REMOTE ACCESS DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE AND METHODS THEREOF

• US 20090024872A1
• Filed: 07/16/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bigfoot Networks, Inc. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beverly, Harlan T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,543,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• 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 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A method for diagnosing and correcting errors at a data processing system is disclosed includes detecting at a first device of the system, such as a network interface device, an error at a second device of the system, such as a data processor. In response to detecting the error, the first device communicates a help request via a network. In response to the help request, the first device receives diagnostic and error correction routines from a remote system. The first device executes the routines and provides information to the remote system to diagnose and correct errors at the second device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining at a first data processing device an error at a first data processing system;

in response to determining the error;

automatically sending a help request from the first data processing device via a network;

receiving authentication information at the first data processing device in response to sending the help request; and

authenticating a second system at the first data processing device based on the authentication information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a diagnostic request from the second system in response to authenticating the second system; and

executing a diagnostic routine at the first data processing device in response to the diagnostic request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the diagnostic request comprises receiving the diagnostic routine from the second system via the network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein executing the diagnostic routine comprises:

storing the diagnostic routine at a memory portion of the first data processing system, the memory portion associated with an interrupt service routine of the first data processing system;

communicating an interrupt to the first data processing system;

executing the diagnostic routine at the first data processing system in response to the interrupt.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising placing the first data processing system in a loop state while storing the diagnostic routine at the memory portion.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising performing a memory diagnostic on the memory portion prior to storing the diagnostic routine.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein executing the diagnostic routine comprises communicating a request from the first data processing device to a device driver at the first data processing system, the first request comprising a request for the device driver to execute the diagnostic routine.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein executing the diagnostic routine further comprises communicating the diagnostic routine to the device driver.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data processing device comprises a network interface device for the first data processing system, the network interface device configured to provide an interface to the network for the first data processing system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first data processing system comprises a data processor, and wherein the first error indicates the data processor is unable to execute a diagnostic routine.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data processing device comprises a first virtual device, and the first data processing system comprises a second virtual device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an error correction routine from the second system in response to authenticating the second system; and

executing the error correction routine at the first data processing device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first error comprises:

communicating a message to the first data processing system; and

determining the first error in response to determining a response to the message has not been received with a defined period of time.

14. A method, comprising:

determining at a first data processing device an error at a first data processing system;

in response to determining the first error;

storing from the first data processing device a diagnostic routine at a memory portion of the first data processing system, the memory portion associated with an interrupt service routine of the first data processing system;

providing a first interrupt to the first data processing system; and

executing the diagnostic routine at the first data processing system in response to the first interrupt.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

executing a memory diagnostic on the memory portion prior to storing the first data.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

placing the first data processing system in a loop configuration while storing the diagnostic routine.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving the diagnostic routine via a network in response to determining the error.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first data processing device comprises a network interface device, and wherein the first data processing system comprises a data processor.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

in response to determining the first error;

storing from the first data processing device an error correction routine at the memory portion of the first data processing system,;

providing a second interrupt to the first data processing system; and

executing the error correction routine at the first data processing system in response to the second interrupt.

20. A method, comprising:

determining at a first data processing device an error at a first data processing system;

in response to determining the first error;

communicating from the first data processing device a diagnostic request to a device driver of the first data processing system, the device driver configured to control the first data processing device; and

executing a diagnostic routine of the device driver in response to the diagnostic request.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein communicating the diagnostic request comprises providing the diagnostic routine to the device driver.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

in response to determining the first error;

communicating from the first data processing device an error correction request to the device driver; and

executing a error correction routine of the device driver in response to the error correction request.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein communicating the error correction request comprises providing the error correction routine to the device driver.

24. A device, comprising:

a first processor device;

a second processor device coupled to the first processor device, the second processor device configured to;

automatically send a help request to a remote device via a network in response to detecting an error at the first processor device;

receive authentication information in response to sending the help request; and

authenticate the remote device based on the authentication information.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the second processor device is further configured to:

receive a diagnostic request from the remote device in response to authenticating the remote device; and

execute a diagnostic routine in response to the diagnostic request.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the second processor device comprises a network interface for the first processor device.