Screening methodology for operating system error reporting

• US 6,098,181 A
• Filed: 04/10/1997
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick Allen II, Upton, John Daniel, Mehta, Chet
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E.
• Application Number:
  US08/827,746
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 395/183.01, 395/183.02, 395/183.06, 395/187.07, 395/183.15, 395/185.01, 395/185.05, 371/5.1, 371/37.7, 371/51.1, 714/718, 714/25, 714/47, 714/26, 702/182
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0706 the processing taking place on a specific hardware platform or in a specific software environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/076 by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3079 the data filtering being achieved by reporting only the changes of the monitored data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting

Abstract

A method 201 and implementing system 101 are provided in which information processing system resources are monitored for variant conditions which may exceed acceptable tolerances. A continued count of failed readings is maintained 207 and only when the number of failed condition readings exceed a predetermined failure repetition constant 209, is the operating system notified to take appropriate action. When a resource previously identified as a failing resource, subsequently yields "good" readings 303, a resource identifier is moved from a "failing" status to an "intermittent failure" status 309. Thereafter, when successive "good" readings exceed a predetermined success repetition constant 319, the resource is removed from the "intermittent" status 321 and the monitoring process 201 is continued.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring selected computer resources in a computer system, said method comprising:

scanning resource measurements taken from selected ones of said computer resources;

detecting a number of continuing failures of one of said computer resources;

determining that said number of continuing failures meets or exceeds a predetermined failure repetition constant; and

notifying an operating system of said detected continuing failures only after said number of failures meets or exceeds said predetermined repetition constant, whereby said operating system is not interrupted by mere spurious failure detections of selectively monitored computer resources.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said notifying occurs only after a number of successive readings indicating said out-of-tolerance condition exceeds a first predetermined number of consecutive readings associated with one of said computer resources.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said notifying is provided to an operating system within an information processing system.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said computer system comprises a plurality of processing units coupled together in a network configuration.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 wherein said network includes a host unit, said notifying being provided to an operating system operating from said host unit.

6. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said information processing system includes a plurality of computer resources, said method further including:

taking readings from selected ones of said computer resources in a cyclic manner so as to maintain a continuing monitoring function for said selected computer resources.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 and further including:

making a failing resource table for storing an identification of said computer resources which have been detected to have continuing failures.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 and further including:

identifying one of said computer resources as a good resource if a first reading indicates a second predetermined condition of said one computer resource; and

moving said one computer resource from said failing resource table to an intermittent resource table if said one computer resource is listed in said failing resource table.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 and further including:

removing said one computer resource from said intermittent resource table if a number of successive readings indicating said second predetermined condition exceeds a second predetermined constant associated with said one computer resource.

10. A method for monitoring resource conditions of a resource in an information processing system, said information processing system being arranged whereby said information processing system is not interrupted by spurious failure detections from said resource, said system including a failing resource table identifying at least one resource from which consecutive readings have been taken indicating a failing condition of said resource, said method comprising:

taking a reading from said one resource;

identifying said one resource as a good resource if said

reading indicates a predetermined favorable condition of said one resource;

determining that said one resource is listed in said failing resource table; and

moving said one resource from said failing resource table after said reading indicative of said predetermined favorable condition, said predetermined favorable condition being representative of an operable state of said one resource.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10 and further including:

creating an intermittent resource table, said one resource being moved to said intermittent resource table from said failing resource table after said reading indicative of said predetermined favorable condition.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 and further including:

removing said one of said processing resources from said intermittent resource table only after a number of successive readings indicate a continuance of said favorable condition for said one resource.

13. A storage medium including machine readable indicia, said storage medium being selectively coupled to a reading device, said reading device being selectively coupled to processing circuitry within a processing system, said reading device being selectively operable to read said machine readable indicia and provide program signals representative thereof, said program signals being effective to cause said processing circuitry to monitor resource conditions of system resources coupled to said processing system and provide output signals representative of said resource conditions by performing the steps of:

scanning resource measurements taken from selected ones of said system resources;

detecting a number of continuing failures of one of said system resources;

determining that said number of continuing failures meets or exceeds a predetermined failure repetition constant; and

notifying an operating system of said detected continuing failures only after said number of failures meets or exceeds said predetermined repetition constant, whereby said operating system is not interrupted by mere spurious failure detections of selectively monitored system resources.

14. A storage medium including machine readable indicia, said storage medium being selectively coupled to a reading device, said reading device being selectively coupled to processing circuitry within a processing system, said reading device being selectively operable to read said machine readable indicia and provide program signals representative thereof, said program signals being effective to cause said processing circuitry to monitor resource conditions of said processing system resources and provide output signals representative of said resource conditions, said processing system being arranged whereby said processing system is not interrupted by spurious failure detections from said processing resource, said processing system including a failing resource table identifying processing resources from which consecutive readings have been taken indicating a failing condition, said processing system being responsive to said programming signals to accomplish the steps of:

taking a reading from a first of said processing resources;

identifying said first processing resource as a good resource if said reading indicates a predetermined favorable condition of said first processing resource;

determining that said first processing resource is listed in said failing resource table; and

moving said first processing resource from said failing resource table after said reading indicative of said predetermined favorable condition, said predetermined favorable condition being representative of an operable state of said first processing resource.

15. The medium as set forth in claim 14 wherein said processing system is further responsive to said program signals for:

creating an intermittent resource table, said first resource being moved to said intermittent resource table from said failing resource table after said reading indicative of said predetermined favorable condition.

16. The medium as set forth in claim 15 wherein said processing system is further responsive to said program signals for:

removing said first processing resource from said intermittent resource table only after a number of successive readings indicate a continuance of said favorable condition for said first processing resource.

17. An information processing system comprising:

a processing device;

a memory unit;

a bus connecting said processing device and said memory unit; and

a system resource monitoring interface connected to said bus, said interface being selectively operable for providing readings taken from system resources, said readings being indicative of an operating condition of said system resources, said processing device being selectively operable for executing a program from said memory for;

scanning resource measurements taken from selected ones of said system resources;

detecting a number of continuing failures of one of said system resources;

determining that said number of continuing failures meets or exceeds a predetermined failure repetition constant; and

notifying an operating system of said detected continuing failures only after said number of failures meets or exceeds said predetermined repetition constant, whereby said operating system is not interrupted by mere spurious failure detections of selectively monitored system resources.

18. An information processing system comprising:

a processing device;

a memory unit;

a bus connecting said processing device and said memory unit; and

a system resource monitoring interface connected to said bus, said interface being selectively operable for providing readings taken from system resources, said readings being indicative of an operating condition of said system resources, said information processing system being arranged whereby said information processing system is not interrupted by spurious failure detections from said system resources, said information processing system including a failing resource table identifying system resources from which consecutive readings have been taken indicating a failing condition, said processing device being selectively operable for executing a program from said memory for;

taking a reading from one of said system resources;

identifying said one system resource as a good resource if said reading indicates a predetermined favorable condition of said one system resource;

determining that said one system resource is listed in said failing resource table; and

moving said one system resource from said failing resource table after said reading indicative of said predetermined favorable condition, said predetermined favorable condition being representative of an operable state of said one resource.

19. A method for monitoring operating status of at least one resource within an information processing system, said method comprising:

receiving readings from said one resource, said readings being representative of detected operational states of said one resource;

providing indicia representative of detected in-tolerance and out-of-tolerance operational states of said one resource;

maintaining a memory of said indicia;

changing said memory automatically between said first and second states in accordance with said operational states; and

providing notice of an out-of-tolerance condition of said one resource only after a succession of at least two detections of said out-of-tolerance condition, whereby said information processing system is not interrupted by mere spurious failure detections of selectively monitored system resources.