Apparatus and method for providing error ordering information and error logging information

• US 6,647,517 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2000
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Dickey, Kent Andrew, Farmer, James Curtis
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): MASKULINSKI, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US09/561,599
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 714/48, 714/25
• US Class Current: 714/48
• 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 11/0772 Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level

Abstract

An apparatus and method using a set of registers for indicating multiple error levels in a data processing system, recording information for each error level, and providing an order register to allow software or a user to determine the sequence order in which errors occurred. One embodiment of the invention involves a method for indicating errors in a data processing system with multiple error levels, indicating that an error corresponds to an error level, representing the error with a set of memory cells, and recording the order in which the error has occurred. A second embodiment of the invention involves a data processing system, including a primary error log to record an error, and at least one error logging register that can record information about the error. A third embodiment of the invention involves an error log system, including a primary error log to record an error having a corresponding error level, an error logging register corresponding to one of a plurality of error levels to record information about the error, and an error order register to record information about the order of occurrence of the error.

Claims

1. A method for indicating errors in a data processing system with a plurality of error levels, comprising the steps of:

indicating that an error corresponds to an error level of said plurality of error levels;

representing said error by storing a value in a set of memory cells of a primary error log;

representing said error by storing said value in a second set of memory cells of a secondary error log when said error is not stored in said primary error log; and

recording the order in which said error has occurred.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of representing said error with a set of memory cells further includes recording information about a transaction that caused said error in at least one of a plurality of error logging registers, and each of said plurality of error logging registers corresponds to one of said plurality of error levels.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of representing said error with a set of memory cells further includes recording information concerning said error in at least one of said plurality of error logging registers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of representing said error with a set of memory cells further includes defining said error with an error level selected from the group consisting of an advisory error level, a correctable error level, an uncorrectable error level, a fatal error level, a component failure error level, and a deadlock error level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of recording the order in which said error has occurred further includes freezing a counter value in a bit field of an order register having a plurality of bit fields.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of recording the order in which said error has occurred further includes incrementing said counter value and copying said incremented counter value into at least one bit field of said plurality of bit fields of said order register.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of recording the order in which said error has occurred further includes indicating the substantially simultaneous occurrence of a plurality of errors by freezing a counter value in a corresponding plurality of bit fields of at least one order register.

8. A data processing system, having an associated error level chosen from a plurality of error levels for an error, comprising:

a set of memory cells, including;

a primary error log to record said error;

at least one error logging register that can record information about said error;

a secondary error log wherein said error is recorded when said error is not recorded in said primary error log; and

at least one order register for recording a sequence of the occurrence of said error.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, further including a plurality of error logging registers, each of said plurality of error logging registers corresponding to one of said plurality of error levels.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein at least one of said plurality of error logging registers records transaction information.

11. The data processing system of claim 8, further comprising an order register to record the order of occurrence of said error.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein said order register further comprises a variable value bit field, a plurality of order bit fields, and any of said plurality of order bit fields is configured to copy said variable counter value and freeze said variable counter value at a fixed value to indicate said error occurred.

13. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein said order register is configured to copy said variable counter value and freeze said variable counter value at a fixed value to indicate the substantially simultaneous occurrence of a plurality of errors.

14. An error log system, including a set of registers to record an error corresponding to one of a plurality of error levels, comprising:

a primary error log to record at least one error having a corresponding error level;

an error logging register corresponding to one of a plurality of error levels, said error logging register recording information about said error;

an error order register to record information about the order of occurrence of said error; and

a secondary error log for indicating said error when said error is not recorded in said primary error log.

15. The error log system of claim 14, further including a plurality of error logging registers, each of said plurality of error logging registers corresponding to one of said plurality of error levels.

16. The error log system of claim 15, wherein at least one of said plurality of error logging registers records transaction information related to said error.

17. The error log system of claim 14, wherein said error order register includes a variable counter value bit field, a plurality of order bit fields, and any of said plurality of order bit fields is configured to copy said variable counter value and freeze said variable counter value at a fixed value to indicate said error occurred.

18. The error log system of claim 17, wherein said error order register is configured to copy said variable counter value and freeze said variable counter value at a fixed value in a plurality of bit fields to indicate the substantially simultaneous occurrence of a corresponding plurality of errors.

19. The error log system of claim 14, wherein said plurality of error levels includes an error level selected from the group consisting of an advisory error level, a correctable error level, and uncorrectable error level, a fatal error level, a component failure error level, and a deadlock error level.

20. A method for indicating errors in a data processing system with a plurality of error levels comprising:

indicating that an error corresponds to an error level of said plurality of error levels;

storing a value in a primary error log when a first occurrence of said error occurs;

storing a value in a secondary error log when said error is not recorded in said primary error log; and

recording the order in which said error has occurred.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein said indicating comprises:

defining said error with an error level selected form the group consisting of and advisory error level, a correctable error level, and uncorrectable error level, a fatal error level, a component failure error level, and a deadlock error level.