Method for prioritizing bus errors

• US 20020178404A1
• Filed: 03/22/2001
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wenning, Mark Walz, Austen, Christopher Harry, Perez, Michael Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 6,834,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0724 in a multiprocessor or a multi-core unit multiprocessors per se G06F15/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0745 in an input/output transactions management context input/output processing in general G06F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/221 to test buses, lines or interfaces, e.g. stuck-at or open line faults

Abstract

A method for prioritizing bus errors for a computing system is provided. A subsystem test is executed on a first subsystem from a plurality of subsystems on a bus system, wherein the subsystem test on the bus system is specific to the first bus subsystem. An output is received in response to executing the subsystem test. In response to the output indicating an error on the first subsystem, a severity level is assessed based on the error. For all subsystems from the plurality of subsystems on the bus system, a subsystem test is executed on each remaining subsystem, wherein each subsystem test on the bus system is specific to each remaining subsystem. An output is received in response to executing each subsystem test. In response to the output indicating an error on any of the remaining subsystems, a severity level is assessed based on the error.

Claims

1. A method for prioritizing bus errors in a data processing system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) executing a subsystem test on a first subsystem from a plurality of subsystems on a bus system, wherein the subsystem test on the bus system is specific to the first subsystem;

(b) receiving an output in response to executing the subsystem test; and

(c) in response to the output indicating an error on the first subsystem, assessing a severity level based on the error.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) for all subsystems from the plurality of subsystems on the bus system.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

(e) compiling a list of a plurality of severity levels, wherein a security level within the list of the plurality of security levels is associated with a subsystem indicating an error;

(f) comparing the plurality of severity levels within the list to one another; and

(g) prioritizing the severity levels based on the comparison.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

(h) associating a symbol with at least one severity level; and

(i) displaying the symbol and the at least one severity level.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the at least one severity level is the highest severity level.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein prioritizing the severity levels are prioritized from a highest severity level to a lowest severity level.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a severity level comprises at least one of an error type value and operation type value.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the error type value and the operation type value have a highest value of 4 and a lowest value of 0.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the severity level is expressed as a predetermined factor times the error type value plus the operation type value.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the predetermined factor is 10.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein results of assessing the severity level based on the error are logged as a plurality of entries.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein each entry in the plurality of entries is associated with only one subsystem from the plurality of subsystems.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein each entry within the plurality of entries is associated with a location code.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the severity level is stored in a database.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first subsystem is associated with a plurality of status registers.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the bus system includes at least one Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) device.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the error comprises at least one of an error type and an operation type.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the error type is one of parity, internal, hard and unknown.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the operation type is one of address, data_read, data_write and unknown.

20. A computer program product, in a computer-readable medium, for prioritizing bus errors in a data processing system, comprising:

a) instructions for executing a subsystem test on a first subsystem from a plurality of subsystems on a bus system, wherein the subsystem test on the bus system is specific to the first subsystem;

(b) instructions for receiving an output in response to executing the subsystem test; and

(c) instructions for, in response to the output indicating an error on the first subsystem, assessing a severity level based on the error.

21. The computer program product as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

(d) instructions for repeating steps (a)-(c) for all subsystems from the plurality of subsystems on the bus system.

22. The computer program product as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

(e) instructions for compiling a list of a plurality of severity levels, wherein a security level within the list of the plurality of security levels is associated with a subsystem indicating an error;

(f) instructions for comparing the plurality of severity levels within the list to one another; and

(g) instructions for prioritizing the severity levels based on the comparison.

23. The computer program product as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

(h) instructions for associating a symbol with at least one severity level; and

(i) instructions for displaying the symbol and the at least one severity level.

24. The computer program product as recited in claim 23, wherein the at least one severity level is the highest severity level.

25. The computer program product as recited in claim 22, wherein prioritizing the severity levels are prioritized from a highest severity level to a lowest severity level.

26. The computer program product as recited in claim 20, wherein a severity level comprises at least one of an error type value and operation type value.

27. The computer program product as recited in claim 26, wherein the error type value and the operation type value have a highest value of 4 and a lowest value of 0.

28. The computer program product as recited in claim 26, wherein the severity level is expressed as a predetermined factor times the error type value plus the operation type value.

29. The computer program product as recited in claim 28, wherein the predetermined factor is 10.

30. The computer program product as recited in claim 20, wherein results of assessing the severity level based on the error are logged as a plurality of entries.

31. The computer program product as recited in claim 30, wherein each entry in the plurality of entries is associated with only one subsystem from the plurality of subsystems.

32. The computer program product as recited in claim 31, wherein each entry within the plurality of entries is associated with a location code.

33. The computer program product as recited in claim 20, wherein the severity level is stored in a database.

34. The computer program product as recited in claim 20, wherein the first subsystem is associated with a plurality of status registers.

35. The computer program product as recited in claim 20, wherein the bus system includes at least one Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) device.

36. The computer program product as recited in claim 20, wherein the error comprises at least one of an error type and an operation type.

37. The computer program product as recited in claim 36, wherein the error type is one of parity, internal, hard and unknown.

38. The computer program product as recited in claim 36, wherein the operation type is one of address, data_read, data_write and unknown.

40. The data processing system of claim 39, further comprising:

the processor executes the set of instructions from the memory to repeat steps (a)-(c) for all subsystems from the plurality of subsystems on the at least one bus system.

39. A data processing system comprising:

at least one bus system;

a communications unit connected to the at least one bus system;

a memory connected to the at least one bus system, the memory including a set of instructions; and

a processor connected to the at least one bus system, wherein the processor executes the set of instructions from the memory to (a) execute a subsystem test on a first subsystem from a plurality of subsystems on the bus system, wherein the subsystem test on the at least one bus system is specific to the first subsystem, (b) receive an output in response to executing the subsystem test, and (c) in response to the output indicating an error on the first subsystem, assessing a severity level based on the error.

41. A system for prioritizing bus errors in a data processing system, comprising:

(a) executing means for executing a subsystem test on a first subsystem from a plurality of subsystems on a bus system, wherein the subsystem test on the bus system is specific to the first subsystem;

(b) receiving means for receiving an output in response to executing the subsystem test; and

(c) assessing means for, in response to the output indicating an error on the first subsystem, assessing a severity level based on the error.

42. The system as recited in claim 41, further comprising:

(d) repeating means for repeating steps (a)-(c) for all subsystems from the plurality of subsystems on the bus system.

43. The system as recited in claim 42, further comprising:

(e) compiling means for compiling a list of a plurality of severity levels, wherein a security level within the list of the plurality of security levels is associated with a subsystem indicating an error;

(f) comparing means for comparing the plurality of severity levels within the list to one another; and

(g) prioritizing means for prioritizing the severity levels based on the comparison.

44. The system as recited in claim 43, further comprising:

(h) associating means for associating a symbol with at least one severity level; and

(i) displaying means for displaying the symbol and the at least one severity level.