DIAGNOSTICS FOR CENTRALLY MANAGED COMPUTER SYSTEM

• US 20090265139A1
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: KLEIN, Bradley, KOPREN, Toran K., JACQUOT, Bryan Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/183
• 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 11/366 using diagnostics G06F11/0703 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention provides a diagnostic method for a centrally managed computer system. The method provides central diagnostic expertise regarding central management software used for managing said system. The method further provides for managed software that integrates with said central management software; the managed software includes its own diagnostic expertise. The method further provides for importing the managed diagnostic expertise and combining it with said central diagnostic expertise to define collective diagnostic expertise.

Claims

1. A method (ME1) comprising:

providing (M1) a diagnostic tool (11) for a centrally managed computer system (AP1) including a management node (17) and managed nodes (21-24_, said tool including central diagnostic expertise (33) regarding central management software (15) used for managing said system;

providing (M2) managed software (35) that integrates with said central management software, said managed software including managed diagnostic expertise (39); and

importing (M3) said managed diagnostic expertise and combining it with said central diagnostic expertise to define collective diagnostic expertise (25).

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising diagnosing said system using said tool and said collective expertise.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein said collective expertise includes procedures and categorizes said procedures as management-node-type, connectivity-type, or managed-node type.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said managed-diagnostic expertise includes procedures and categorizes said procedures as management-node type, connectivity type, or managed-node type.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein said diagnosing involves implementing said management-node type procedures, then said connectivity-type procedures, and then said managed-node type procedures.

6. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein said diagnosing involves distributing said collective expertise to a managed node.

7. A method as recited in claim 2 further comprising reporting results of said procedures and generating solutions.

8. A centrally managed computer system comprising:

managed nodes including managed software that includes managed diagnostic expertise specifying procedures for diagnosing potential problems associated with said managed software; and

a management node including software for managing said system and a diagnostic tool for diagnosing said system according to test procedures and collective diagnostic expertise, said diagnostic tool including central diagnostic expertise for diagnosing said management node, said management node including an expertise importer for importing said managed diagnostic expertise and combining it with said central diagnostic expertise to define said collective diagnostic expertise.

9. A centrally managed computer system as recited in claim 8 wherein said collective diagnostic expertise specifies

central-type procedures for diagnosing said management node,

connectivity-type procedures for diagnosing communications between said management node and one or more of said managed nodes, and

managed-type procedures for diagnosing one or more of said managed nodes.

10. A centrally managed computer system as recited in claim 9 wherein said diagnostic tool performs said central-type procedures before said connectivity-type procedures, and performs said connectivity-type procedures before said managed-type procedures.

11. A centrally managed computer system as recited in claim 10 wherein said managed node includes a copy of said collective expertise for performing said managed-type procedures.

12. Computer-readable media encoded with software, said software comprising:

central diagnostic expertise specifying procedures for diagnosing a management node of a centrally managed computer system;

an expertise importer for importing managed diagnostic expertise specifying procedures for diagnosing a managed node other than said management node of said centrally managed computer system and for combining said managed diagnostic expertise with said central diagnostic expertise to generate collective diagnostic expertise specifying collective procedures for diagnosing said centrally managed computer system; and

a diagnostic tool for performing said collective procedures.

13. Computer-readable media as recited in claim 12 wherein said collective expertise includes management-type procedures for diagnosing said management node, connectivity-type procedures for diagnosing connectivity between said nodes, and managed-type procedures for diagnosing said managed node.

14. Computer-readable media as recited in claim 13 wherein said diagnostic tool performs said management-type procedures before said connectivity-type procedures and said connectivity-type procedures before said managed-type procedures.

15. Computer-readable media as recited in claim 12 wherein said media includes management media resident on said management node and managed media resident on said managed node, said management media being encoded with a copy of said diagnostic tool and said managed media being encoded with a copy of said diagnostic tool.