Apparatus, system and method for reporting field replaceable unit replacement

• US 20020138235A1
• Filed: 03/08/2001
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Edwards, Mark S., Gretta, Margaret E., Tysor, Arthur J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,684,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An apparatus, system and method for reporting field replaceable unit (FRU) replacements to a user are provided. The apparatus, system and method identify a FRU Replacement Order for an identified system error and then determines which of the FRUs in the FRU Replacement Order have already been replaced within a predetermined period of time from the current time. Those FRUs identified as having already been replaced are then flagged. The FRU Replacement Order is then output to the user with the flagged FRUs being output in a different manner than the other FRUs in the FRU Replacement Order.

Claims

1. A method of outputting a field replaceable unit (FRU) replacement order, comprising:

determining a first FRU replacement order having at least one FRU;

determining if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time; and

outputting a second FRU replacement order if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second FRU replacement order includes the first FRU replacement order with FRUs identified as having been replaced within a predetermined period of time being flagged.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second FRU replacement order is a modified version of the first FRU replacement order, modified based on the determination of one or more of the at least one FRU having been replaced within a predetermined period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing one or more diagnostic procedures on a data processing system, wherein the step of determining a first FRU replacement order is performed based on results of performing the one or more diagnostic procedures on the data processing system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time includes retrieving an event log from one of a local memory or a remote storage device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the event log stores at least one event log record indicating one or more replaced FRUs that have been replaced in a data processing system and at least one of a date that the one or more replaced FRUs were replaced and an indicator of errors encountered that led to the one or more replaced FRUs being replaced.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more replaced FRUs are identified in the event log records by vital product data associated with the one or more replaced FRUs.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the vital product data includes one or more of a serial number, a part number, and an EC number.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein determining if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time further includes comparing the event log to the first FRU replacement order.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein FRUs identified as having been replaced within a predetermined period of time are output in the second FRU replacement order in a different manner from FRUs that are not identified as having been replaced within a predetermined period of time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the different manner is one of a different text color, highlighted text, dimmed text, a different graphical icon, and a graphical icon representing the FRU being already replaced.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second FRU replacement order includes the first FRU replacement order with FRUs identified as having been replaced within a predetermined period of time being flagged.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second FRU replacement order is a modified version of the first FRU replacement order, modified based on the determination of one or more of the at least one FRU having been replaced within a predetermined period of time.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising means for performing one or more diagnostic procedures on a data processing system, wherein the means for determining a first FRU replacement order operates based on results of performing the one or more diagnostic procedures on the data processing system.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for determining if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time includes means for retrieving an event log from one of a local memory or a remote storage device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the event log stores at least one event log record indicating one or more replaced FRUs that have been replaced in a data processing system and at least one of a date that the one or more replaced FRUs were replaced and an indicator of errors encountered that led to the one or more replaced FRUs being replaced.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for determining if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time further includes means for comparing the event log to the first FRU replacement order.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein FRUs identified as having been replaced within a predetermined period of time are output in the second FRU replacement order in a different manner from FRUs that are not identified as having been replaced within a predetermined period of time.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the different manner is one of a different text color, highlighted text, dimmed text, a different graphical icon, and a graphical icon representing the FRU being already replaced.

12. An apparatus for outputting a field replaceable unit (FRU) replacement order, comprising:

means for determining a first FRU replacement order having at least one FRU;

means for determining if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time; and

means for outputting a second FRU replacement order if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time.

21. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for outputting a field replaceable unit (FRU) replacement order, comprising:

first instructions for determining a first FRU replacement order having at least one FRU;

second instructions for determining if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time; and

third instructions for outputting a second FRU replacement order if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the second FRU replacement order includes the first FRU replacement order with FRUs identified as having been replaced within a predetermined period of time being flagged.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the second FRU replacement order is a modified version of the first FRU replacement order, modified based on the determination of one or more of the at least one FRU having been replaced within a predetermined period of time.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising fourth instructions for performing one or more diagnostic procedures on a data processing system, wherein the first instructions determining a first FRU replacement order execute based on results of performing the one or more diagnostic procedures on the data processing system.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the second instructions include instructions for retrieving an event log from one of a local memory or a remote storage device.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the event log stores at least one event log record indicating one or more replaced FRUs that have been replaced in a data processing system and at least one of a date that the one or more replaced FRUs were replaced and an indicator of errors encountered that led to the one or more replaced FRUs being replaced.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the second instructions further include instructions for comparing the event log to the first FRU replacement order.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein FRUs identified as having been replaced within a predetermined period of time are output in the second FRU replacement order in a different manner from FRUs that are not identified as having been replaced within a predetermined period of time.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the different manner is one of a different text color, highlighted text, dimmed text, a different graphical icon, and a graphical icon representing the FRU being already replaced.

30. An apparatus for outputting a field replaceable unit (FRU) replacement order, comprising:

a diagnostic tool; and

an output device coupled to the diagnostic tool, wherein the diagnostic tool determines a first FRU replacement order having at least one FRU, determines if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time, and instructs the output device to output a second FRU replacement order if one or more of the at least one FRU has been replaced within a predetermined period of time.