Information processing system and logout process therefor

A logout process for an information processing system including a main storage, at least one processing unit, a storage control unit and a maintenance control unit for said storage control unit and said at least one processing unit, said storage control unit serving to receive storage access requests from said maintenance control unit and said at least one processing unit, the process comprising the steps of:

• inhibiting said storage control unit from receiving storage access requests when an error takes place in said storage control unit;
• reporting said error to said maintenance control unit;
• inhibiting said processing unit from performing time-out detecting operation in response to said reporting of said error;
• fetching from said storage control unit internal information representative of the state of said storage control unit at the time when said error took place and storing it in said maintenance control unit in response to said inhibiting of said time-out operation;
• removing said inhibiting of said storage access request reception and said time-out detecting operation in response to said storing of said internal information;
• and
• transferring said internal information from said maintenance control unit to a storing means.

An information processing system comprising a main storage, at least one processing unit, a storage control unit, a maintenance control unit for said storage control unit and said at least one processing unit, said storage control unit being interposed between said main storage and said maintenance control unit and between said main storage and said at least one processing unit for controlling said main storage upon receipt of storage access requests from said maintenance control unit and said at least one processing unit, and a storage means, in which:

• said at least one processing unit includes means for detecting a time-out;
• said storage control unit includes means for detecting an error in said storage control unit and means responsive to an error detection by said error detecting means for inhibiting said storage control unit from receiving said storage access requests;
• and
• said maintenance control unit includes buffer memory means connected with said storage control unit for storing internal information representative of the state of said storage control unit at the time when said error took place and logout control means for control of a logout of said internal information, said logout control means being responsive to said error detection by said error detecting means in said storage control unit for inhibiting time-out detection by said time-out detecting means in said processing unit, and for instructing storage of said internal information in said buffer memory means, said logout control means removing, after storage of said internal information in said buffer memory means, said inhibiting of said storage access request reception by said storage control unit and removing said inhibiting of said time-out detecting operation by said time-out detecting means, and said logout control means then transferring said internal information from said maintenance control unit to said storage means.