Embedded system administration

• US 20050060567A1
• Filed: 07/21/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snow Software, Inc. (Snow Software AB)
• Original Assignee: Symbium Corporation
• Inventors: McCarthy, John, Shannon, John P., Brown, Thane, White, Anthony Richard Phillip, Watson, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,725,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• 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 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• 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 11/3082 the data filtering being achieved by aggregating or compressing the monitored data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions

Abstract

An administration system for use within a server system is provided. The server system having a server that provides host management functions and the server system being able to accept computer cards inserted therein. The administration system comprises a computing system that is inserted in the server system, the computing system having a controller that assumes control over the communications bus.

Claims

1. An administration system for use within a server system having a server that provides host management functions, the server system being able to accept computer cards inserted therein, the administration system comprising:

a computing system that is inserted in the server system, the computing system having a controller for performing administration, wherein the controller comprises;

a server monitoring unit for monitoring the server and making observations;

an analyzing unit for analyzing the observations;

a determining unit for determining if a policy violation has occurred;

a management unit for assuming host management functions from the server; and

an executing unit for executing specific actions.

2. The administration system according to claim 1 wherein the computing system is located on a computer card.

3. The administration system according to claim 1 wherein the controller is an autonomic controller.

4. The administration system according to claim 3 wherein the autonomic controller operates on a processing unit located on the computer card.

5. The administration system according to claim 1 wherein the administration system

6. The administration system according to claim 1 wherein the computing system is capable of receiving input from and providing output to a management console.

7. A method of performing administration of a server system having a server that performs host management functions by an administration system located within the server system, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring the server, making observations thereof;

analyzing the observations;

determining if a policy violation has occurred;

assuming host management functions from the server; and

executing specific actions.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the policy violation is associated with security of the server and the specific action restores security of the server.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the policy terminates processes that are not allowed on the server and the specific action is a termination of the process.

10. The method according to claim 8 wherein the policy is one that maintains services provided by the server and the specific action is a termination of the service.

11. A server system capable of having at least one computer card inserted therein, the server system comprising:

a server, the server providing host management functions for the server system;

a communications bus providing communications within the server system; and

an administration system that is inserted in the server system, wherein the administration card is capable of assuming host management function for the server system.

12. The server system according to claim 11 wherein administration system is located on a single card.

13. A server system according to claim 11 wherein the administration system comprises a computing system.

14. The server system according to claim 12 wherein the administration system comprises a computing system operating as an autonomic controller.

15. The server system according to claim 14 wherein the autonomic controller wherein the autonomic controller comprises:

a server monitoring unit for monitoring the server and making observations;

an analyzing unit for analyzing the observations;

a determining unit for determining if a policy violation has occurred;

a management unit for assuming host management functions from the server; and

an executing unit for executing specific actions.

16. The server system according to claim 15 wherein the determining unit determines if a policy has been violated and the executing unit performs a specific action related to the policy that has been violated.

17. An administration system for use within a server system having a server that provides host management functions, the server system being able to accept computer cards inserted therein, the administration system comprising:

a computing system that is inserted in the server system, the computing system having a controller that assumes control over the communications bus.

18. The administration system according to claim 18 wherein the controller assumes control over the communications bus after a policy violation has occurred.

19. The administration system according to claim 19 wherein the policy violation is associated with security of the server.

20. A server system capable of having at least one computer card inserted therein, the server system comprising:

a server, the server providing host management functions for the server system;

a communications bus providing communications within the server system; and

an administration system that is inserted in the server system, wherein the administration system assumes control over the communications bus.