Multiplexing system, multiplexing method, and computer program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10489239-B2
Application number	US-201815906061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2018
Priority date	Sep 8, 2015
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a multiplexing system includes servers. Each server includes a memory, a processing unit, a decision controller, and a restoring unit. The memory is configured to store internal data. The processing unit is configured to output, as first data, deterministic data or the nondeterministic data. The deterministic data is uniquely determined by an operation based on input data and the internal data having not yet been processed. When the processing unit cannot determine deterministic output it outputs the nondeterministic data. The decision controller is configured to select either the first data output from the each server or the first data output from another server, and decide the selected first data as second data. The restoring unit is configured to, when the second output data is the nondeterministic data, restore the internal data to a state of the internal data having not yet been processed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multiplexing system comprising a plurality of server devices, wherein
each of the server devices includes
a memory configured to store internal data; and
one or more hardware processors configured to function as a processing unit, a decision controller, a restoring unit, a re-execution controller, and an output unit, wherein
the processing unit is configured to output, as first output data, deterministic output data or the nondeterministic output data, the deterministic output data being uniquely determined by an operation that is based on input data and based on the internal data that has not yet been processed, the nondeterministic output data being output when the processing unit cannot determine the deterministic output,
the decision controller is configured to select either the first output data output from an own server device or the first output data output from one of the other server devices, and decide the selected first output data as second output data,
the restoring unit is configured to, when the second output data is the nondeterministic output data, restore the internal data stored in the memory, to a state of the internal data that has not yet been processed,
the re-execution controller is configured to, when the second output data is deterministic output data and when the second output data does not match the first output data output from the own server device, cause the own server device to repeatedly perform the operation either until the second output data matches the first output data that has been re-decided or until a re-execution count becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value, and
the output unit is configured to output the second output data either when the second output data is the nondeterministic output data or when the second output data is deterministic output data and the second output data matches the first output data that has been re-decided.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein
the one or more hardware processors further configured to a coordination controller configured to, when the re-execution count becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value, terminate coordination with the other server devices other than the own server device.

3. The multiplexing system according to claim 1 , wherein
the one or more hardware processors further configured to a copying unit configured to, when the re-execution count becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value, copy, in the memory of the own server device, the internal data that has been processed by the operation performed in another server device, wherein
when the internal data that has been processed is stored in the memory of the own server device, the output unit outputs the second output data.

4. The system according to claim 2 , wherein
the number of server devices is represented by an integer n that satisfies n>3b where b is an integer equal to or greater than one, and
the decision controller decides, as the second output data, the first output data that is output by the processing units of the server devices equal to or greater than b+1 in number, where b represents the number of server devices that allow a failure likely to cause malfunctioning to occur.

5. The system according to claim 3 , wherein
the number of server devices is represented by an integer n that satisfies n>5b where b is an integer equal to or greater than one, and
the decision controller decides, as the second output data, the first output data that is output by the processing units of the server devices equal to or greater than 2b+1 in number, where b represents the number of server devices that allow a failure likely to cause malfunctioning to occur.

6. The system according to claim 3 , wherein
the number of server devices is represented by an integer n that satisfies n>5b where b is an integer equal to or greater than one, and
the copying unit copies, in the memory of the own server device, the internal data that has been processed is identical in the memories of the server devices equal to or greater than b+1 in number, where b represents the number of server devices that allow a failure likely to cause malfunctioning to occur.

7. A multiplexing method implemented in a multiplexing system that includes a plurality of server devices each including a memory for storing internal data, the method comprising:
outputting, as first output data, deterministic output data, deterministic output data or the nondeterministic output data, the deterministic output data being uniquely determined by an operation that is based on input data and based on the internal data that has not yet been processed, the nondeterministic output data being not uniquely determined by the operation;
selecting either the first output data output from a own server device or the first output data output from one of the other server devices;
deciding the selected first output data as second output data;
restoring, when the second output data is the nondeterministic output data, the internal data stored in the corresponding memory, to a state of the internal data that has not yet been processed;
causing, when the second output data is deterministic output data and when the second output data does not match the first output data output from the own server device, the own server device to repeatedly perform the operation either until the second output data matches the first output data that has been re-decided or until a re-execution count becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value; and
outputting the second output data either when the second output data is the nondeterministic output data or when the second output data is deterministic output data and the second output data matches the first output data that has been re-decided.

8. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium including programmed instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer of a server device that includes a memory for storing internal data, cause the computer to perform:
outputting, as first output data, deterministic output data, deterministic output data or the nondeterministic output data, the deterministic output data being uniquely determined by an operation that is based on input data and based on the internal data that has not yet been processed, the nondeterministic output data being output when the processing unit cannot determine the deterministic output;
selecting either the first output data output from a own server device or the first output data output from one of the other server devices;
deciding the selected first output data as second output data;
restoring, when the second output data is the nondeterministic output data, the internal data stored in the corresponding memory, to a state of the internal data that has not yet been processed;
causing, when the second output data is deterministic output data and when the second output data does not match the first output data output from the own server device, the own server device to repeatedly perform the operation either until the second output data matches the first output data that has been re-decided or until a re-execution count becomes equal to or greater than a threshold value; and
outputting the second output data either when the second output data is the nondeterministic output data or when the second output data is deterministic output data and the second output data matches the first output data that has been re-decided.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Digital Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Endo Kotaro

Classifications

• G06F11/182

  based on mutual exchange of the output between redundant processing components · CPC title

• G06F11/0709

  in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems · CPC title

• G06F11/0751

  Error or fault detection not based on redundancy (power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06) · CPC title

• G06F11/0793 Primary

  Remedial or corrective actions (recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40) · CPC title

• G06F11/184 Primary

  where the redundant components implement processing functionality · CPC title