Self-diagnostic testing of a network interface adapter

• US 6,539,338 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2000
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Duguay, Christopher J., Pickreign, Heidi R., Krishnamurthy, Laxminarayan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raymond, Edward
• Application Number:
  US09/591,045
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 702/185, 702/183, 702/184, 702/182, 702/117, 702/118, 702/119, 702/81, 702/57, 702/58, 702/59, 455/423, 455/115, 455/9, 455/226.1, 455/226.4, 703/13, 703/14, 703/16, 703/20, 703/21, 703/22, 703/23, 703/24, 703/25, 703/26, 710/22, 710/23, 711/2, 711/101, 712/220, 712/225, 714/100, 714/1, 714/2, 714/4, 714/5, 714/6, 714/25, 714/29, 714/30, 714/31, 714/47, 714/52
• US Class Current: 702/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/27 Built-in tests

Abstract

A method and apparatus for implementing a self-diagnostic capability in a network interface adapter in which failure data is provided to a host processor. The host processor may report the failure data to a user or additionally the host processor may attempt to correct predetermined faults in code images by writing a valid code image to a memory on the network interface adapter.

Claims

1. A method for performing at least one self-diagnostic test on a network-interface-adapter comprising:

accessing by a processor contained within said network interface adapter a self diagnostic code image stored within a first memory contained within said network interface adapter;

storing said self diagnostic code image in a second memory contained within said network interface adapter;

imitating by said processor said self diagnostic code image;

providing an output indicator to a host computer coupled to said network interface adapter information indicative of faults detected during said execution of said self-diagnostic code image;

testing said self diagnostic code image to determine whether the software is an invalid code image; and

in the event that said software image is an invalid code image, obtaining software code that comprises a valid self diagnostic code image from a third memory and storing said code image in said first memory.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

testing by the processor contained within the network interface adapter of a plurality of data stored in said first memory to determine whether the data is invalid; and

in the event that said data is invalid, obtaining a plurality of data that comprises a valid plurality of data from a third memory and storing said code in said first memory.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of testing includes:

associating a first data validating parameter to a plurality of data stored in said first memory, said first data validating parameter being derived from a valid plurality of data and being stored in said first memory;

deriving a second data validating parameter associated with the plurality of data tested by said processor;

comparing the second data validating parameter derived by the processor with the first data validating parameter associated with the plurality of data stored in the memory; and

in the event that said second data validating parameter does not equal said first data validating parameter, indicating to the host computer that the plurality of data stored in the memory is invalid.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first data validating parameter is a checksum derived from the valid plurality of data stored in the memory.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the second data validating parameter is a checksum derived from the plurality of data tested by the processor.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of indicating to said host computer includes writing data to at least one register readable by said host computer.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of indicating to the host computer includes providing the information over a computer data network, the computer data network providing data communication between the processor and the host processor.

8. An apparatus for performing a self-diagnostic test on a network interface apparatus and for repairing at least one error condition, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface processor;

a memory containing a plurality of data coupled to the network interface processor,

a host processor coupled to the network interface processor;

the network interface processor operative to perform a self-diagnostic test on at least a portion of the data stored within the memory and further operative to provide the host processor with a predetermined error code associated with the at least one failed self-diagnostic test of the memory; and

the host processor operative to correct a at least one of the plurality of predetermined failure modes of the at least one self-diagnostic test of the memory.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

a register coupled to the network interface processor and to the host processor, the network interface processor being operative to write to the register a predetermined error code associated with the at least one failed self-diagnostic test and the host processor being operative to read from the register the predetermined error code associated with the at least one failed self-diagnostic test.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein a computer data bus couples the register to the network interface processor and to the host processor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the computer data bus is a PCI bus.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the memory is a flash RAM.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the memory is a paginated memory having at least one page.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the at least a portion of the data stored within the memory is contained within one page.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein a section of the memory storing the at least a portion of the data includes an associated header portion containing a checksum and length derived from the section of the memory containing the at least a portion of the data.