Method of updating a system environmental setting

• US 6,697,963 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Karl S., Nouri, Ahmad
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELISCA, PIERRE E
• Application Number:
  US09/708,333
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 235/462.27, 714/3, 714/4, 714/51, 714/13, 714/15, 714/22, 714/31, 714/47
• US Class Current: 714/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• 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 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3024 where the computing system component is a central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3041 where the computing system component is an input/output interface interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units G06F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 : Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 : Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 : Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 7/285 : controlling armature supply only
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 : Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 : Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 : the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 : Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 : for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 : related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 : by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 : Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 : using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 : Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A fault tolerant computer system for obtaining and displaying, or updating the status of server components through a remote interface and either a local or remote client machine without intervention of the server operating system software. The remote machine accesses the server by use of a dial-in modem connection, while the local machine accesses the server by a local serial connection. The components that can be monitored include, but are not limited to, the following: Power Supplies, Temperatures, Fans, Processors, I/O Groups, I/O Canisters, Serial Numbers, and Revisions.

Claims

1. A method of updating a system environmental setting for a computer, the method comprising the acts of:

sending a command for remotely updating a system environmental setting from a second computer through a remote interface to a first computer;

executing the command on a microcontroller in the first computer; and

sending an update system environmental setting signal from the microcontroller to the first computer thereby updating the system environmental setting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the system environmental setting comprises a fan threshold or a temperature threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

sending a response to the update system environmental setting signal from the first computer to the microcontroller; and

sending the response from the microcontroller to the second computer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the response to the command for remotely updating a system environmental setting is rendered in a graphical user interface on the second computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of sending a command for remotely updating a system environmental setting is initiated via a graphical user interface on the second computer.

6. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising independently powering the remote interface from the first computer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

sending a password from the second computer to the remote interface;

checking the password against a set of stored passwords; and

enabling the communications path between the second computer and the remote interface only if the password is successfully matched.

8. A method of updating a system environmental setting for a computer, the method comprising the acts of:

connecting a remote interface to a first computer and a second computer;

providing an updating system environmental setting command at the second computer directed to the first computer;

encapsulating the command in a communications protocol;

transmitting the encapsulated command to the remote interface;

communicating the command received by the remote interface to the first computer; and

performing the command on the first computer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of performing the command on the first computer comprises the act of updating a fan threshold.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of performing the command on the first computer comprises the act of updating a temperature threshold.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the acts of:

generating a response to performing the updating system environmental setting command on the first computer;

communicating the response to the remote interface;

encapsulating the response in the communications protocol;

transmitting the encapsulated response from the remote interface to the second computer; and

receiving the response at the second computer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the response to performing the updating system environmental setting command on the first computer is rendered by the second computer in a graphical user interface.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of providing an updating system environmental setting command at the second computer is initiated via a graphical user interface.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the remote interface is powered independently of the first computer.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising the acts of:

transmitting a password from the second computer to the remote interface;

checking the password against a set of stored passwords; and

enabling the communications path between the second computer and the remote interface only if the password is successfully matched.

16. A method of updating a system environmental setting for a computer, the method comprising the acts of:

providing a first computer;

providing a second computer;

selecting, at a second computer, a system environmental setting of the first computer to be updated;

communicating the selected system environmental setting from the second computer to the first computer; and

updating the selected system environmental setting in the first computer.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the act of communicating a response of updating the selected system environmental setting in the first computer back to the second computer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the response to updating the selected system environmental setting on the first computer is rendered on the second computer in a graphical user interface.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the system environmental setting comprises a fan threshold or a temperature threshold.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the act of selecting a system environmental setting to be updated is initiated via a graphical user interface.