Management device, communication system, management method and program

Abstract

In a data center, this contributes to automatic and efficient management of the installation locations of one or more servers in each of multiple racks. [Solution] Based on a set of location information for each of the nodes linearly connected in series, it is determined that the nodes from the node corresponding to the first location information in the set of multiple location information to the node corresponding to location information including information indicating that a communication line is connected to the second port are installed in a first housing, and it is determined that the nodes from the node corresponding to the next location information after the location information including information indicating that a communication line is connected to the second port to the node corresponding to location information including information indicating that a communication line is connected to the second port are installed in a second housing, thereby managing the locations of each of the multiple nodes in the linear connection.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management device, a communication system, a management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Data centers are often used as specialized facilities for installing and operating equipment such as multiple computers, multiple servers (hereinafter collectively referred to as "servers"), and one or more data communication devices. In data centers, a management method for efficiently managing multiple servers is required for the upkeep and maintenance of the equipment. One such management method is known, for example, in which a server rack on which multiple servers are installed transmits the locations of each of the multiple servers to a management server, thereby managing the locations of the multiple servers independently of the server manufacturer and type (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-076034 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The disclosures of the above prior art documents are incorporated herein by reference.The following analysis was made by the inventor.

[0005] However, the above method requires the addition of a component for obtaining the positions of each of the multiple servers installed in each of the multiple server racks, each of which has multiple servers installed therein.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the object of the present disclosure is to contribute to automatic and efficient management of the locations of multiple racks in a data center and the installation locations of one or more servers in each of the multiple racks, without adding components to each of the multiple server racks in the data center. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a management device including one or more processors, which manages the position of each of a plurality of nodes in the linear connection, the plurality of nodes being linearly connected in series and at least one of which is installed in a first housing and a second housing. Of the plurality of nodes, a node at one end of the linear connection is connected to the management device, and a first port and a second port of two of the nodes installed in the first housing and the second housing, respectively, are connected via a communication line connecting them, and the plurality of nodes transmit to the management device a plurality of sets of position information, each of which includes information indicating whether the communication line is connected to the second port of the node, and in the plurality of sets of position information, the positions of the plurality of nodes in the linear connection corresponding to each of the plurality of position information are maintained. The one or more processors of the management device are configured to determine that the node corresponding to the first location information in a set of multiple location information up to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port is installed in the first housing, and to determine that the node corresponding to the next location information after the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port up to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port is installed in the second housing.

[0008] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a communication system including a plurality of nodes linearly connected in series, with one or more nodes installed in each of a first housing and a second housing, and a management device including one or more processors and configured to manage the positions of each of the plurality of nodes in the linear connection. Of the plurality of nodes, a node at one end of the linear connection is connected to the management device, and first and second ports of two of the nodes installed in the first and second housings, respectively, are connected via a communication line connecting them, and the plurality of nodes transmit to the management device a plurality of sets of position information each including information indicating whether the communication line is connected to the second port of the node, and in the plurality of sets of position information, the positions of the plurality of nodes in the linear connection corresponding to each of the plurality of position information are maintained. The one or more processors of the management device are configured to determine that the node corresponding to the first location information in a set of multiple location information up to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port is installed in the first housing, and to determine that the node corresponding to the next location information after the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port up to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port is installed in the second housing.

[0009] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a management method using a management device that manages the position of each of a plurality of nodes that are linearly connected in series and at least one of which is installed in a first housing and a second housing. Of the plurality of nodes, a node at one end of the linear connection is connected to the management device, and the first port and second port of two of the nodes installed in the first housing and the second housing, respectively, are connected via a communication line connecting them, and the plurality of nodes transmit to the management device a plurality of sets of position information each including information indicating whether the communication line is connected to the second port of the node, and in the plurality of sets of position information, the positions of the plurality of nodes in the linear connection corresponding to each of the plurality of position information are maintained. The management method includes a step of determining that the nodes corresponding to the first location information in a set of multiple location information are installed in the first housing, from the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port, to the node corresponding to the location information next to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port, are installed in the second housing.

[0010] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a program executed in a management device including one or more processors, the management device managing the position of each of a plurality of nodes in the linear connection, the plurality of nodes being linearly connected in series and at least one of which is installed in a first housing and a second housing. Of the plurality of nodes, a node at one end of the linear connection is connected to the management device, the first port and the second port of two of the nodes installed in the first housing and the second housing, respectively, are connected via a communication line connecting them, the plurality of nodes transmit to the management device a plurality of sets of position information each including information indicating whether the communication line is connected to the second port of the node, and in the plurality of sets of position information, the positions of the plurality of nodes in the linear connection corresponding to each of the plurality of position information are maintained. The program causes the one or more processors to execute a process of determining that the nodes from the node corresponding to the first location information in a set of multiple pieces of location information to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port are installed in the first housing, and a process of determining that the nodes from the node corresponding to the next location information after the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port are installed in the second housing. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium may be a non-transitory medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. The present disclosure may be embodied as a computer program product. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to each aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to contribute to automatic and efficient management of the locations of multiple racks in a data center and the installation locations of one or more servers in each of the multiple racks, without adding components to each of the multiple server racks in a data center. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating one configuration of a data center according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of location information for each server. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of a set of location information. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a server location table generated by the location identification device shown in FIG. 1 from the set of location information shown in FIG. 2B. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a flowchart illustrating an operation (S10) of the receiving device of the server shown in FIG. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating an operation (S12) of the transmitting device of the server shown in FIG. [Figure 3C] FIG. 3C is a flowchart illustrating an operation (S16) of the location identification device of the management device shown in FIG. [Figure 3D] FIG. 3D is a flowchart showing in detail a part (S18) of the process shown in FIG. 3C. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating one configuration of a data center according to the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of a set of location information obtained from system A of two systems A and B of servers connected in series included in the data center shown in FIG. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of a set of location information obtained from system B of two systems A and B of servers connected in series included in the data center shown in FIG. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a server location table for system A obtained from the set of location information illustrated in FIG. 5A. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a server location table for system B obtained from the set of location information illustrated in FIG. 5B. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating another example of display of a server location table for system A obtained from the set of location information illustrated in FIG. 6A. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating another example of display of a server location table for system B obtained from the set of location information illustrated in FIG. 6B. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the processes of the management device and the server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below. Furthermore, in each drawing, the same or corresponding elements are appropriately designated by the same reference numerals, and the same or corresponding processes and communications are also appropriately designated by the same reference numerals. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic and may differ from reality. Furthermore, connecting lines between blocks in the drawings and the like referred to in the following description include both bidirectional and unidirectional lines. A unidirectional arrow schematically indicates the main flow of information, but does not exclude bidirectionality. Furthermore, in the following description, information and data are not strictly distinguished from each other.

[0014] First, the configuration of the data center 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating one example of the configuration of the data center 1 according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the data center 1 includes a management device 12 and racks 16-1 to 16-m (hereinafter also referred to as "racks 16-i") in which servers (nodes) that can perform information processing, information communication, or either of these functions are installed. Note that FIG. 1 omits components such as the processor and memory of a server 18 that are not directly related to the description of the present disclosure, as well as components such as communication equipment, air conditioning equipment, and emergency power supply equipment that are installed in the data center 1. The racks 16-i are also called server racks, and servers 18-i-1 to 18-in (hereinafter also referred to as "servers 18-ij") are installed in the racks 16-i.

[0015] Note that m and n are integers equal to or greater than 1, i is an integer from 1 to m, and j is an integer from 1 to n. When referring to any one of a plurality of possible components without specifying it, such as "racks 16-1 to 16-m," the subscript of the reference numeral may be omitted and the component may be written as "rack 16," for example. Also, while FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration in which n servers 18 are installed in each rack 16, the number n of servers 18 installed in each rack 16 is not necessarily the same, and therefore the number n of servers 18 installed in different racks 16 is not necessarily the same.

[0016] The rack 16 is a general-purpose enclosure or a dedicated enclosure for the data center 1 in which one or more servers 18 can be installed, and the name of the rack 16 is not relevant to the essence of this disclosure. There is no limit to the size of the rack 16 or the number of servers 18 that can be accommodated in the rack 16. Note that the rack 16 does not need to include additional components such as dedicated power supply means, controllers, communication ports, and connection cables for the location identification process of the server 18 according to this disclosure.

[0017] The management device 12 is a device capable of information processing and information communication, such as a personal computer, and includes, as components relevant to the present disclosure, a receiving device 120, a location determination device 122, and a server location information storage device 14. The receiving device 120 receives and stores a collection of location information indicating the locations of the servers 18-1-1 to 18-mn from the server 18-1-1 installed in the rack 16-1. The management device 12 may store various information, such as the location information of the near-end server 18-1-1 and the server 18-mn, before starting the process of managing the locations of the servers 18. The location determination device 122 performs a location determination process to determine the locations of the servers 18-1-1 to 18-mn based on the location information received and stored by the receiving device 120, generates a server location table, and updates its contents. The server location information storage device 14 stores the server location table generated as a result of the location determination process. The server location table stored in the server location information storage device 14 can be read out as needed and displayed on the display of the management device 12 (not shown in FIG. 1, described later with reference to FIG. 8) or the like.

[0018] The server 18 includes, as components related to the present disclosure, a far-end port 180 (second port), a receiving device 182, a storage device 184, a transmitting device 186, and a near-end port 188 (first port). The management device 12 and the near-end port 188 of the server 18-1-1 installed in rack 16-1, and the near-end ports 188 and far-end ports 180 of the servers 18 installed in different racks 16 are connected by inter-rack connection cables 100 so that they can send and receive information to and from each other. The near-end ports 188 and far-end ports 180 of the servers 18 installed in the same rack are also connected by inter-server connection cables 102 (communication lines) so that they can send and receive information to and from each other. Note that the inter-rack connection cables 100 and the inter-server connection cables 102 are communication cables, but may be replaced with communication lines other than communication cables, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or LAN (Local Area Network).

[0019] That is, the servers 18-1-1 to 18-mn are daisy-chained (linearly connected) in series in one system so as to be able to communicate information with each other via the inter-rack connection cables 100 and the inter-server connection cables 102. The location identification process of the servers 18 by the management device 12 above is to identify in which rack 16, counting from the closest to the management device 12, each server 18 is installed, and in which position in each rack 16, counting from the closest to the management device 12. The inter-rack connection cables 100 and the inter-server connection cables 102 may be collectively referred to as wired cables.

[0020] The far-end port 180 is used for connection to a server 18 that is farther away from the management device 12 via the inter-rack connection cable 100 or the inter-server connection cable 102. Note that neither the inter-rack connection cable 100 nor the inter-server connection cable 102 is connected to the far-end port 180 of the far-end server 18-mn. The near-end port 188 is used for connection to the management device 12 or a server 18 that is closer to the management device 12 via the inter-rack connection cable 100 or the inter-server connection cable 102.

[0021] The receiving device 182 receives location information from a server 18 that is farther from the management device 12 via the far-end port 180 and outputs it to the storage device 184. When the storage device 184 has already stored location information, it replaces the stored location information with the location information input from the receiving device 182 and stores the new information. When the storage device 184 does not store any location information, it stores the location information input from the receiving device 182. Every time the storage device 184 stores location information, it outputs the stored location information to the transmitting device 186. The transmitting device 186 outputs the location information input from the storage device 184 to the management device 12 or a server 18 that is closer to the management device 12 via the near-end port 188.

[0022] The transmitting device 186 detects the type of wired cable connected to the far-end port 180 or the near-end port 188, whether it is the inter-rack connection cable 100 or the inter-server connection cable 102. The inter-rack connection cable 100 and the inter-server connection cable 102 are provided with a mechanism that enables the transmitting device 186 to identify the type of wired cable. When, for example, a LAN cable is used as the inter-rack connection cable 100 or the inter-server connection cable 102, the transmitting device 186 can detect the type of wired cable based on whether the connected LAN cable is a cross cable or a straight cable.

[0023] FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of the position information of each server 18. As shown in FIG. 2A, the position information includes a position number, identification information, top rack information, bottom rack information, and a rack number. However, before the server 18 transmits the information to the management device 12, only the identification information and bottom rack information are set by the transmitting device 186, and the position number, top rack information, and rack number are set by processing of the position specifying device 122. The position number indicates the position of the server 18-ij in the rack 16-i; specifically, the value of the position number indicates the subscript j of the server 18-ij. The identification information uniquely identifies the server 18-ij in the data center 1.

[0024] The top rack information indicates whether server 18-ij is at the top of rack 16-i. Specifically, of servers 18-i-1 to 18-in installed in rack 16-i, only the top rack information corresponding to server 18-i-1 is set to a true logical value of 1 indicating that it is at the top of rack 16-i, and the top rack information of servers 18-i-2 to 18-in is set to an initial value indicating false. The bottom rack information indicates that the far-end port 180 of rack 16-i is connected to inter-rack connecting cable 100. Specifically, of servers 18-1-1 to 18-mn, the bottom rack information of servers 18-1-n, 18-2-n, ..., 18-(m-1)-n is set to a logical value of 1, and the bottom rack information of the other servers 18 remains at its initial value.

[0025] The rack number indicates in which rack 16 the server 18-ij is installed, and specifically, the i in the subscript of the server 18-ij is the rack number. In this process, the bottom rack information of the server 18-mn is left at its initial value, but the locating device 122 may be configured to detect that no wired cable is connected to the far-end port 180 and set the bottom rack information of the server 18-mn to a logical value of 1.

[0026] The server position information storage device 14 receives a set of position information of the servers 18-1-1 to 18-mn shown in FIG. 2B from the server 18-1-1. FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of a set of position information. In the set of position information tables for each of the servers 18-1-1 to 18-mn shown in FIG. 2B, the order of the linear connection of the servers 18-1-1 to 18-mn is preserved and used to generate the server position table shown in FIG. 2C. Note that the set of position information shown in FIG. 2B includes m·n (where "·" indicates multiplication) pieces of position information. In the set of position information, the larger the value of i for server 18-ij and the larger the value of j, the closer to the end (lower) the position information of the server 18-ij is arranged. Conversely, the smaller the value of i and the smaller the value of j, the closer to the beginning (higher) the position information of the server 18-ij is arranged. 3C and 3D, the location information of each of the servers 18-1-1 to 18-mn is generated by the receiving device 182, the storage device 184, and the transmitting device 186. The location information can be updated when the location of one or more of the servers 18-1-1 to 18-mn is changed, when one or more new servers 18 are connected to the management device 12 or the existing servers 18, or when one or more existing servers 18 are removed.

[0027] FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a server location table generated by the location identification device 122 shown in FIG. 1 from the set of location information shown in FIG. 2B. As shown in FIG. 2C, the server location table includes a position number, server identification information, top rack information, bottom rack information, and a rack number. The position number indicates the location of n servers 18-ij installed in rack 16-i using a numeric value j. A true logical value of 1 indicates that the server 18-ij is at the top of rack 16-i, and an initial value indicates that the server 18-ij is not at the top. The bottom rack information indicates a true logical value of 1 that the server 18-ij is at the end of rack 16-i, and an initial value indicates that the server 18-ij is not at the top. The rack number indicates the rack 16-i in which the server 18-ij is installed using a numeric value i.

[0028] To control the process of creating a server location table by the location identification device 122 (described later with reference to FIGS. 3B, 3C, and 3D), a top flag is assigned to the top rack information, and a bottom flag is assigned to the bottom rack information. The bottom flag and the top flag are used as variables for passing logical values ​​(0, 1) across loop processes included in the process of creating the server location table, or for initializing the loop processes. The bottom rack information and the top rack information are added to the server location table based on the bottom flag and the top flag within the loop processes. Furthermore, when the server location table stored in the server location information storage device 14 is displayed on a display or the like connected to the management device 12, "blank" may be displayed instead of the "initial value" of the top rack information and the bottom rack information, and the character string "first" or "last" may be displayed instead of the logical value 1.

[0029] Next, the operation of the management device 12 and the server 18 of the data center 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3D. FIG. 3A is a flowchart illustrating one operation (S10) of the receiving device 182 of the server 18 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3A, in S100, the receiving device 182 starts operation and receives location information from a server 18 that is farther away from the management device 12. When the receiving device 182 receives location information, it deletes the location information stored in the storage device 184 and stores (updates) the received location information. In S102, the receiving device 182 determines whether or not the location information has been stored in the storage device 184. If the receiving device 182 has stored the location information in the storage device 184 (Y in the process of S102), the receiving device 182 proceeds to the process of S104; if the receiving device 182 has not stored the location information (N in the process of S102), the receiving device 182 proceeds to the process of S106.

[0030] In S104, the receiving device 182 adds the location information of the server 18 itself to the beginning of the one or more pieces of location information stored in the storage device 184. However, the receiving device 182 does not necessarily need to add the location information to the beginning of the one or more pieces of location information stored in the storage device 184; it is sufficient if the location information is added so that the servers 18 are arranged in the collection of location information so as to maintain the order in the daisy-chain connection of each server 18 and are in an order known to the management device 12. In S106, the receiving device 182 stores the location information of the server 18 itself in the storage device 184. By updating the location information in each server 18 in this manner, the arrangement in the collection of location information received by the management device 12 from server 18-1-1 (FIG. 2B) is finally realized. In S108, the receiving device 182 ends its operation.

[0031] FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating an operation (S12) of the transmitting device 186 of the server 18-ij shown in FIG. 1. In S120, the transmitting device 186 starts operation. In S122, the transmitting device 186 determines whether a predetermined time (e.g., one hour) has elapsed since the location information stored in the storage device 184 was last updated or since the location information was last stored in the storage device 184. The transmitting device 186 also determines whether the location information is stored in the storage device 184. If the predetermined time has not elapsed since the location information stored in the storage device 184 was last updated or since the location information was last stored in the storage device 184, or if the location information is not stored in the storage device 184 (Y in S122), the transmitting device 186 proceeds to S124. On the other hand, the transmitting device 186 proceeds to processing of S126 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the location information stored in the storage device 184 was last updated, or since the location information was last stored in the storage device 184, or when one or more pieces of location information are stored in the storage device 184 (N).

[0032] In S124, the transmitting device 186 generates location information including identification information (ID; Identifier) ​​of the server 18-ij. In S126, the transmitting device 186 acquires one or more pieces of location information (FIGS. 2A and 2B) stored in the storage device 184. In S128, the transmitting device 186 generates a set of location information by adding the location information including the identification information of the server 18-ij to the beginning of the one or more pieces of location information stored in the storage device 184.

[0033] In S130, the transmitting device 186 determines whether or not the inter-server connecting cable 102 (inter-server cable) is connected to the far-end port 180, that is, whether or not the server 18-ij is not a server 18-i-n. If the inter-server connecting cable 102 is not connected to the far-end port 180 (Y in the processing of S130), the transmitting device 186 proceeds to the processing of S132, and if it is connected (N in the processing of S130), the transmitting device 186 proceeds to the processing of S136.

[0034] In S132, the transmitting device 186 determines whether the inter-rack connecting cable 100 (inter-rack cable) is not connected to the far-end port 180, that is, whether the server 18-ij is one of the servers 18-i-1 to 18-i-(n-1). If the inter-rack connecting cable 100 is connected to the far-end port 180 (Y in the processing of S132), the transmitting device 186 proceeds to the processing of S136, and if it is not connected (N in the processing of S132), the transmitting device 186 proceeds to the processing of S134.

[0035] In S134, the transmitting device 186 generates position information in which the bottom rack information has a logical value of 1, and generates a transmission signal including the generated position information. In S136, the transmitting device 186 generates position information in which the bottom rack information remains at its initial value, and generates a transmission signal including the generated position information.

[0036] In S138, the transmitting device 186 transmits the generated transmission information to another server 18 or the management device 12 via the near-end port 188. In S140, the transmitting device 186 ends its operation. The set of position signals included in the transmission signal transmitted by the near-end server 18-1-1 to the management device 12 is the set of position signals shown in FIG. 2B.

[0037] Next, the operation of the position determination device 122 of the management device 12 will be described. Fig. 3C is a flowchart illustrating one operation (S16) of the position determination device 122 of the management device 12 shown in Fig. 1. In S160, the position determination device 122 starts an operation to determine the position of each server 18 based on the set of position information (Fig. 2B) received by the receiving device 120 from the server 18-1-1. In S162, the position determination device 122 acquires the set of position information received by the receiving device 120, and proceeds to the processing of S18.

[0038] In S18, the position specifying device 122 generates top rack information, rack number, and position information using the bottom rack information included in each piece of position information of servers 18-ij included in the set of position information and for which values ​​have been set as described with reference to FIG. 3B. Details of the processing in S18 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3D. That is, in the set of position information, the first piece of position information is the position information of near-end server 18-1-1, so the position specifying device 122 sets the value of that top rack information to a logical value of 1. Furthermore, the position information arranged next to the position information including the bottom rack information with a logical value of 1 is the position information of the first server 18-2-1, . . . , 18-i-1, . . . 18-m-1 in racks 16-2 to 16-m, so the position specifying device 122 sets the value of the top rack information included in each piece of position information of servers 18-2-1, . . . , 18-i-1, . . . 18-m-1 to a true logical value of 1.

[0039] Furthermore, the servers 18-i-1 to 18-in installed in one rack 16-i are located from the location information including top rack information with a logical value of 1 to the location information including the first bottom rack information with a logical value of 1 thereafter. Therefore, the location identification device 122 sets the rack numbers of each piece of location information of a set of m servers 18-1-1 to 18-1-n, . . . , 18-i-1 to 18-in, . . . , 18-m-1 to 18-mn installed in racks 16-1 to 16-m, to 1 to i to m, respectively. Furthermore, the location identification device 122 sets the position numbers of each piece of location information of servers 18-i-1 to 18-in installed in rack 16-i, from the beginning to the end, of the location information included in the set of m.

[0040] In S166, the position identifying device 122 arranges the top rack information whose values ​​have been determined as described above, and the position information for which the rack number and position number have been generated, in order from the top, to generate the server position table shown in Fig. 2C. In S168, the position identifying device 122 stores the generated server position table in the server position information storage device 14. In S170, the position identifying device 122 ends its operation.

[0041] FIG. 3D is a flowchart showing in detail a portion (S18) of the process shown in FIG. 3C. Before the process of S18 starts, the top flag and bottom flag used in the process are set to initial values, for example, a logical value of 0, the top rack information and bottom rack information are set to numerical values ​​indicating indefiniteness (for example, negative values), and the position information and rack number are set to initial values ​​of 0. As shown in FIG. 3D, in S180 and S210, the position identification device 122 performs loop processing of the m·n position information included in the set of position information shown in FIG. 2B, sequentially processing each piece of position information from the top to the end. In S182, the position identification device 122 acquires, as the position information to be processed, the first piece of position information included in the set of position information that has not yet been processed.

[0042] In the process of S184, the position determination device 122 determines whether or not the position information of the near-end server 18-1-1 has been acquired through the process of S182. If the position determination device 122 has acquired the position information of the near-end server 18-1-1 (Y in the process of S184), the process proceeds to the process of S186, and if the position information of a server other than the near-end server 18-1-1 has been acquired (N in the process of S184), the process proceeds to the process of S188. In S186, the position determination device 122 sets the top flag to a logical value of 1 and the top rack information to a logical value of 1.

[0043] When the top flag is set to a logical value of 1, this means that loop processing is currently being performed for the server 18 located at the top of a certain rack 16. In other words, the next loop processing is not necessarily processing for the server 18 located at the top of a certain rack 16. More specifically, when loop processing is performed for the server 18-i-1 located at the top of a rack 16-i in which two servers 18-i-1 and 18-i-2 are installed, the next loop processing will be processing for the server 18-i-2, which is not located at the top of the rack 16-i. On the other hand, when loop processing is performed for the server 18-i-1 located at the top of a rack 16-i in which only one server 18-i-1 is installed, the next loop processing will be processing for the server 18-(i+1)-1 located at the top of the rack 16-(i+1). Thus, it is unclear whether loop processing for the server 18 located at the top of a certain rack 16 will be performed after the loop processing in which the top flag is set to a logical value of 1. Therefore, when the top flag has a logical value of 1, the top flag must be initialized in the loop processing.

[0044] In S188, the position determination device 122 determines whether the value of the bottom flag is logical 1, that is, whether the bottom rack information of the previously processed position information is logical 1. The fact that the bottom flag set in the previous loop processing has been set to logical 1 and handed over to the current loop processing indicates that the current loop processing is related to the server 18 installed at the top of a certain rack 16. Therefore, if the value of the bottom flag is logical 1 (Y in S188), the position determination device 122 proceeds to S190, and if not (N in S188), the position determination device 122 proceeds to S194. In S190, the position determination device 122 sets the value of the top flag to logical 1 and the top rack information of the currently processed position information to logical 1. In S192, the position determination device 122 sets the value of the bottom flag to its initial value.

[0045] In S194, the position determining device 122 determines whether the bottom rack information of the position information being processed is an initial value. If the bottom rack information is an initial value (Y in the processing of S194), the position determining device 122 proceeds to the processing of S196, and if it is not an initial value (N in the processing of S194), the position determining device 122 proceeds to the processing of S198. In S196, the position determining device 122 sets the bottom flag to a logical value of 1. In S198, the position determining device 122 sets the bottom flag to a logical value of 0.

[0046] In S200, the position identifying device 122 determines whether the top flag is a logical value of 1, that is, whether the top rack information is not an initial value. If the top flag is a logical value of 1 (Y in the processing of S200), the position identifying device 122 proceeds to the processing of S202, and if the top flag is not a logical value of 1 (N in the processing of S200), the position identifying device 122 proceeds to the processing of S206. In S202, the position identifying device 122 sets the numerical value of the position information of the position information being processed to 1. In S204, the position identifying device 122 adds (increments) 1 to the numerical value of the rack number of the position information being processed. In S206, the position identifying device 122 adds (increments) 1 to the position number of the position information being processed.

[0047] In S208, the position determining device 122 sets the top flag to a logical value of 0. In S210, when the processing of S180 to S208 for the position information included in the set of position information (FIG. 2B) is completed, the position determining device 122 ends the processing of S18 and proceeds to the processing of S166 shown in FIG. 3C. Through the processing described above, the values ​​of the position number, top rack information, bottom rack information, and rack number included in the server position table shown in FIG. 2C are determined. After processing S208, the position determining device 122 proceeds to the processing of S166.

[0048] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating one configuration of a data center 2 according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the data center 2 includes two systems A and B of servers 18 connected in series. System A includes racks 16-1 to 16-3 and servers 18-1-1 to 18-1-4, 18-2-1, 18-2-6, and 18-3-1 to 18-3-4 installed in the racks, respectively. System B includes racks 16-4 to 16-6 and servers 18-4-1 to 18-4-5, 18-5-1, and 18-6-1 to 18-6-3 installed in the racks, respectively. Note that the numbers of systems, racks 16, and servers 18 shown in FIG. 4 are merely examples, and the data center 2 may include any number of systems, racks 16, and servers 18.

[0049] 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of a set of location information obtained from system A of two systems A and B of servers 18 connected in series included in the data center 2 shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of a set of location information obtained from system B of two systems A and B of servers 18 connected in series included in the data center 2 shown in FIG. 4. Servers 18-1-1 to 18-1-4, 18-2-1 to 18-2-6, and 18-3-1 to 18-3-4 installed in racks 16-1 to 16-3 included in system A, respectively, transmit location information as described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, and near-end server 18-1-1 transmits the set of location information shown in FIG. 5A to management device 12. Similarly, servers 18-4-1 to 18-4-5, 18-5-1, 18-6-1 to 18-6-3 installed in racks 16-4 to 16-6 included in system B also transmit location information as described with reference to Figures 3A and 3B, and near-end server 18-4-1 transmits a set of location information shown in Figure 5B to management device 12.

[0050] FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a server location table for system A obtained from the set of location information illustrated in FIG. 5A. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a server location table for system B obtained from the set of location information illustrated in FIG. 5B. The server location tables illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B differ from the server location table illustrated in FIG. 2C in terms of their display method. When the processing described with reference to FIGS. 3C and 3D is performed on the set of location information obtained from the near-end server 18-1-1 of system A illustrated in FIG. 5A, the server location table illustrated in FIG. 6A is obtained. Similarly, when the processing described with reference to FIGS. 3C and 3D is performed on the set of location information obtained from the near-end server 18-4-1 of system A illustrated in FIG. 5B, the server location table illustrated in FIG. 6B is obtained.

[0051] FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating another example of the display of a server location table for system A obtained from the set of location information illustrated in FIG. 6A. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating another example of the display of a server location table for system B obtained from the set of location information illustrated in FIG. 6B. The display of the server location table illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B can be modified as illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B. As illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, a server location table can be generated and displayed even when servers 18 are installed in only a portion of the rack 16 or when only one server 18 is installed in the rack 16.

[0052] FIG. 8 illustrates an example hardware configuration of computer 8 that realizes the processing of management device 12 and server 18. The processing of management device 12 and server 18 described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3D can be realized by dedicated hardware, dedicated hardware and its firmware, or by computer 8 shown in FIG. 8 executing one or more programs. As shown in FIG. 8, computer 8 includes one or more processors 80, main memory devices 82, auxiliary memory devices 84, input / output interface (input / output IF) devices 86, and server IF devices 90, all of which are communicatively connected to each other via buses, signal lines, and the like to enable data, information, and various signals to be transmitted. An output device such as a display device 88 and input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse (not shown) can be connected to computer 8. The components of computer 8 shown in FIG. 8 are illustrative examples, and computer 8 may include various other components in addition to those shown in FIG. 8, as appropriate.

[0053] In other words, computer 8 has components as a general-purpose computer capable of information processing and communicating with server 18. Computer 8 runs an OS (Operating System; not shown), such as Windows (registered trademark), UNIX (registered trademark), or TRON (The Real-time Operating system Nucleus), which acts as an intermediary between the hardware of computer 8 and the programs executed by computer 8. Programs that execute various functions of computer 8 run on the OS. Note that computer 8 does not necessarily have to be general-purpose and may be embedded.

[0054] The operation of each component of the computer 8 as hardware will now be described. The processor 80 includes one or more central processing units (CPUs), or a combination of at least two of one or more CPUs, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). The processor 80 executes instructions included in one or more programs stored in at least one of a main memory device 82 and an auxiliary memory device 84. The main memory device 82 includes storage devices such as one or more random access memories (RAMs) and one or more read-only memories (ROMs), and temporarily stores one or more programs executed by the computer 8, as well as information and data required for the execution of the programs.

[0055] The auxiliary storage device 84 includes, for example, a non-volatile computer-readable storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), and flash memory, or one or more of these. The auxiliary storage device 84 stores programs executed by the computer 8 and information and data required for their execution on a medium- to long-term basis. Note that the near-end server location information and data and information required for various processes are pre-stored in at least one of the main storage device 82 and the auxiliary storage device 84 before the computer 8, or the computer 8 and the display device 88, are started up.

[0056] An output device such as a display device 88 is connected to the input / output IF device 86, which outputs information such as a server location table. An input device is also connected to the input / output IF device 86, which accepts user operations on the input device. The server IF device 90 provides an interface function for transmitting and receiving information between the computer 8 and the near-end server 18-1-1, etc.

[0057] The one or more programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 84 of the computer 8 and executed by the processor 80 may be provided as a program product recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Such a program product may include, in addition to the one or more programs, information and data required for the execution of the one or more programs.

[0058] As described above, according to the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure, in large-scale data centers 1 and 2, it is possible to automatically and efficiently centrally manage which servers 18 are installed in which racks 16 with only a minimum of work and without adding any components to the racks 16 themselves. Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, stable location management of the servers 18 can be achieved without being affected by the installation environment of the racks 16 and the servers 18.

[0059] Some or all of the above embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes. [Appendix 1] (See the first point above) [Appendix 2] A management device as described in Appendix 1, wherein the multiple nodes are installed in 1st to ith to mth (m≧2, i=2 to m) chassis, and the one or more processors of the management device determine that the node corresponding to the location information immediately after the i-1th location information, which includes information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port, is the leading node among the one or more nodes installed in the ith chassis. [Appendix 3] A management device as described in Appendix 2, which determines that the node corresponding to the i-th location information, which includes information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port, is the last node among one or more nodes installed in the i-th chassis. [Appendix 4] A management device as described in Appendix 3, which determines that the node determined to be the first node among one or more nodes installed in the i-th chassis to the node determined to be the last node among one or more nodes installed in the i-th chassis are installed in the i-th chassis. [Appendix 5] A management device as described in Appendix 4, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is assigned unique identification information, and the plurality of pieces of location information corresponding to each of the plurality of nodes includes the identification information assigned to each of the nodes, and the one or more processors of the management device associate and display the identification information of each of the plurality of nodes, information indicating whether the node corresponding to the identification information is the last node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th housing, information indicating whether the node corresponding to the identification information is the first node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th housing, and information indicating that the node corresponding to the identification information is installed in the i-th housing. [Appendix 6] When there are multiple systems of multiple nodes linearly connected in series, the management device described in Appendix 5 displays, for each of the multiple systems, one or more of the identification information of each of the multiple nodes, information indicating whether the node corresponding to the identification information is the last node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th chassis, information indicating whether the node corresponding to the identification information is the first node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th chassis, and information indicating that the node corresponding to the identification information is installed in the i-th chassis. [Appendix 7] (See second viewpoint above) [Appendix 8] (See the third point above) [Appendix 9] (See point 4 above) It goes without saying that combinations of the various forms described in the appendix of this disclosure, or any combination of the elements described in each aspect and embodiment (including the non-selection of some elements), can be made at any time by those skilled in the art in accordance with the basic concept of this disclosure.

[0060] The disclosures of the above-cited patent documents and other documents are incorporated herein by reference. Modifications and adjustments of the embodiments and examples are possible within the scope of this disclosure (including the claims), and further based on its basic technical concept. Furthermore, various combinations and selections (including partial deletions) of various disclosed elements (including elements of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the scope of this disclosure. In other words, this disclosure naturally includes various modifications and alterations that would be possible by those skilled in the art in accordance with the entire disclosure and technical concept, including the claims. In particular, the numerical ranges described herein should be construed as specifically describing any numerical value or subrange within that range, even if not otherwise specified. Furthermore, the disclosures of the above-cited documents are deemed to be included in the disclosure of this application, in part or in whole, which may be used in combination with the disclosures herein, as part of the spirit of this disclosure, as necessary. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1,2 Data Center 100 Inter-rack connection cables 102 Server connection cable 12 Management device 120 receiving device 122 Locating device 14 Server location information storage device 16 racks 18 Servers 180 Far End Port 182 Receiving device 184 Storage device 186 Transmitting Device 188 Near-end port

Claims

1. a management device comprising one or more processors and configured to manage the position of each of a plurality of nodes in the linear connection, the plurality of nodes being linearly connected in series and at least one of which is installed in each of a first housing and a second housing; wherein, of the plurality of nodes, the node at one end of the linear connection is connected to the management device; a first port and a second port of two of the nodes installed in the first housing and the second housing, respectively, are connected via a communication line connecting them; the plurality of nodes transmit to the management device a set of a plurality of pieces of position information, each of which includes information indicating whether the communication line is connected to the second port of the node; and in the set of a plurality of pieces of position information, the positions in the linear connection of the plurality of nodes corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of position information are maintained; The one or more processors of the management device determining that the nodes from the node corresponding to the first location information in a set of the plurality of location information to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port are installed in the first housing; It is determined that the nodes from the node corresponding to the next location information following the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port are installed in the second enclosure. A management device configured to:

2. The plurality of nodes are installed in first to i-th to m-th (m≧2, i=2 to m) chassis, The one or more processors of the management device The node corresponding to the location information immediately following the (i-1)th location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port is determined to be the leading node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th chassis. The management device according to claim 1 .

3. The node corresponding to the i-th location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port is determined to be the last node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th enclosure. The management device according to claim 2 .

4. It is determined that the nodes from the node determined to be the first node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th chassis to the node determined to be the last node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th chassis are installed in the i-th chassis. The management device according to claim 3 .

5. Identification information is uniquely assigned to each of the plurality of nodes, and the plurality of pieces of location information corresponding to each of the plurality of nodes includes the identification information assigned to each of the nodes; The one or more processors of the management device The identification information of each of the plurality of nodes, information indicating whether the node corresponding to the identification information is the last node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th casing, information indicating whether the node corresponding to the identification information is the first node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th casing, and information indicating that the node corresponding to the identification information is installed in the i-th casing are displayed in association with one or more of the following. The management device according to claim 4 .

6. When there are a plurality of systems of a plurality of nodes linearly connected in series, for each of the plurality of systems, one or more of the identification information of each of the plurality of nodes, information indicating whether the node corresponding to the identification information is the last node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th casing, information indicating whether the node corresponding to the identification information is the first node among the one or more nodes installed in the i-th casing, and information indicating that the node corresponding to the identification information is installed in the i-th casing are displayed in association with each other. The management device according to claim 5 .

7. a plurality of nodes linearly connected in series, one or more of which are installed in each of the first and second housings; a management device including one or more processors and managing the position of each of a plurality of nodes in the linear connection; A communication system comprising: Among the plurality of nodes, the node at one end of the linear connection is connected to the management device; a first port and a second port of the two nodes installed in the first housing and the second housing, respectively, are connected via a communication line connecting them; the plurality of nodes transmit to the management device a set of a plurality of pieces of location information, each piece of location information including information indicating whether the communication line is connected to the second port of the node; In the set of the plurality of pieces of position information, positions in the linear connection of the plurality of nodes corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of position information are maintained; The one or more processors of the management device determining that the nodes from the node corresponding to the first location information in a set of the plurality of location information to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port are installed in the first housing; It is determined that the nodes from the node corresponding to the next location information following the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port are installed in the second enclosure. It is configured as follows: Communication system.

8. A management method by a management device that manages the position of each of a plurality of nodes in the linear connection, the nodes being linearly connected in series and at least one of which is installed in each of a first housing and a second housing, wherein, of the plurality of nodes, the node at one end of the linear connection is connected to the management device, and a first port and a second port of two of the nodes installed in the first housing and the second housing, respectively, are connected via a communication line connecting them, the plurality of nodes transmit to the management device a set of a plurality of pieces of position information each including information indicating whether the communication line is connected to the second port of the node, and in the set of a plurality of pieces of position information, the positions in the linear connection of the plurality of nodes corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of position information are maintained, determining that the nodes from the node corresponding to the first location information in a set of the plurality of location information to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port are installed in the first housing; determining that the nodes from the node corresponding to the next location information following the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port are installed in the second enclosure; Management methods including.

9. a management device that includes one or more processors and manages the position of each of a plurality of nodes in the linear connection, the plurality of nodes being linearly connected in series and at least one of which is installed in a first housing and a second housing; a node at one end of the linear connection among the plurality of nodes is connected to the management device; a first port and a second port of two of the nodes installed in the first housing and the second housing, respectively, are connected via a communication line that connects them; the plurality of nodes transmit to the management device a set of a plurality of pieces of position information, each of which includes information indicating whether the communication line is connected to the second port of the node; and in the set of a plurality of pieces of position information, the positions in the linear connection of the plurality of nodes corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of position information are maintained; The program a process of determining that the nodes from the node corresponding to the first location information in a set of a plurality of pieces of location information to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port are installed in the first housing; a process of determining that the nodes from the node corresponding to the next location information following the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port to the node corresponding to the location information including information indicating that the communication line is connected to the second port are installed in the second enclosure; A program that causes the one or more processors to execute the above.

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