Facilitating detection of hardware service actions

• US 20070055913A1
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Divirgilio, John, Atkins, Mark, Lundin, LeRoy, Herring, Jay, Rash, Karen, Rash, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 7,925,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A series of state transitions is indicative of performance of hardware service actions. A transition from, for instance, a disconnected state to a connected state for a hardware component is indicative of performance of a service action for the hardware component. Detection of this transition is automatic.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating detection of hardware service actions, said method comprising:

detecting that a state associated with a hardware component of a communications environment has transitioned from a disconnected state to a connected state, wherein detection of the transition from the disconnected state to the connected state is indicative of performance of a service action for the hardware component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises detecting that the state transitioned from a connected state to the disconnected state and back to the connected state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises querying one or more states of the hardware component to detect the transition.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining viability of the hardware component, in response to detecting the state transition.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining viability comprises checking information of one or more registers associated with the hardware component to determine whether the connected hardware component is operational.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware component comprises a link.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the service action comprises removing a cable associated with the link, at least one of repairing a component of the link and replacing a component of the link, and re-installing the cable.

8. A method of facilitating detection of hardware service actions, said method comprising:

detecting a predefined series of state transitions associated with a hardware component of a communications environment, wherein detection of the predefined series of state transitions is indicative of performance of a service action for the hardware component.

9. A system of facilitating detection of hardware service actions, said system comprising:

a manager to detect that a state associated with a hardware component of a communications environment has transitioned from a disconnected state to a connected state, wherein detection of the transition from the disconnected state to the connected state is indicative of performance of a service action for the hardware component.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the detection comprises detecting that the state transitioned from a connected state to the disconnected state and back to the connected state.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the detection comprises querying one or more states of the hardware component to detect the transition.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the manager is further adapted to determine viability of the hardware component, in response to detecting the state transition.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein to determine viability comprises the manager to check information of one or more registers associated with the hardware component to determine whether the connected hardware component is operational.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the service action comprises removing a cable associated with the link, at least one of repairing a component of the link and replacing a component of the link, and re-installing the cable.

15. An article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code logic to facilitate detection of hardware service actions, the computer readable program code logic comprising;

detect logic to detect that a state associated with a hardware component of a communications environment has transitioned from a disconnected state to a connected state, wherein detection of the transition from the disconnected state to the connected state is indicative of performance of a service action for the hardware component.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the detect logic comprises logic to detect that the state transitioned from a connected state to the disconnected state and back to the connected state.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the detect logic comprises query logic to query one or more states of the hardware component to detect the transition.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising logic to determine viability of the hardware component, in response to detecting the state transition.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the logic to determine viability comprises check logic to check information of one or more registers associated with the hardware component to determine whether the connected hardware component is operational.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the hardware component comprises a link.