Method for the operation of a multi-processor central control unit of a switching system,
- whereby the central control unit at least contains a plurality of central processors, a bus system and a central main memory,
- whereby the processors that independently handle switching requests from subscribers with local memories individually allocated to them, as well as the main memory having blocks collaborating with the processors are connected parallel to the bus system,
- whereby the local memories particularly respectively store those program parts that the appertaining processor calls in particularly often and, especially in emergencies, particularly quickly without having to access the main memory via the bus system,
- whereby at least one of the processors, referred to as base processor, also serves for splitting off and for reuniting component parts of the central control unit,
- whereby at least one section of memories, and, namely, at least of the main memory, as well as the bus system are doubled in redundant fashion, so that the processors have access via each bus system half to halves of such redundant main memory sections,
- whereby--in normal operating times--the redundant memory sections store identical information in a machine language adapted to the processors--namely, data and/or program parts that relate to component parts and/or functions of the switching system and/or connections,
- whereby--in a special operating time, preferably in times having especially little switching service--component parts of the central control unit are split off by at least one of the base processors and are interconnected to form a special-purpose computer that contains at least one of the processors, including at least one base processor, as well as a bus system half and a plurality of memory sections, including the local memories of the processors belonging to a special-purpose computer, as well as at least one split-off half of redundant main memory sections,
- whereby the switching requests that arose before the special operating time as well as the switching requests newly arising during the special operating time are continued to be handled in the remaining central control unit according to the previous switching service program, i.e. in the remaining processors, in the other bus system half and in the memory sections that have not been split off,
- whereby--in the special operating time--modified information, i.e. modified data and/or modified parts of the switching service program, are input via a line unit into memory sections of the special-purpose computer,
- whereby at least significant component parts of the special-purpose computer are reunited with the remaining central control unit at the end of the special operating time, and
- whereby all memory sections again operate with full efficiency as in normal operating times, operating thusly no later than after a transition time following the reunification, comprising,
- in the special operating time, both the memory sections of the special computer as well as the memory sections of the remaining central control unit respectively co-contain at least one administration memory of an address administration unit, whereby the administration memory of at least respectively one of the processors serves for the conversion of virtual addresses into physical addresses;
- and the switching service program is modified at least by re-ordering information to be semi-permanently stored to address spaces as well as by re-structuring information to be semi-permanently stored in these address spaces, these relating to a great plurality of subscriber terminals and/or to a great plurality of switching system component parts,
- a part of the modified information being also input via the line unit into sections of at least one of the administration memories that are allocated to the special-purpose computer.