Error management

• US 20040210800A1
• Filed: 04/17/2003
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Ghislain Gabriel Vecoven, Frederic Louis, Panicker, Sundeep R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,313,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0712 in a virtual computing platform, e.g. logically partitioned systems
• 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 11/0772 Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3031 where the computing system component is a motherboard or an expansion card
• 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

Abstract

A computer system includes a plurality of field replaceable units. A system controller monitors system errors. A diagnostic engine is responsive to the system controller detecting an error to identify a faulty field replaceable unit. A reconfiguration engine can then be operable to deconfigure the faulty field replaceable unit. By providing a diagnostic engine to identify a faulty field replaceable unit to be deconfigured, greater reliability with regard to the identification of a faulty unit can be achieved.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of field replaceable units;

a system controller operable to monitor system errors;

a diagnostic engine responsive to the system controller detecting an error to identify a faulty field replaceable unit; and

a reconfiguration engine operable to deconfigure the faulty field replaceable unit.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic engine is operable to analyze hardware generated information distinguishing a first error from non-first errors.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic engine is operable to cause status information concerning a faulty field replaceable unit to be recorded in the faulty field replaceable unit.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic engine is operable to identify a list of suspect faulty field replaceable units.

5. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the diagnostic engine is operable to cause status information concerning each suspected faulty field replaceable unit to be recorded in the suspected faulty field replaceable unit concerned.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the status information is stored in a dynamic portion of a field replaceable unit identity (FRUID) memory in the field replaceable unit concerned.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the FRUID memory is an electrically erasable programmable read only memory.

8. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the diagnostic engine is responsive to previously recorded suspected fault information recorded in a field replaceable unit in determining whether the field replaceable unit is faulty.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the device reconfiguration engine is operable to configure a redundant hardware field replaceable unit in place of a deconfigured faulty field replaceable unit.

10. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the device reconfiguration engine is responsive to recorded status information in a faulty field replaceable unit to deconfigure the faulty field replaceable unit.

11. The computer system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of processor domain segments interconnected by a switch, wherein the device reconfiguration engine is operable to migrate a domain to another segment in order to isolate a faulty switch.

12. The computer system of claim 1, comprising circuitry in the field replaceable units, which circuitry includes error status registers for logging errors detected in the circuitry.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein an error status register for circuitry in which a first error is detected is operable separately to log the first error.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein a said field replaceable unit comprises further circuitry for reporting errors in the field replaceable unit to the system controller.

15. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the auto diagnosis engine is software component of the service controller.

16. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the device reconfiguration engine includes a power on and self test utility.

17. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a predictive fault analyzer.

18. A method of managing errors in a computer system comprising a plurality of field replaceable units, the method comprising:

a system controller monitoring system errors in the field replaceable units;

a diagnostic engine to identify a faulty field replaceable unit; and

in responsive to the system controller detecting an error, a reconfiguration engine deconfiguring the faulty field replaceable unit.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the diagnostic engine analyses hardware generated information distinguishing a first error from non-first errors.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the diagnostic engine causes status information concerning a faulty field replaceable unit to be recorded in the faulty field replaceable unit.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the diagnostic engine identifies a list of suspect faulty field replaceable units.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the diagnostic engine causes status information concerning each suspected faulty field replaceable unit to be recorded in the suspected faulty field replaceable unit concerned.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the status information is stored in a dynamic portion of a field replaceable unit identity (FRUID) memory in the field replaceable unit concerned.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the FRUID memory is an electrically erasable programmable read only memory.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the diagnostic engine is responsive to previously recorded suspected fault information recorded in a field replaceable unit in determining whether the field replaceable unit is faulty.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the device reconfiguration engine is operable to configure a redundant hardware field replaceable unit in place of a deconfigured faulty field replaceable unit.

27. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the device reconfiguration engine is responsive to recorded status information in a faulty field replaceable unit to deconfigure the faulty field replaceable unit.

28. The method of claim 18, comprising a plurality of processor domain segments interconnected by a switch, wherein the device reconfiguration engine is operable to migrate a domain to another segment in order to isolate a faulty switch.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein errors detected in circuitry in the field replaceable units are logged in an error status register in the circuitry.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein a first error is separately logged in a said error status register.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein further circuitry in a said field replaceable unit reports logged errors to the system controller.

32. The method of claim 18, wherein the auto diagnosis engine is a software component of a service controller.

33. The method of claim 18, wherein the device reconfiguration engine is a power on self test utility.

34. A program product on a carrier medium, the program product comprising instructions operable to cause a computer system that includes a plurality of field replaceable units:

to monitor hardware system errors; and

to identify a faulty field replaceable unit;

whereby the faulty field replaceable unit can be deconfigured from the computer system.

35. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of field replaceable units;

means for monitoring system errors;

means responsive to a detected system error to identify a faulty field replaceable unit; and

means for deconfiguring the faulty field replaceable unit from the computer system.