Method and system for check stop error handling

• US 6,502,208 B1
• Filed: 03/31/1997
• Issued: 12/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kitamorn, Alongkorn, McLaughlin, Charles Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TIM T
• Application Number:
  US08/829,017
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 395/183.01, 395/183.12, 395/183.14, 395/183.15, 395/183.17, 395/183.2, 395/184.01, 395/185.02, 395/185.01, 395/185.05, 714/25, 714/36, 714/38, 714/39, 714/41, 714/44, 714/47, 714/49, 714/48, 714/52
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0772 Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0787 Storage of error reports, e.g. persistent data storage, storage using memory protection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1417 Boot up procedures

Abstract

Method and system aspects for check stop error handling are provided. A method aspect for check stop error handling in a computer system, the computer system comprising a plurality of components including a processor that supports an operating system and firmware, includes utilizing a service processor following a check stop error for error data retrieval and attempting a reboot of the computer system. The method further includes initiating firmware for failure reporting based on the error data retrieval when the reboot is successful.

Claims

1. A method for check stop error handling in a computer system, the computer system comprising a plurality of components including a processor that supports an operating system and firmware, the method comprising:

utilizing a service processor following a check stop error for error data retrieval;

attempting a reboot of the computer system; and

initiating firmware for failure reporting based on the error data retrieval when the reboot is successful.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing a service processor further comprises performing error data retrieval from fault isolation registers of the plurality of components.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein initiating firmware further comprises performing a call to a resident firmware function.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises identifying a failure condition to the system when the attempt to reboot is not successful.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein utilizing a service processor further comprises indicating the presence of error data retrieved to the computer system.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising transforming the error data into an abstracted error log via the firmware.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein indicating further comprises setting a control flag.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising analyzing the abstracted error log with the operating system.

9. A computer system with check stop error handling, the computer system comprising:

a processing means, the processing means supporting an operating system;

a service processor coupled to the processing means, the service processor performing error data retrieval following a check stop error; and

firmware means supported by the processing means, the firmware means performing failure reporting based on the error data retrieval.

10. The computer system of claim 9 further comprising a plurality of components coupled to the processing means and the service processor, the plurality of components including fault isolation registers from which the service processor retrieves the error data.

11. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the firmware means further transforms the error data into an abstracted error log.

12. The computer system of claim 11 wherein the processing means analyzes the abstracted error log with the operating system.

13. The computer system of claim 11 further comprising memory means coupled to the firmware means and the service processor for storing the abstracted error log.

14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the memory means further comprises non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).

15. A method for check stop error handling in a computer system, the computer system comprising a plurality of components including a processor that supports an operating system and firmware, the method comprising:

performing error data retrieval from fault isolation registers of the plurality of components using a service processor following a check stop error; and

transforming the error data into an abstracted error log via the firmware after a successful reboot.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising analyzing the abstracted error log with the operating system.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising identifying a failure condition in the computer system after an unsuccessful reboot.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising initiating the firmware through a call to a resident function to instigate the step of transforming.