1. An in-operation system check processing device, comprising:
a design data storage unit for storing design data of devices to constitute a network system and a connection and a containment relationship to be realized between the devices in the network system;
a check list storage unit for storing check conditions that indicate an actually or potentially problematic device and a connection relationship of devices and a containment relationships of devices and caution information thereof;
an automatic exploration unit for determining an exploration range of addresses of devices in the network system which actually are in operation based on the design data, identifying devices that exist in the exploration range, identifying a connection relationship or a containment relationship among the identified devices based on the design data, and outputting automatic exploration result data which includes the identified devices and the identified connection and identified containment relationships;
an automatic exploration result data storage unit for storing the output automatic exploration result data;
a system check unit for detecting, based on the automatic exploration result data and the check conditions, a device corresponding to the device or a combination of devices corresponding to one of the relationships in the check conditions; and
a caution information output unit for outputting caution information related to the detected device and combination.
2. The in-operation system check processing device according to claim 1, wherein
the system check unit further collates a merge result of automatic exploration result data stored in the automatic exploration result data storage unit and the design data with check conditions stored in the check list storage unit by using design data stored in the design data storage unit in order to detect devices or combinations thereof corresponding to the check conditions.
3. The in-operation system check processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:
an exploration result check unit for detecting devices existing in design data but not in automatic exploration result data and devices existing in automatic exploration result data but not in design data by collating design data stored in the design data storage unit with automatic exploration result data stored in the automatic exploration result data storage unit; and
a check result output unit for outputting information on check results of the exploration result check unit.
4. The in-operation system check processing device according to claim 1, wherein
design data stored in the design data storage unit and automatic exploration result data stored in the automatic exploration result data storage unit include information on software programs installed on computers included in the network system as well as information on communication performed between the software programs, and
check conditions stored in the check list storage unit include information on problems in the communication performed between the software programs.
5. The in-operation system check processing device according to claim 1, wherein
check conditions stored in the check list storage unit include information indicating importance of the impact of an occurrence of a problem on services provided by the system.
6. A method of in-operation system check processing, comprising:
determining an exploration range of addresses of devices in a network system which actually are in operation based on design data related to device to constitute the network system and to a connection and containment relationships to be realized among the devices in the network system;
identifying devices that exist in the exploration range;
identifying a connection relationship or a containment relationship among the identified devices based on the design data;
outputting automatic exploration result data which includes the identified devices and the identified connection and containment relationships among the identified devices;
storing the output automatic exploration result data;
detecting, based on the automatic exploration result data and check conditions that indicates an actually or potentially problematic device, a connection relationship of devices and a containment relationship of the devices and caution information thereof, a device corresponding to the problematic device or a combination of devices corresponding to one of the relationships; and
outputting caution information related to the detected device and combination of devices.
7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an in-operation system check processing program for having a computer execute processing for checking a configuration of a network system that connects a plurality of computers by a network, the computer having a data storage unit for storing design data and check conditions, the in-operation system check processing program causing the computer to function as:
a design data storage unit for storing design data of devices to constitute a network system and a connection and a containment relationship to be realized between the devices in the network system;
a check list storage unit for storing check conditions that indicate an actually or potentially problematic device and a connection relationship of devices and a containment relationships of devices and caution information thereof;
an automatic exploration unit for determining an exploration range of addresses of devices in the network system which actually are in operation based on the design data, identifying devices that exist in the exploration range, identifying a connection relationship or a containment relationship among the identified devices based on the design data, and outputting automatic exploration result data which includes the identified devices and the identified connection and identified containment relationships;
an automatic exploration result data storage unit for storing the output automatic exploration result data;
a system check unit for detecting, based on the automatic exploration result data and the check conditions, a device corresponding to the device or a combination of devices corresponding to one of the relationships in the check conditions; and
a caution information output unit for outputting caution information related to the detected device and combination.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A method for operating an automation system comprising the steps of:
(a) executing an application program in an automation device;
(b) selecting at least one of a plurality of data addresses to monitor during execution of said application program;
(c) selecting a code address corresponding to said at least one of a plurality of data addresses selected for monitoring;
(d) transmitting to the automation device, as part of a request message, the data addresses selected for monitoring and the corresponding code address;
(e) recording the content of the data addresses selected for monitoring when the corresponding code address is reached during execution of the application program; and
(f) transmitting, as part of a result message, the recorded content of the data addresses selected for monitoring.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said application program controls andor monitors an external process.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said code address comprises an address of said application program in proximity to a segment of the application program that influences the content of the data addresses selected for monitoring.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein all memory areas existing in the automation device, including registers, can be referenced using said plurality of data addresses.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data addresses selected for monitoring are recorded by the automation device when the corresponding code address is reached, if a trigger condition is met.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the request message comprises a header segment, an entry data set segment, and at least one of a plurality of watch point segments, each of said watch point segments containing at least one code address and one data address.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the result message has a header segment, an entry data set segment, and at least one of a plurality of watch point segments, each of said watch point segments containing at least one code address and one data address.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data addresses selected for monitoring are recorded by the automation device, and during execution of the application program are transmitted to a programming device at predetermined events.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said predetermined events are after each cycle when cyclical application programs are used.
10. The method according to claim 8, wherein in cyclical application programs, the data addresses selected for monitoring are recorded by the automation device and transmitted to the programming device in sections over several cycles.
11. The method according to claim 1, wherein instructions required for monitoring can be masked in the application program.
12. The method according to claim 1, wherein a request job generated by the automation device is blocked upon receipt of the request message in the case of multiple execution of an instruction corresponding to a code defined in the request message.
13. The method according to claim 4, wherein the data addresses selected for monitoring are recorded by the automation device when the corresponding code address is reached, if a trigger condition is met.
14. The method according to claim 1, also comprising the steps of the sending an acknowledgement message and a job number from the automation device to a programming device acknowledging receipt of said request message.
15. The method according to claim 1, also comprising the steps of the sending a release message from a programming device to said automation device to end monitoring.
16. An automation system comprising:
an automation device;
sensors providing data to said automation device;
a programming device;
a communications program that enables said automation device and said programming device to communicate with one another; and
a computer readable medium for each of said automation device and said programming device, on which is stored computer program for operating and monitoring said automation system, said computer program of said programming device storing instructions which, when executed, will perform the steps of:
selecting at least one of a plurality of data addresses to monitor during execution of an application program used by said automation device;
selecting a code address corresponding to said at least one of a plurality of data addresses selected for monitoring; and
transmitting to the automation device, as part of a request message, the data addresses selected for monitoring and the corresponding code address;
and wherein said computer program of said automation device stores instructions which, when executed, will perform the steps of:
executing said application program in said automation device, particularly a program to control andor monitor an external process;
recording content of the data addresses selected for monitoring when the corresponding code address is reached during execution of the application program; and
transmitting to the programming device, as part of a result message, the recorded content of the data addresses selected for monitoring.
17. The automation system according to claim 16, wherein said code address comprises an address of said application program in proximity to a segment of the application program that influences the content of the data addresses selected for monitoring.
18. The automation system according to claim 16, wherein all memory areas existing in the automation device, including registers, can be referenced using said plurality of data addresses.
19. The automation system according to claim 16, wherein the data addresses selected for monitoring are recorded by the automation device when the corresponding code address is reached, if a trigger condition is met.
20. The automation system according to claim 16, wherein the request message comprises a header segment, an entry data set segment, and at least one of a plurality of watch point segments, each of said watch point segments containing at least one code address and one data address.
21. The automation system according to claim 16, wherein the result message has a header segment, an entry data set segment, and at least one of a plurality of watch point segments, each of said watch point segments containing at least one code address and one data address.
22. The automation system according to claim 16, wherein the data addresses selected for monitoring are recorded by the automation device, and during execution of the application program are transmitted to the programming device at predetermined events.
23. The automation system according to claim 22, wherein said predetermined events are after each cycle when cyclical application programs are used.
24. The automation system according to claim 22, wherein in cyclical application programs, the data addresses selected for monitoring are recorded by the automation device and transmitted to the programming device in sections over several cycles.
25. The automation system according to claim 16, wherein instructions required for monitoring can be masked in the application program.
26. The automation system according to claim 16, wherein a request job generated by the automation device is blocked upon receipt of the request message in the case of multiple execution of an instruction corresponding to a code defined in the request message.
27. The automation system according to claim 16, wherein the data addresses selected for monitoring are recorded by the automation device when the corresponding code address is reached, if a trigger condition is met.
28. The automation system according to claim 16, also comprising the steps of the sending an acknowledgement message and a job number from the automation device to the programming device acknowledging receipt of said request message.
29. The automation system according to claim 16, also comprising the steps of the sending a release message from a programming device to said automation device to end monitoring.
30. The automation system according to claim 16, also comprising means for displaying or outputting transmitted and recorded data.