Apparatus, program product and method of replacing failed hardware device through concurrent maintenance operation

• US 6,820,157 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Eide, Curtis Shannon, Naylor, James Lee, Thompson, William Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean, Frantz B.
• Application Number:
  US09/107,768
• Time in Patent Office: 2,331 Days
• Field of Search: 710/102, 710/103, 710/8, 710/302, 710/303
• US Class Current: 710/303
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running

Abstract

An apparatus, program product and method of replacing a failed hardware device in a computer each rely solely on program code and/or other computer facilities that are ensured of being available in the computer during a concurrent maintenance operation, so that, even in the event that a failure occurs in such a hardware device, successful performance of the concurrent maintenance operation is ensured. For example, the initiation of power up and power down functions necessary to permit replacement of a failed device may be performed through a control panel or other similar facility in a computer that is continuously available when a computer is in a fully or partially active and powered-on state. Also, a concurrent replacement operation may be supported that automatically detects a lock-up condition resulting from a failed attempt to access data using a failed hardware device, and that, upon replacement of the device with a suitable replacement device, automatically associates a resource that was previously associated with the failed device with the replacement device such that the failed attempt to access data may be automatically resumed, thereby automating the recovery from the lock-up condition.

Claims

1. A method of replacing a failed hardware device in a computer, the failed hardware device having associated therewith a resource that interfaces the failed hardware device with at least one application executing in the computer, the method comprising:

(a) removing power from the failed hardware device in response to user input received through a control panel on the computer;

(b) after user replacement of the failed hardware device with a replacement hardware device, supplying power to the replacement hardware device in response to user input received through the control panel; and

(c) automatically associating the resource with the replacement hardware device after power is supplied to the replacement hardware device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein removing power from the failed hardware device, supplying power to the replacement hardware device, and automatically associating the resource with the replacement hardware device are performed by non-swappable program code in the computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the failed hardware device is coupled to the computer through a bus, wherein removing power from the failed hardware device includes removing power from the bus, and wherein supplying power to the replacement hardware device includes restoring power to the bus.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the bus includes a plurality of locations, and wherein automatically associating the resource with the replacement hardware device associates the resource with the hardware device only if the replacement hardware device is installed in the same location on the bus as the failed hardware device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the failed and replacement hardware devices each have the same device type, wherein the resource includes a resource identifier that identifies the resource to at least one application executing on the computer, and a device type and a device identifier that initially identify the failed hardware device, and wherein automatically associating the resource with the replacement hardware device includes automatically updating the device identifier for the resource to that of the replacement hardware device while preserving the resource identifier for the resource.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) detecting a failure in the failed hardware device;

(b) in response to detection of the failure, enabling a first control panel operation configured to initiate the removal of power from the failed hardware device upon receipt of user input; and

(c) in response to removal of power from the failed hardware device, enabling a second control panel operation configured to initiate the supply of power to the replacement hardware device upon receipt of user input.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein detecting the failure in the failed hardware device includes detecting a lock-up condition in the computer resulting from a failed attempt to access data with the failed hardware device, the method further comprising, after automatically associating the resource with the replacement hardware device, recovering from the lock-up condition by automatically resuming the failed attempt to access data with the failed hardware device.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

(a) a control panel configured to receive user input;

(b) a memory in which is resident a resource that is configured to provide an interface between a hardware device coupled to the apparatus and at least one application executing in the apparatus; and

(c) a program, resident in the memory, the program configured to selectively remove power from a failed hardware device and supply power to a replacement hardware device in response to user input supplied to the control panel to permit replacement of the failed hardware device with the replacement hardware device; and

, in response thereto, to automatically associate the resource with the replacement hardware device after power is supplied to the replacement hardware device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the program and the resource are maintained in a non-swappable portion of the memory.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a bus including a plurality of locations, and wherein the program is configured to associate the resource with the replacement hardware device only if the replacement hardware device is installed in the same location on the bus as was the failed hardware device.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the failed and replacement hardware devices each have the same device type, wherein the resource includes a resource identifier that identifies the resource to at least one application executing on the computer, and a device type and a device identifier that initially identify the failed hardware device, and wherein the program is configured to associate the resource with the replacement hardware device by automatically updating the device identifier for the resource to that of the replacement hardware device while preserving the resource identifier for the resource.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the program is further configured to detect a failure in the failed hardware device and to selectively enable an operation on the control panel to initiate removal of power from failed hardware device upon receipt of user input.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the program is further configured to detect the failure by detecting a lock-up condition in the apparatus resulting from a failed attempt to access data with the failed hardware device, and to recover from the lock-up condition after the failed hardware device has been replaced by the replacement hardware device by automatically resuming the failed attempt to access data with the failed hardware device.

14. A program product, comprising:

(a) a program for use in replacing a failed hardware device electrically coupled to a computer with a replacement hardware device, the failed hardware device having associated therewith a resource that interfaces the failed hardware device with at least one application executing in the computer, the program configured to selectively remove power from the failed hardware device and supply power to the replacement hardware device in response to user input supplied to a control panel in the computer to permit replacement of the failed hardware device with the replacement hardware device, the program further configured to automatically associate the resource with the replacement hardware device after power is supplied to the replacement hardware device; and

(b) a signal bearing media bearing the program.

15. The program product of claim 14, wherein the signal bearing media is recordable media.

16. The program product of claim 14, wherein the signal bearing media is transmission type media.

17. A method of replacing a failed controller for an external storage device coupled to a computer over a bus, the failed controller having associated therewith a resource that presents a uniform interface to at least one application on the computer, the method comprising:

(a) detecting a lock-up condition in the computer resulting from a failed attempt to access data with the external storage device;

(b) in response to detection of the lock-up condition, enabling a user to replace the failed controller with a replacement controller;

(c) after replacement of the failed controller with a replacement controller, automatically updating the resource to associate the replacement controller with the resource; and

(d) after updating the resource, recovering from the lock-up condition by automatically resuming the failed attempt to access data with the external storage device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein enabling the user to replace the failed controller with the replacement controller includes:

(a) powering down the bus prior to removal of the failed controller from the bus; and

(b) restoring power to the bus after installation of the replacement controller onto the bus.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising maintaining the computer in a partially or fully active and powered-on state between powering down and restoring power to the bus.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein enabling the user to replace the failed controller with the replacement controller further includes:

(a) enabling a power off function on a control panel for the computer prior to powering down the bus; and

(b) enabling a restore power function on the control panel for the computer prior to restoring power to the bus;

wherein powering down the bus is performed in response to receipt of user input through the control panel to invoke the power off function, and wherein restoring power to the bus is performed in response to receipt of user input through the control panel to invoke the restore power function.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein enabling the user to replace the failed controller with the replacement controller further includes notifying the user of an error through the control panel.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the resource includes a resource identifier that identifies the resource to at least one application executing on the computer and a device identifier that initially uniquely identifies the failed controller, and wherein automatically updating the resource includes automatically updating the device identifier to that of the replacement controller while preserving the resource identifier for the resource.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the failed and replacement controllers each have associated therewith a hardware type, wherein the resource further includes a device type identifier that initially identifies the hardware type for the failed controller, and wherein automatically updating the resource is responsive to determining that the hardware type of the replacement controller matches that of the failed controller.

24. An apparatus, comprising:

(a) a bus configured to electrically couple with a controller for an external storage device;

(b) a memory in which is resident a resource that is configured to present a uniform interface to at least one application on the apparatus; and

(c) a program, resident in the memory, the program configured to detect a lock-up condition in the apparatus resulting from a failed attempt to access data with an external storage device coupled to the bus through a failed controller, and in response thereto to enable a user to replace the failed controller with a replacement controller, the program further configured to automatically update the resource to associate the replacement controller with the resource, and to automatically rectify the lock-up condition by automatically resuming the failed attempt to access data with the external storage device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the program is configured to enable the user to replace the failed controller with the replacement controller by selectively powering down and restoring power to the bus, while maintaining the apparatus in a partially or fully active and powered-on state between powering down and restoring power to the bus.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a control panel configured to receive user input, wherein the program is further configured to enable the user to replace the failed controller with the replacement controller by enabling power off and restore power functions on the control panel.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the resource includes a resource identifier that identifies the resource to at least one application executing on the computer system and a device identifier that initially uniquely identifies the failed controller, and wherein the program is further configured to automatically update the resource by automatically updating the device identifier to that of the replacement controller while preserving the resource identifier for the resource.

28. A program product, comprising:

(a) a program for use in replacing a failed controller for an external storage device, the failed controller coupled to a bus in a computer and having associated therewith a resource configured to present a uniform interface to at least one application on the computer, the program configured to detect a lock-up condition in the computer resulting from a failed attempt to access data with the external storage device, and in response thereto to enable a user to replace the failed controller with a replacement controller, the program further configured to automatically update the resource to associate the replacement controller with the resource, and to automatically rectify the lock-up condition by automatically resuming the failed attempt to access data with the external storage device; and

(b) a signal bearing media bearing the program.

29. The program product of claim 28, wherein the signal bearing media is recordable media.

30. The program product of claim 28, wherein the signal bearing media is transmission type media.