Diagnostic and managing distributed processor system
DCFirst Claim
1. A computer monitoring and diagnostic system, comprising:
- a computer, having a computing device and a housing;
at least one sensor, located within the computer, configured to sense conditions within the computer; and
a microcontroller network, located within the computer, the network comprising a plurality of interconnected microcontrollers, connected to the sensor and the computer, wherein the microcontroller network is configured to process requests for conditions from the computer and responsively provides sensed conditions to the computer.
2 Assignments
Litigations
0 Petitions
Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
A network of microcontrollers for monitoring and diagnosing the environmental conditions of a computer is disclosed. The network of microcontrollers provides a management system by which computer users can accurately gauge the health of their computer. The network of microcontrollers provides users the ability to detect system fan speeds, internal temperatures and voltage levels. The invention is designed to not only be resilient to faults, but also allows for the system maintenance, modification, and growth—without downtime. Additionally, the present invention allows users to replace failed components, and add new functionality, such as new network interfaces, disk interface cards and storage, without impacting existing users. One of the primary roles of the present invention is to manage the environment without outside involvement. This self-management allows the system to continue to operate even though components have failed.
152 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A computer monitoring and diagnostic system, comprising:
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a computer, having a computing device and a housing;
at least one sensor, located within the computer, configured to sense conditions within the computer; and
a microcontroller network, located within the computer, the network comprising a plurality of interconnected microcontrollers, connected to the sensor and the computer, wherein the microcontroller network is configured to process requests for conditions from the computer and responsively provides sensed conditions to the computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A microcontroller network for diagnosing and managing the conditions of a computer, the microcontroller network comprising:
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a microcontroller bus; and
at least one microcontroller, located within the computer, wherein the microcontroller is interconnected by the microcontroller bus and wherein the microcontroller is configured to manage the conditions within the computer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer monitoring and diagnostic system, comprising:
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a computer, having a plurality of computer-related components, wherein the components have associated environmental and systemic conditions;
at least one sensor configured to sense the environmental and systemic conditions, wherein the sensor is located within the computer; and
at least one microcontroller connected to the sensor and the computer. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of monitoring and diagnosing a computer connected to a microcontroller network, the method comprising:
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requesting conditions of the computer from the microcontroller network;
sensing the conditions of the computer with the microcontroller network;
receiving the sensed conditions in the microcontroller network; and
communicating the sensed conditions from the microcontroller network to the source of the request.
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28. A method of monitoring system functions of a computer, the method comprising:
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controlling a plurality of environmental conditions of the computer using a plurality of interconnected microcontrollers;
connecting at least one of the interconnected microcontrollers to a system bus of the computer;
receiving a message sent from the system bus to the interconnected microcontrollers, the message requesting a change in a selected one of the plurality of environmental conditions; and
sending a message from the interconnected microcontrollers to the system bus, the message indicating a change in the selected one of the plurality of environmental conditions.
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29. A computer comprising:
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a central processing unit;
a network of microcontrollers including;
a system recorder microcontroller configured to record system and error messages;
a system interface configured to receive messages from the central processing unit and to forward the message to another one of the microcontrollers in the network;
a microcontroller configured to detect the presence of a power supply and configured to transmit information indicative of the presence of the power supply to the system recorder; and
a microcontroller configured to control the power supply to one or more adapter slots in the computer.
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30. A computer comprising:
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a central processing unit;
at least one fan;
a network of microcontrollers including;
a system recorder microcontroller configured to record system and error messages;
a system interface configured to send and receive messages to and from the central processing unit;
a microcontroller configured to detect the temperature in the computer and to transmit temperature information indicative of the current information to the system recorder; and
a microcontroller configured to adjust the speed of a fan in the computer.
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31. A computer comprising:
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a network of microcontrollers including;
a system recorder microcontroller configured to record system and error messages; and
a remote interface microcontroller configured to retrieve and send information that is recorded by the system recorder to a remote computer.
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Specification