Computer system diagnostic testing using hardware abstraction

• US 5,602,990 A
• Filed: 08/07/1995
• Issued: 02/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu-Siemens Computers LLC (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Pyramid Technology Corp. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Leete, Brian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, DIEU MINH T
• Application Number:
  US08/511,626
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 395/183.22, 395/183.01, 395/183.06, 395/183.07, 380/2, 380/49, 380/21, 380/25, 371/8.2, 364/267, 364/267.4, 364/274.1, 364/275.5
• US Class Current: 714/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/22 Detection or location of defective computer hardware by testing during standby operation or during idle time, e.g. start-up testing

Abstract

A user-initiated diagnostic test of a computer system is performed using a hardware abstraction layer including a diagnostic subsystem file and a diagnostic definition file, and also using diagnostic control routines and diagnostic status response routines. A selection is accepted from a user of a diagnostic subsystem to be tested from among a list of diagnostic subsystems stored in the diagnostic subsystem file. In accordance with information stored in the diagnostic definition file, the user is prompted for parameters of the selected diagnostic test, which are accepted from a user. These parameters are passed to the diagnostic control routine, which in response starts the selected diagnostic test. Diagnostic status response information from the diagnostic status response routine is received in the diagnostic control routine. The diagnostic status response information is presented to the user through a hardware-independent mechanism. As a result, user interface and other software at a level above the hardware abstraction layer may be readily migrated to various hardware platforms.

Claims

1. A diagnostic test system for performing off-line testing of a computer system, said diagnostic test comprising:

a graphical user interface;

a suite of diagnostic routines, each diagnostic routine being designed to run on a first specific hardware platform and to exercise specific hardware components within said first specific hardware platform; and

a software layer for hiding details of said first specific hardware platform from said graphical user interface, coupled to said graphical user interface through a first defined software interface, and coupled to said suite of diagnostic routines through a second defined software interface, said software layer comprising;

a library of diagnostic control routines including routines for loading a diagnostic, starting a diagnostic, continuing running of a diagnostic, and stopping a diagnostic; and

a library of diagnostic response routines including routines for passing messages to the graphical user interface including messages prompting a user to input optional parameters, messages informing the user of the status of the diagnostic while the diagnostic is running and messages informing the user of the completion status of the diagnostic after the diagnostic has finished running;

whereby said graphical user interface may be changed and said suite of diagnostic routines may be changed so as to run on a second specific hardware platform, without changing said first software interface and said second software interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said library of diagnostic control routines further includes routines for instructing the diagnostic to enter one of a plurality of looping modes, including, in decreasing order of length of code executed within the loop:

a diagnostic loop, a subtest loop, and a case loop.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said software layer further comprises a plurality of data files describing the diagnostics to be executed, and specific diagnostic options to be presented to the user, whereby diagnostics can be added, removed and modified by modifying at least one of said plurality of data files without otherwise modifying said diagnostic test system.

4. A method of assembling a diagnostic test system for performing off-line testing of a computer system, comprising the steps of:

providing a graphical user interface and a software layer for hiding detail of a specific hardware platform from said graphical user interface coupled to said graphical user interface through a first defined software interface, said software layer having a second defined software interface; and

for each of a plurality of diagnostic routines;

providing code for exercising specific hardware components with said specific hardware platform;

providing code for responding to calls made through said first defined software interface; and

providing code for making calls to said graphical user interface through said second defined software interface.

5. A method of assembling a diagnostic test system for performing off-line testing of a computer system, comprising the steps of:

providing a graphical user interface;

providing a library of platform-specific routines to support the graphical user interface;

providing a software layer for hiding details of a specific hardware platform from said graphical user interface, coupled to said graphical user interface through a first defined software interface, said software layer also having a second defined software interface coupled to a series of diagnostic routines exercising specific hardware components within said specific hardware platform;

providing code for responding to calls made to the first defined interface, and for transferring information over a platform over a platform-specific datapath through to the diagnostic routines; and

providing code for responding to calls made by the diagnostic routine to the second defined interface over the platform-specific data path to the graphical user interface.