Nonintrusive monitoring of a computer system's downtime due to a supply power outage condition
First Claim
1. A computer system comprising:
- a CPU unit adapted to receive electrical operating power from a source thereof, said CPU unit including a processor and a data storage device from which data may be retrieved by said processor; and
a monitoring system for monitoring CPU power outages, said monitoring system including;
a counter device having an on state during which it generates an incrementing count value, and an off state during which said count value remains constant,first means, responsive to a CPU unit operating power outage, for changing the state of said counter device from a selected first one of said on and off states to the other of said on and off states, andsecond means, responsive to a resumption in CPU unit operating power supply, for changing the state of said counter device back to said first one of said on and off states, determining the count value of said counter device, and using the determined count value to generate CPU unit power outage downtime information.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A nonintrusive monitoring system is used to determine the onset and duration times of an electrical power outage-caused down condition of a computer without requiring a pre-power outage polling of a running component of the computer and thereby degrading computer system performance. In response to a supply power outage the monitoring system switches on a battery-powered counter device, representatively a digital counter or a real time clock, and then switches the counter device back off in response to resumption of power supply to the computer. A software portion of the monitoring system then detects the count value of the counter device, and utilizes the count value to compute the onset and duration times of the previous power outage. Using an alternative nonintrusive technique, the monitoring system permits the counter device to run during power supply to the computer, while using the computer system clock to generate periodic time stamps, and disables the counter device during computer supply power outages. Upon resumption of supply power to the computer, the monitoring system compares the time stamp information to the count value to determine the onset and duration times of the previous supply power outage.
20 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A computer system comprising:
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a CPU unit adapted to receive electrical operating power from a source thereof, said CPU unit including a processor and a data storage device from which data may be retrieved by said processor; and a monitoring system for monitoring CPU power outages, said monitoring system including; a counter device having an on state during which it generates an incrementing count value, and an off state during which said count value remains constant, first means, responsive to a CPU unit operating power outage, for changing the state of said counter device from a selected first one of said on and off states to the other of said on and off states, and second means, responsive to a resumption in CPU unit operating power supply, for changing the state of said counter device back to said first one of said on and off states, determining the count value of said counter device, and using the determined count value to generate CPU unit power outage downtime information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13)
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12. A computer system comprising:
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a CPU unit adapted to receive electrical operating power from a source thereof, said CPU unit including a processor and a data storage device from which data may be retrieved by said processor; and a monitoring system for monitoring CPU power outages, said monitoring system including; an electrically operable counter device having an on state during which it generates an incrementing count value, and an off state during which said count value remains constant, first means, responsive to a CPU unit operating power outage, for changing the state of said counter device from said on state to said off state, said first means including power supply means for supplying electrical power to said electrically operable counter device only during an outage of electrical operating power to said CPU unit, said power supply means including; a battery coupled to said counter device for supplying electrical operating power thereto, and switch means for preventing said battery from supplying electrical operating power to said counter device while electrical operating power from said source thereof is being supplied to said CPU unit, and permitting said battery to supply electrical operating power to said counter device in response to an outage of electrical operating power to said CPU unit, and second means, responsive to a resumption in CPU unit operating power supply, for changing the state of said counter device back to said on state, determining the count value of said counter device, and using the determined count value to generate CPU unit Dower outage downtime information.
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14. Computer apparatus comprising:
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a CPU unit adapted to receive electrical operating power from a source thereof, said CPU unit being in an operating state during receipt of said electrical operating power, and in a power outage state during an outage of said electrical operating power, said CPU unit further having at least one nonvolatile storage device; and a nonintrusive power outage monitoring system for generating CPU unit power outage downtime information without polling any of said at least one nonvolatile storage device during said operating state of said CPU unit, said monitoring system being operative to generate an incrementing count value during a selected one of said operating and power outage states and then determine said count value and use it to compute and generate said downtime information during a subsequent one of said operating and power outage states. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A computer system comprising:
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a CPU unit adapted to receive electrical operating power from a source thereof, said CPU unit including a processor and a data storage device from which data may be retrieved by said processor; and a monitoring system for monitoring CPU power outages, said monitoring system including; an electrically operable, software-controlled counter device having an on state during which it generates an incrementing count value, and an off state during which said count value remains constant, first means, responsive to a CPU unit operating power outage, for changing the state of said counter device from said off state to said on state, said first means including power supply means for supplying electrical power to said counter device only during an outage of electrical operating power to said CPU unit, and second means, responsive to a resumption in CPU unit operating power supply, for changing the state of said counter device back to said off state, determining the count value of said counter device, and using the determined count value to generate CPU unit power outage downtime information indicative of the onset and duration times of the previous power outage, said power supply means including; a battery coupled to said counter device for supplying electrical operating power thereto, and switch means for preventing said battery from supplying electrical operating power to said counter device while electrical operating power from said source thereof is being supplied to said CPU unit, and permitting said battery to supply electrical operating power to said counter device in response to an outage of electrical operating power to said CPU unit. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A method of monitoring electrical power supply outages to a computer, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a counter device having an on state during which it generates an incrementing count value, and an off state during which said count value remains constant; changing the state of said counter device from a selected first one of said on and off states to the other of said on and off states in response to a CPU unit electrical supply outage; and changing the state of said counter device back to said first one of said on and off states, determining the count value of said counter device, and then using the determined count value to generate CPU unit power outage downtime information, in response to a resumption in CPU unit electrical power supply. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. For use with a computer having at least one nonvolatile storage device incorporated therein, the computer being in an operating state during receipt of electrical operating power from a source thereof, and in a power outage state during an outage of the electrical operating power, a nonintrusive method of monitoring electrical power supply outages to the computer without polling any of said at least one nonvolatile storage device during the operating state of the computer, said method comprising the steps of:
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generating an incrementing count value during a selected one of the operating and power outage states of the computer, and then determining the count value, and using it to compute and generate said downtime information, during a subsequent one of said operating and power outage states of the computer. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification