[54] METHOD FOR REPLACING MEMORY MODULES IN A DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING THE METHOD
[75] Inventors: Pierre Bacot, Chaville; Guy
Magnaud, Maule; Jean-Jacques
Pairault, Boulogne Billancourt, all of
France
[73] Assignee: Bull S. A., Paris, France
[21] Appl. No.: 487,269
[22] Filed: Mar. 2,1990
[30] Foreign Application Priority Data
Mar. 3, 1989 [FR] France 89 02751
[51] Int. CI.' GOfiF 11/20
[52] U.S. CI 395/425; 371/10.1;
371/21.1; 364/245.3; 364/DIG. 1; 364/961;
364/DIG. 2
[58] Field of Search 364/200, 900, 245.3,
364/DIG. 1, 961, DIG. 2; 371/10.1, 9.1, 21.1, 21.5, 40.2, 31; 395/425
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
4,093,985 6/1978 Das 364/200
4,150,428 4/1979 lung et al 364/200
4,342,079 7/1982 Stewart et al 364/200
4,345,319 8/1982 Bemardini et al 365/230.03
4,456,966 6/1984 Bringol et al 364/900
4,584,681 4/1986 Singh et al 371/10.1
4,872,166 10/1989 Jippo 371/10.1 X
5,007,053 4/1991 Iyer et al 371/21.1
The invention relates to the field of data processing systems and provides a method and system to enable replacement of memory modules (MU,) connected to a bus (MB) without interrupting the functioning of the system, wherein for any writing request addressed to a module to be replaced (MU,), this writing request is executed simultaneously and at the same address by the module to be replaced (MU,) and by a replacement module (MUr), and for any reading request addressed to the module to be replaced (MU,), only the module to be replaced (MU,) is authorized to execute this reading request. Next, a recopying process is started which includes sending reading and rewriting requests to a set of addresses covering the entirety of the memory space of the module to be replaced (MU/).
29 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
