Method, system and apparatus for providing real-time led status of embedded controllers to system management software

• US 20040176927A1
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Wei, Vasudevan, Bharath
• Granted Patent: US 7,096,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence

Abstract

Embedded controller(s) in an information handling system have real-time status and activities represented by indicators, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), associated with the embedded controller(s). These indicators may monitored for example by operating management software, e.g., Embedded Server Management (ESM) software. In addition, edge triggered latches and a timer detect and store flash patterns of these LED indicators so that the flash pattern information may be read by the operating management software as static signals.

Claims

1. An information handling system having at least one embedded controller with at least one activity-status indicator, said system comprising:

at least one embedded controller in an information handling system, said embedded controller having at least one activity-status indicator, wherein the at least one activity-status indicator represents activity and status of said at least one embedded controller; and

an interface circuit having an input coupled to the at least one activity-status indicator, whereby the activity and status of said at least one embedded controller is monitored by said information handling system by reading said interface circuit.

2. The information handling system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one edge-triggered latch, said at least one edge-triggered latch having an input coupled to the at least one activity-status indicator, an output coupled to another input of said interface circuit and a clear input coupled to an output of said interface circuit, wherein a transient indication from said at least one activity-status indicator is captured and stored in the at least one edge-triggered latch and represented on the output thereof, whereby the transient indication from said at least one activity-status indicator is monitored by said information handling system by reading said interface circuit, and said at least one edge-triggered latch is cleared by said information handling system.

3. The information handling system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one edge-triggered latch, said at least one edge-triggered latch having an input coupled to the at least one activity-status indicator, an output coupled to another input of said interface circuit and a clear input coupled to an output of a timer circuit, wherein a transient indication from said at least one activity-status indicator is captured and stored in the at least one edge-triggered latch and represented on the output thereof, whereby the transient indication from said at least one activity-status indicator is monitored by said information handling system by reading said interface circuit, and said at least one edge-triggered latch is cleared at time intervals by said timer circuit.

4. The information handling system according to claim 3, wherein said timer circuit is reset by an output signal from said interface circuit.

5. The information handling system according to claim 3, wherein the transient indication is a flash pattern and the time intervals differentiate between different flash patterns.

6. The information handling system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one activity-status indicator coupled to said interface circuit represents the activity and status of said at least one embedded controller selected from the group consisting of Ethernet_Link_LED, Ethernet_ACT_LED, FC_Green_LED, FC_Yellow_LED, blower LED and system health LED.

7. The information handling system according to claim 2, wherein said at least one activity-status indicator coupled to said at least one edge-triggered latch represents the activity and status of said at least one embedded controller selected from the group consisting of Ethernet_ACT_LED, FC_Green_LED, FC_Yellow_LED, blower LED and system health LED.

8. The information handling system according to claim 3, wherein said at least one activity-status indicator coupled to said at least one edge-triggered latch represents the activity and status of said at least one embedded controller selected from the group consisting of Ethernet_ACT_LED, FC_Green_LED and FC_Yellow_LED.

9. The information handling system according to claim 8, wherein the transient indication stored in said at least one edge-triggered latch is selected from the group consisting of Ethernet_ACT_LED_Flash, FC_Green_LED_Flash and FC_Yellow_LED_Flash.

10. The information handling system according to claim 1, wherein said information handling system is selected from the group consisting of computer work station, personal computer, portable computer, computer server, print server, network router, network hub, network switch, storage area network disk array, RAID disk system and telecommunications switch.

11. The information handling system according to claim 1, wherein the interface circuit is coupled to an I²C bus.

12. An apparatus for monitoring activity-status of an embedded controller in an information handling system, comprising:

an interface circuit having inputs coupled to activity-status indicators of an embedded controller in an information handling system; and

operating management software adapted to read said interface circuit and present presentations of the activity-status indicator states.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising edge-triggered latches coupled to the activity-status indicators, outputs coupled to other inputs of said interface circuit and clear inputs coupled to an output of said interface circuit, wherein transient indications from said activity-status indicators are captured and stored in the edge-triggered latches and represented on the outputs thereof, whereby the transient indications from the activity-status indicators are monitored through said interface circuit, and the edge-triggered latches are cleared by said interface circuit.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising edge-triggered latches coupled to the activity-status indicators, outputs coupled to other inputs of said interface circuit and clear inputs coupled to a timer circuit, wherein transient indications from said activity-status indicators are captured and stored in the edge-triggered latches and represented on the outputs thereof, whereby the transient indications from the activity-status indicators are monitored through said interface circuit, and the edge-triggered latches are cleared by at time intervals by said timer circuit.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said timer circuit is reset by an output signal from said interface circuit.

16. A method for monitoring activity-status of an embedded controller in an information handling system, said method comprising the steps of:

monitoring activity-status indicators of an embedded controller in an information handling system by detecting logic levels of the indicators with an interface circuit coupled thereto;

reading the detected logic levels from the interface circuit with operating management software; and

displaying the read detected logic levels with the operating management software on an information handling system display, wherein the read detected logic levels are representative of the activity-status of the embedded controller.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring transient indications of the activity-status indicators with edge-triggered latches, wherein a transition from a first logic level to a second logic level causes a respective edge-triggered latch to change a stored logic state; and

reading the stored logic state with the interface circuit.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the transient indications represent various flash repetition rates, and the various flash repetition rates are determined by resetting the edge-triggered latches at a predetermined reset interval time.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step of resetting the edge-triggered latches at a predetermined reset interval time is done through the interface circuit.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step of resetting the edge-triggered latches at a predetermined reset interval time is done with a timer.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of resetting the timer with the interface circuit.