Diagnostic system and interface for a personal computer

• US 5,245,615 A
• Filed: 06/06/1991
• Issued: 09/14/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Treu, Albert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Canney, Vincent P.
• Application Number:
  US07/711,003
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 371/16.5, 371/18, 371/22.5, 371/25.1, 371/29.1
• US Class Current: 714/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/006 Identification G06F11/2289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0775 Content or structure details of the error report, e.g. specific table structure, specific error fields
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level

Abstract

A personal computer has a NVRAM comprising an error log for storing predetermined error log information at predetermined locations therein. The information is accessible by various programs such as a POST program, a diagnostics program, and an operating system program. Access is made by BIOS interrupt calls through a BIOS interface. The NVRAM also stores vital product data and system setup data.

Claims

1. A diagnostic system for a personal computer having a storage system for storing a plurality of programs including application programs, an operating system and a BIOS;

and a microprocessor for executing said programs;

said BIOS containing a plurality of routines which are functionally layered beneath said operating system and are independent thereof but are accessible from said operating system by an interface of a plurality of BIOS interrupt calls;

said diagnostic system comprising;

a non-volatile memory having a first address space for storing an error log, said error log comprising a plurality of predetermined addressable locations for storing predetermined error information in a predetermined format; and

said BIOS including a plurality of diagnostic related routines including a first routine for writing error information into said error log and a second routine for reading error information from said error log, said first routine being executable in response to a first BIOS interrupt call, and said second routine being executable in response to a second BIOS interrupt call.

2. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said error log comprises a plurality of addressable locations for storing said error information, said error information comprising an indication of source of an error, type of error, and when error occurred.

3. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 2, wherein:

said error log contains a plurality of entries, each entry containing error information for a different error, each entry further containing entry status information including an indication of whether or not a given entry is valid.

4. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said entry status information indicates a permanent error and a temporary error.

5. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said entry includes an extended status field for storing information specific to a given error, and said entry includes a plurality of logic status indications identifying what type of information is stored in said extended status field.

6. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said error log further contains a multiple log counter for counting plural occurrences of same error condition from same source or different sources.

7. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 2 wherein:

one of said programs includes an error handling third routine responsive to an occurrence of an error during system operation for gathering error information and assembling such error information in a buffer in said predetermined format; and

said first routine in said BIOS being operative to write said error information from said buffer into said predetermined locations in said error log.

8. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 7 wherein said third routine is included in said BIOS and is executed in response to occurrence of a non-maskable interrupt signal.

9. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said personal computer has a power-on, self-text (POST) program stored therein for testing said computer in response to a system restart, said POST program including a fourth routine for calling said second routine by executing said second BIOS interrupt call to read error information from said error log for analysis by said POST program.

10. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 9 wherein said POST program includes an error handling routine operative in response to an error occurring when POST is executed to collect error information for such error, assemble such information into said predetermined format, and write such formatted information directly in said error log at said predetermined locations without having to execute said first BIOS interrupt call.

11. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 2 comprising a diagnostic program executable by said microprocessor for accessing said error log and testing operation of said computer.

12. A diagnostic system in accordance with claim 2 wherein:

said non-volatile memory comprises a second address space for storing vital product data including identifying different field replaceable units in said computer;

and said diagnostic system further comprises a routine for reading error information from said error log and identifying from said vital product data which field replacement unit to replace when an error originates therefrom.