Data processing system with configuration management capability based on compatibilities among hardware modules

1. Field of the Invention A data processing system which provides increased reliability by properly managing a plurality of basic modules. System configuration data is a collection of information regarding basic modules constituting each target system. Compatibility data is compiled to keep statistics of past failures occurred in a target system, which maintains the following associated records: properties of failed basic modules, properties of their related modules, failure types, and failure counts. When a basic module is changed in a target system, the target system sends out a notification message. This message is received by a notification message parser and supplied to a system configuration manager via a hardware change manager. The system configuration manager first consults the system configuration data to identify the changed basic module and its related basic modules, and then retrieves information about compatibility of such basic modules by consulting the compatibility data. It evaluates the retrieved information and outputs advisory messages on a monitor screen.