second power consumption change periodically in response to the mutual monitoring process, and the power supply control unit determines that the power consumption pattern is normal when the first power consumption and the second power consumption change in a constant cycle, and controls the first power supply and the second power supply to supply power to the first device and the second device.

2. When one of the first device and the second device is in an active state and the other is in a standby state, and the first power consumption and the second power consumption do not change periodically or do not change periodically, the power supply control unit determines that a power consumption pattern is abnormal; 2. The power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein, when the power consumption pattern is abnormal, the power supply control unit determines whether the first device or the second device is in an active state by comparing the first power consumption and the second power consumption, and when the first device is in an active state, determines whether the first device is in a normal state based on the first power consumption, and switches the operating states of the first device and the second device based on the determination result.

3. A redundant device system, comprising: a first power supply and a second power supply that supply power to a first device and a second device that are mutually monitored by a mutual monitoring process; a power supply control unit that switches the operation states of the first device and the second device based on whether a power consumption pattern of a first power consumption of the first device and a second power consumption of the second device is normal; when one of the first device and the second device is in an active state and the other is in a standby state, and the first power consumption and the second power consumption do not change periodically or do not change periodically, the power supply control unit determines that a power consumption pattern is abnormal; A power supply control device in which, when the power consumption pattern is abnormal, the power supply control unit determines whether the first device or the second device is in an active state by comparing the first power consumption and the second power consumption, and when the first device is in an active state, determines whether the first device is in a normal state based on the first power consumption, and switches the operating states of the first device and the second device based on the determination result.

4. 4. The power supply control device according to claim 3, wherein the power control unit determines that the first device is in a normal state when the first power consumption is within a certain range, and cuts off the power supply to the second device.

5. 5. The power supply control device according to claim 3, wherein when it is determined that the first device is in an abnormal state, the power supply control unit cuts off the power supply to the first device and supplies power only to the second device using the first power source and the second power source.

6. The power supply control device according to claim 5 , wherein the power control unit controls power supply to the second device so that power is supplied only from the second power source.

7. A power supply control method executed by an apparatus, comprising: In the redundant device system, using a first power source and a second power source, powering a first device and a second device that are mutually monitored by a mutual monitoring process; switching the operation states of the first device and the second device based on whether a power consumption pattern of a first power consumption of the first device and a second power consumption of the second device is normal; the first power consumption and the second power consumption change periodically in response to the mutual monitoring process, and when the first power consumption and the second power consumption change at a constant cycle, it is determined that the power consumption pattern is normal; controlling the first power source and the second power source to supply power to the first device and the second device; A power supply control method comprising:

8. A power supply control method executed by an apparatus, comprising: In the redundant device system, using a first power source and a second power source, powering a first device and a second device that are mutually monitored by a mutual monitoring process; switching the operation states of the first device and the second device based on whether a power consumption pattern of a first power consumption of the first device and a second power consumption of the second device is normal; determining that a power consumption pattern is abnormal when one of the first device and the second device is in an active state and the other is in a standby state, and the first power consumption and the second power consumption do not change periodically or do not change periodically; if the power consumption pattern is abnormal, determining whether the first device or the second device is in an active state by comparing the first power consumption and the second power consumption; When the first device is in an active state, determining whether the first device is in a normal state based on the first power consumption; switching the operation states of the first device and the second device based on the determination result; A power supply control method comprising:

9. A power supply control program comprising instructions for execution by a processor of a device, the instructions comprising: In the redundant device system, using a first power source and a second power source, powering a first device and a second device that are mutually monitored by a mutual monitoring process; switching the operation states of the first device and the second device based on whether a power consumption pattern of a first power consumption of the first device and a second power consumption of the second device is normal; the first power consumption and the second power consumption change periodically in response to the mutual monitoring process, and when the first power consumption and the second power consumption change at a constant cycle, it is determined that the power consumption pattern is normal; controlling the first power source and the second power source to supply power to the first device and the second device; A power supply control program comprising:

10. A power supply control program comprising instructions for execution by a processor of a device, the instructions comprising: In the redundant device system, using a first power source and a second power source, powering a first device and a second device that are mutually monitored by a mutual monitoring process; switching the operation states of the first device and the second device based on whether a power consumption pattern of a first power consumption of the first device and a second power consumption of the second device is normal; determining that a power consumption pattern is abnormal when one of the first device and the second device is in an active state and the other is in a standby state, and the first power consumption and the second power consumption do not change periodically or do not change periodically; if the power consumption pattern is abnormal, determining whether the first device or the second device is in an active state by comparing the first power consumption and the second power consumption; When the first device is in an active state, determining whether the first device is in a normal state based on the first power consumption; switching the operation states of the first device and the second device based on the determination result; A power supply control program comprising:

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