Preventing Propagation Of Hardware Viruses In A Computing System

• US 20140245445A1
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dasari, Shiva R., Dhawan, Sudhir, Gundam, Raghuswamyreddy, Liu, Newton P., Oliver, Douglas W., Shah, Mehul M., Tam, Wingcheung, Israel, Joshua H., Kolavasi, Karthik
• Granted Patent: US 9,251,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3065 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in reporting the monitored data error or fault reporting or logging G06F11/0766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/561 Virus type analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings

Abstract

Preventing propagation of hardware viruses in a computing system, including: determining, by a hardware virus detection module, whether an empty connector in the computing system is damaged, wherein the empty connector is blocked from receiving an attachable computing device by a bumper; determining, by the hardware virus detection module, whether a connector for the attachable computing device is damaged; and responsive to determining that the empty connector is not damaged and that the connector for the attachable computing device is not damaged, moving the bumper such that the empty connector is not blocked from receiving the attachable computing device.

Claims

1. A method of preventing propagation of hardware viruses in a computing system, the method comprising:

determining, by a hardware virus detection module, whether an empty connector in the computing system is damaged, wherein the empty connector is blocked from receiving an attachable computing device by a bumper;

determining, by the hardware virus detection module, whether a connector for the attachable computing device is damaged; and

responsive to determining that the empty connector is not damaged and that the connector for the attachable computing device is not damaged, moving the bumper such that the empty connector is not blocked from receiving the attachable computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, responsive to determining that the empty connector is damaged, reporting, by the hardware virus detection module, that a hardware virus has been detected.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, responsive to determining that the connector for the attachable computing device is damaged, reporting, by the hardware virus detection module, that a hardware virus has been detected.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing system is a blade chassis and the empty connector is included in a slot configured to receive a blade server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the attachable computing device is a blade server.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the attachable computing device by the empty connector;

determining, by the hardware virus detection module, whether the attachable computing device has been disconnected from the empty connector; and

responsive to determining that the attachable computing device has been disconnected from the empty connector, moving the bumper such that the empty connector is blocked from receiving the attachable computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to determining that the empty connector is damaged or that the connector for the attachable computing device is damaged, determining whether the attachable computing device can be operatively coupled to the computing system; and

responsive to determining that the attachable computing device can be operatively coupled to the computing system, moving the bumper such that the empty connector is not blocked from receiving the attachable computing device.

8. An apparatus for preventing propagation of hardware viruses in a computing system, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

determining, by a hardware virus detection module, whether an empty connector in the computing system is damaged, wherein the empty connector is blocked from receiving an attachable computing device by a bumper;

determining, by the hardware virus detection module, whether a connector for the attachable computing device is damaged; and

responsive to determining that the empty connector is not damaged and that the connector for the attachable computing device is not damaged, moving the bumper such that the empty connector is not blocked from receiving the attachable computing device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the step of, responsive to determining that the empty connector is damaged, reporting, by the hardware virus detection module, that a hardware virus has been detected.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the step of, responsive to determining that the connector for the attachable computing device is damaged, reporting, by the hardware virus detection module, that a hardware virus has been detected.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the computing system is a blade chassis and the empty connector is included in a slot configured to receive a blade server.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the attachable computing device is a blade server.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

receiving the attachable computing device by the empty connector;

determining, by the hardware virus detection module, whether the attachable computing device has been disconnected from the empty connector; and

responsive to determining that the attachable computing device has been disconnected from the empty connector, moving the bumper such that the empty connector is blocked from receiving the attachable computing device.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

responsive to determining that the empty connector is damaged or that the connector for the attachable computing device is damaged, determining whether the attachable computing device can be operatively coupled to the computing system; and

responsive to determining that the attachable computing device can be operatively coupled to the computing system, moving the bumper such that the empty connector is not blocked from receiving the attachable computing device.

15. A computer program product for preventing propagation of hardware viruses in a computing system, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to carry out the steps of:

determining, by a hardware virus detection module, whether an empty connector in the computing system is damaged, wherein the empty connector is blocked from receiving an attachable computing device by a bumper;

determining, by the hardware virus detection module, whether a connector for the attachable computing device is damaged; and

responsive to determining that the empty connector is not damaged and that the connector for the attachable computing device is not damaged, moving the bumper such that the empty connector is not blocked from receiving the attachable computing device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to carry out the step of, responsive to determining that the empty connector is damaged, reporting, by the hardware virus detection module, that a hardware virus has been detected.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to carry out the step of, responsive to determining that the connector for the attachable computing device is damaged, reporting, by the hardware virus detection module, that a hardware virus has been detected.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computing system is a blade chassis and the empty connector is included in a slot configured to receive a blade server.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the attachable computing device is a blade server.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to carry out the step of:

receiving the attachable computing device by the empty connector;

determining, by the hardware virus detection module, whether the attachable computing device has been disconnected from the empty connector; and

responsive to determining that the attachable computing device has been disconnected from the empty connector, moving the bumper such that the empty connector is blocked from receiving the attachable computing device.