Method and apparatus for providing updated processor polling information

• US 20050022059A1
• Filed: 12/15/2003
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Wei, Dong
• Granted Patent: US 7,484,125 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1425 by reconfiguration of node membership
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2289 by configuration test

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a method and an apparatus to collect and dynamically update processor polling information. In one method embodiment, the present invention collects processor polling information at boot time to be provided to an operating system. The processor polling information describes operating conditions of an integrated processing system. The operating system is then notified that a triggering event has occurred that may potentially alter the operating conditions of the integrated processor system. Providing to the operating system updated processor polling information during runtime to reflect the operating conditions of the integrated processor system after the occurrence of the triggering event.

Claims

1. A method for providing updated processor polling information comprising:

collecting processor polling information at boot time to be provided to an operating system, said processor polling information describing operating conditions of an integrated processing system;

notifying the operating system that a triggering event has occurred, wherein said triggering event potentially alters said operating conditions of said integrated processor system; and

providing updated processor polling information during runtime to said operating system, said updated processor polling information reflecting operating conditions of said integrated processor system after the occurrence of the triggering event.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating a corrected platform error polling (CPEP) table, wherein said CPEP table is populated with processor polling information collected at boot time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering event is based on an addition of a processor device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering event is based on a deletion of a processor device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the triggering event is based on a deconfiguration of a processor device.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

performing a process on an object associated with a processor device and returning a value to an operating system of said integrated processor system, wherein said value supercedes a corresponding processor polling information.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the value that is returned is a zero indicating that the corresponding processor device is not to be polled.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the value that is returned is a non-zero number indicating a minimum polling frequency

9. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for providing updated processors polling information, the computer program causing a computer to perform the steps of:

creating a processor polling information table, said processor polling information table being populated with boot time processor polling information, wherein said processor polling information describes operating conditions of an integrated processing system; and

updating said processor polling information table upon receipt of a notification that a triggering event has occurred, wherein said triggering event may potentially alter said operating conditions of said integrated processor system.

10. The computer program of claim 9 wherein said computer program further causes said computer to:

invoke a bus check notification upon an online addition of a processor device, wherein said bus check notification indicates to an operating system that a re-enumeration of a device tree needs to be performed, and wherein said operating system invokes a Poll for corrected Platform Error (_PPE) procedure that returns a value indicating a polling frequency for said added processor device.

11. The computer program of claim 9 wherein said computer program further causes a computer to:

invoke an eject request notification upon an online deletion of a processor device, wherein said eject request notification indicates to an operating system to update its CPEP table and not poll from said processor device which has been deleted.

12. The computer program of claim 9 wherein said computer program further causes a computer to:

invoke a CPEP check notification invoked by an online deconfiguration of a faulty processor device, wherein the CPEP check notification indicates to an operating system to invoke a _PPE procedure indicating to said operating system alternative processor devices to be polled.

13. The computer program of claim 9 wherein said computer program further causes a computer to:

invoke a _PPE procedure object associated with a processor device, wherein said _PPE procedure object returns a value that supercedes a corresponding CPEP table processor polling information.

14. The computer program of claim 13 wherein a zero return value indicates that said corresponding processor is not to be polled.

15. The computer program of claim 13 wherein a non-zero return value indicates a minimum polling frequency.

16. An apparatus for updating processor polling information comprising:

a corrected platform error polling (CPEP) table creator for creating a CPEP table coupled to an operating system, said CPEP table being populated with boot time processor polling information, wherein said processor polling information describes operating conditions of an integrated processor system;

a triggering event detector coupled to said operating system, said triggering event detector capable of detecting an occurrence of a triggering event, where said triggering event may potentially alter said operating conditions of said integrated processor system; and

a CPEP table updator coupled to said operating system and further coupled to said triggering event detector, wherein, upon a receipt of a notification of an occurrence of a triggering event from said triggering event detector, said CPEP table updator provides updated processor polling information to said operating system based on said altered operating conditions.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the triggering event detector is configured to detect an event triggered by an addition or deletion of a processor device.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the triggering event detector is further configured to detect an event based on a deconfiguration of a processor device.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:

a polling frequency calculator coupled to said CPEP table updator, said polling frequency calculator configured to return a value that indicates a minimum polling frequency for a selected processor device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said polling frequency calculator is configured to forgo polling said selected processor device when said polling frequency calculator returns a zero value for said selected processor device.