Method and System to Recover a Failed Flash of a Blade Service Processor in a Server Chassis
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- attempting to download computer code from a management module to a first data processing unit, the first data processing unit being one of a plurality of data processing units managed by the management module, the plurality of data processing units being coupled to the management module by a management pathway;
in response to the computer code failing to properly download and thus resulting in the first data processing unit being unable to define its management pathway location on the management pathway, transmitting a failure signal from the first data processing unit to the management module using a special address on the management pathway, wherein failing to properly download the computer code results in the first data processing unit being unable to determine an address for a midplane socket to which the first data processing unit is presently coupled, and wherein the midplane socket is part of a midplane in a multi-blade chassis;
comparing management pathway locations of currently active data processing units with a list of all management pathway locations reserved for all of the plurality of data processing units, the currently active data processing units being from the plurality of data processing units; and
deducing the first data processing unit'"'"'s management pathway location as being a management pathway location that is on the list of all management pathway locations but is not a management pathway location of one of the currently active data processing units.
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Abstract
A method and system for recovering a server blade, in a multiple server blade computer, that is lost during a flash update operation on a service processor in the server blade. Because of the flash update failure, the lost server blade is unaware of its location on a management pathway, which in an exemplary form may be a midplane or a bus, which connects the server blade and a management module in a server blade chassis. The lost server blade puts a signal on the management pathway indicating that the flash failed. The signal is put on a special channel reserved for such messages. The management module receives the signal, and then determines which of the multiple server blades are lost due to the flash update failure.
35 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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attempting to download computer code from a management module to a first data processing unit, the first data processing unit being one of a plurality of data processing units managed by the management module, the plurality of data processing units being coupled to the management module by a management pathway; in response to the computer code failing to properly download and thus resulting in the first data processing unit being unable to define its management pathway location on the management pathway, transmitting a failure signal from the first data processing unit to the management module using a special address on the management pathway, wherein failing to properly download the computer code results in the first data processing unit being unable to determine an address for a midplane socket to which the first data processing unit is presently coupled, and wherein the midplane socket is part of a midplane in a multi-blade chassis; comparing management pathway locations of currently active data processing units with a list of all management pathway locations reserved for all of the plurality of data processing units, the currently active data processing units being from the plurality of data processing units; and deducing the first data processing unit'"'"'s management pathway location as being a management pathway location that is on the list of all management pathway locations but is not a management pathway location of one of the currently active data processing units. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A system comprising:
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a management module; a plurality of processors coupled to midplane sockets in a multi-blade chassis; a management pathway coupling the management module to the plurality of data processing systems; a list of reserved management pathway locations that are reserved for the plurality of data processing systems on the management pathway; and a presence detect device coupled to the management pathway, wherein if a download of computer code to a first data processing system in the plurality of data processing systems fails and causes a management pathway location for the first data processing system to become undefined by the first data processing system, then the presence detect device detects a failure signal from the first data processing system on a special address on the management pathway, thus resulting in the management module comparing the list of reserved management pathway locations with locations of data processing units that are currently active on the management pathway to restore a management pathway location to the first data processing unit, wherein failing to properly download the computer code to the first data processing system results in the first data processing unit being unable to determine an address for a specific midplane socket in the multi-blade chasses. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A computer program product, residing on a computer usable medium, comprising:
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program code for attempting to download computer code from a management module to a first data processing unit, the first data processing unit being one of a plurality of data processing units managed by the management module, the plurality of data processing units being coupled to the management module by a management pathway; program code for in response to the computer code failing to properly download and thus resulting in the first data processing unit being unable to define its management pathway location on the management pathway, transmitting a failure signal from the first data processing unit to the management module using a special address on the management pathway, wherein failing to properly download the computer code results in the first data processing unit being unable to determine an address for a midplane socket to which the first data processing unit is presently coupled, and wherein the midplane socket is part of a midplane in a multi-blade chassis; program code for comparing management pathway locations of currently active data processing units with a list of all management pathway locations reserved for all of the plurality of data processing units, the currently active data processing units being from the plurality of data processing units; and program code for deducing the first data processing unit'"'"'s management pathway location as being a management pathway location that is on the list of all management pathway locations but is not a management pathway location of one of the currently active data processing units. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification