Patent ID: 7114094

Claim:
An information processing system comprising: an information processing apparatus installed at each of a plurality of sites, said information processing apparatuses being interconnected to be able to communicate with each other; a fail-over processor realized by a program executed by one or more information processing apparatuses, wherein when a failure occurs at one of said information processing apparatuses, said fail-over processor performs a process related to fail-over of making another information processing apparatus different from said information processing apparatus hit by said failure inherit processes executed by said information processing apparatus hit by said failure; a recovery capability judge for iudging whether essential data is managed in a recoverable state at any one of said information processing apparatuses excepting said information processing apparatus hit by said failure, when said fail-over is executed passing from said information processing apparatus hit by said failure to said other information processing apparatus, said essential data being necessary data for performing a process to be dealt with by said other information processing apparatus after said fail-over; and a backup data generator for generating backup data necessary for recovering said essential data if said essential data is not managed in the recoverable state, wherein: an inquiry message transmitter which transmits an inquiry message added with identification information of said essential data from said information processing apparatus to said other information processing apparatus, said inguiry message inguiring about whether said essential data is managed in the recoverable state at said other information processing apparatus; and said information processing apparatus for receiving said inquiry message comprises: a backup data management information storage realized by a program executed by said information processing apparatus, said backup data management information storage storing a correspondence between information indicating whether said essential data is managed in the recoverable state at said information processing apparatus and said identification information of said essential data; an inquiry message receiver for receiving said inquiry message; and an inquiry message responder for acquiring from said backup data management information storage, information indicating whether said essential data is managed in the recoverable state at said information processing apparatus, said information corresponding to said identification information added to said inquiry message added to said inquiry message received by said inquiry message receiver, and for answering back said response to a transmission source of said inquiry message, said response being set with information of whether said essential data is managed in the recoverable state at said information processing apparatus.