Method and system for indicating computer status

• US 5,954,827 A
• Filed: 06/09/1997
• Issued: 09/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micro Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Leyda, Jeffery J., Magette, Robert D., Frank, Jonathan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUA, LY
• Application Number:
  US08/872,011
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 395/183.22, 395/183.01, 395/184.01, 395/185.01
• US Class Current: 714/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2273 Test methods

Abstract

A monitor system for computer equipment under test comprising a system monitor in communication with a storage element and a status indicator. The system monitor scans video memory for values indicative of a pass, fail or test in progress condition. The system monitor also determines if the computer equipment has failed to respond to testing resulting in a locked up "frozen" condition. The status indicator communicates with an external port of the computer equipment to receive and display signals from the system monitor indicative of the test status. In addition, when the computer equipment fails to respond to testing, the system monitor communicates with a storage element to capture detailed information related to the condition of the computer equipment. The storage element may reside within the computer equipment under test or may be distributed across a local or wide area network in communication with the computer equipment under test.

Claims

1. A method of indicating the status of computer equipment undergoing testing, said computer equipment having an internal memory, comprising:

determining whether the computer equipment has passed or failed a test by monitoring at least one address within the internal memory of said computer equipment;

determining whether the computer equipment has failed to respond to the test prior to conclusion of the test by periodically calculating a value derived from data stored in at least one address within said internal memory;

storing information indicative of at least one condition of the computer equipment into a storage element when the computer equipment has failed to respond to the test based on said periodically calculated value;

producing a status signal in response to a pass condition, a fail condition, or a test in progress condition; and

visually displaying a representation of the status of the computer equipment in response to said status signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of analyzing the information indicative of the condition of the computer equipment to determine a failure mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the computer equipment has passed or failed a test comprises comparing a value selected from video memory with predetermined hexadecimal values indicating passing or failing the test, respectively, to determine whether the computer equipment has concluded the test, said value selected from said video memory being obtained from an address within said video memory where display data indicative of the status of said test is stored by a test algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the computer equipment has failed to respond to the test comprises determining whether a checksum calculated from the bits stored in a plurality of predetermined memory locations has changed over a predetermined period of time, at least one of said plurality of predetermined memory locations corresponding to at least one address where display data indicative of the status of said test is stored.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of visually displaying a representation of the status comprises activating at least one colored light emitting diode.

6. A method of indicating the test status of computer equipment having a memory, comprising:

comparing a value selected from a memory with a predetermined hexadecimal value to determine the status of a test of the computer equipment, said value selected from a memory being obtained from an address within said memory where display data indicative of the status of said test is stored;

determining whether a checksum calculated from the bits stored in at least one predetermined memory location has changed;

storing information indicative of at least one condition of the computer equipment into a storage element when the computer equipment has failed to respond as indicated by the checksum not changing;

producing a status signal in response to said status of the test; and

visually displaying a representation of the status of the test of the computer equipment in response to said status signal.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of analyzing the information indicative of at least one condition of the computer equipment to determine a failure mode.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of visually displaying a representation of the status comprises activating at least one colored light emitting diode.

9. A method of indicating the burn-in test status of computer equipment having an internal video memory, comprising:

initiating a test algorithm resident on said computer equipment;

comparing a value selected from a memory to predetermined hexadecimal values to determine whether said burn-in test of the computer equipment is in progress or whether the computer equipment has concluded said test by passing or failing the test, said value selected from a memory being obtained from an address within said internal video memory where display data indicative of the status of said burn-in test is stored by said test algorithm;

incrementing a counter to indicate a period of time corresponding to burn-in test operation;

determining whether the counter value has reached a target value indicating that the computer equipment has completed the test;

determining whether a checksum calculated from the bits stored in at least one predetermined video memory location has changed when the counter value exceeds the target value;

storing information indicative of the condition of the computer equipment into a storage element when the computer equipment has failed to respond as indicated by the checksum not changing;

producing a status signal in response to a pass condition, a fail condition, or a test in progress condition; and

visually displaying a representation of the status of the computer equipment in response to said status signal.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of analyzing the information indicative of at least one condition of the computer equipment to determine a failure mode.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of visually displaying a representation of the status comprises activating at least one colored light emitting diode.