Operating system based method and computer program for monitoring and notifying computer hardware status

• US 20040078682A1
• Filed: 09/19/2002
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Synology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synology Incorporated
• Inventors: Huang, Jaw-Shiang
• Application Number:
  US10/246,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078682A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/37
• 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 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3065 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in reporting the monitored data error or fault reporting or logging G06F11/0766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence

Abstract

A computer implemented method and program product of an operating system based software program for monitoring normal computer hardware status in operation and notifying of abnormal computer hardware modes to alert system manager comprising First acquiring a virtual memory storage location by a pertained computer system when its operating system boots up, reserving the allocated virtual memory storage, switching to protect mode, and booting BIOS driver in the operating system. Second, the operating system based software program registers a callback function defined by a set of system defined OEM functions to check the existence of the software program, retrieve the address of hardware status and hardware mapping status, acknowledge and process the change of hardware status, and return back to the operating system. Third, the operating system displays the hardware status information controlled by the operating system based software program to report to system managers or users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of an operating system based software program connected to a computer operating system with hardware and memory storage for automatically monitoring hardware normal status and notifying of abnormal status for the purpose of maintaining computer-related hardware systems, the method comprising the steps of:

a. allocating, by the computer operating system, a virtual memory entry location for mapping the hardware status;

b. reserving, by the computer operating system, the virtual memory entry allocation for preventing any alien attacks;

c. switching, by the computer operating system, to protect mode and booting the BIOS driver into the computer operating system;

d. checking, by the operating system based software program, if the computer hardware is installed with the software program interfaced to the operating system of the computer hardware; and

if not, then returning to normal operation the operating system;

e. retrieving, by the operating system based software program, the physical address of hardware status and hardware mapping status from the information of the allocated virtual memory entry;

f. registering, by the operating system based software program, a callback function for acknowledging and processing the change of hardware status; and

g. returning, by the operating system based software program, to normal operation of the operating system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of allocating virtual memory table entry based on a predefined virtual memory mapping table is automatically performed without user intervention and further comprises a step of altering said particular mapping route to change the function of initialization of the operating system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of reserving virtual memory location based on the predefined virtual memory mapping table further comprises a step of routing said particular mapping entry setting to assure the physical memory pages are always continuous in associated with the virtual memory entries.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of checking the existence of the operating system based software program after the operating system is switched to the protect mode and performed its normal booting procedure further comprises a step of comparing a magic number to identify the successful installation of the operating system based software program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of retrieving the physical address of the hardware status further comprises a step of altering the size of the memory block and the linear address of the memory block in the protect mode of the computer operating system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of retrieving the physical address of the hardware status further comprises a step of relating the physical address to the virtual memory address defined in the virtual memory mapping table where the hardware status was stored.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of registering a callback function for acknowledging and processing the change of the hardware status further comprises a step of notifying the operating system based software program with a message that the hardware status has already been changed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of registering a callback function for acknowledging and processing the change of the hardware status further comprises:

installing in the callback function a function to check which hardware status has been changed, recording the changed hardware status, notifying of the hardware status changes, and avoiding unusual and abnormal hardware actions, if necessary.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of avoiding unusual and abnormal hardware actions pertains to only those controllable by the software system exclusively.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the unusual and abnormal hardware actions include those items that can be controlled by the software system, such as the reduced temperature of a CPU by reducing the frequency use of the CPU, the withdrawing of hard disks, and the input and output actions of file systems to a non-existing hard disk.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of notifying the hardware status reports includes notification by market provided services such as Log record, email, ICQ, or phone message on cellular panel, as to the hardware status via reports viewed through a serial console or monitor, or through internet from remote site of the computer system.

12. A computer program product for use in conjunction with an operating system for a bus interfaced system hardware platform, with devices for computing and storing of any scale, the computer product embedded in a computer readable storage medium with a computer program procedure, said computer program procedure, comprising:

a program module that directs an operating system based software program connected to the operating system to function in a specified manner, the program procedure including;

a startup procedure having instructions with the capability to allocate a virtual memory location for mapping hardware status after the operating system is booted, to switch the operation system to a protect mode, and to enter into the operating system based software program.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the startup procedure includes instructions having the capability to use the defined BIOS interface functions between the operating system based software program and the operating system, said instructions including:

a. a polling or interrupt mechanism for getting the inquiry of the operating system based software program if the hardware status has been changed;

b. an Installation Check for identifying the existence of the operating system based software program;

c. a Get Exchange Data Block for specifying the physical address of where to store the hardware status information; and

d. a Get Hardware Status for obtaining the updated hardware status information.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the Get Hardware Status procedure for obtaining the updated hardware status information includes items that can be monitored by a software program, such as CPU thermal status, memory ECC count, hard disk status, fan fault status, power supply fault status, battery status, and battery fault status.

15. A computer program product for use in conjunction with an operating system for a bus interfaced system platform, with devices for computing and storing of any scale having hardware with memory storage embedded in a computer readable storage medium and a program procedure, comprising:

a program module that directs an operating system based software program connected to the operating system to function in a specified manner, the program procedure including a notification procedure with instructions having the capability to notify a user or a system manager of a change in hardware status and to present all of the hardware status information through a user-interface of the system.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the notification to the user includes market provided services such as sending by email or by Log record and a system manager is allowed to fill in the specification of an SMTP server and email address.

17. A computer program product for use in conjunction with an operating system with a bus interfaced system hardware platform, with devices for computing and storing of any scale, having hardware with memory storage embedded in a computer readable storage medium with a program procedure;

said computer program procedure comprising;

a program module that directs an operating system based software program connected to the operating system to function in a specified manner, and including a monitoring procedure with instructions having the capability to look up a user-interface via a callback function to detect and record a result as to which hardware status has been changed and to avoid unusual and abnormal hardware actions, if necessary.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the recorded monitoring user-interface result is presented in three seconds intervals through a market provided displaying means including a browser in HTML form.

19. A computer readable storage medium that directs an operating system based software program connected to an operating system created location of virtual memory mapping table with its entries pointing to a continuous physical memory pages, comprising:

a protection procedure including instructions having a capability to protect by the operating system all programs stored in the virtual memory mapping table from any sort of alien attacks.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions of the protection procedure include the use of a Basic Input and Output System (BIOS) provided functions, such as some APM OEM functions to define protocols for communication of detected hardware information of the APM driver to enhance its power and optimize the functionality and capability of the APM driver and associated hardware.