System and method of retiring events upon device replacement

• US 7,039,743 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell USA LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Merkin, Cynthia M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Kim T.
• Application Number:
  US10/139,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20030208649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 710301-304, 710/100, 710/268
• US Class Current: 710/302
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004

Abstract

An information handling system is disclosed that retires events upon device replacement. The system has several devices of one or more types and each device includes nonvolatile memory. A unique identifier, for devices of that type, is stored in the nonvolatile memory of each device. A first memory segment stores an event log. The event log has entries that identify system events. A second memory segment stores identifiers of devices that correspond to an entry of the event log. At least one of the corresponding devices is removable. The system detects the removal of the devices and, in response, removes any entries in the event log that correspond only to identifiers of one or more devices that have been removed.

Claims

1. An information handling system, comprising:

a plurality of devices, the devices being of one or more types, each device including nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory of each device configured to represent at least an identifier unique among identifiers of other devices of that type among the plurality of devices;

a first memory segment configured to represent at least an event log, the event log including entries, the entries including identification of an event;

a second memory segment configured to represent an identifier of a device corresponding to an entry of the event log;

at least one of the devices being removable; and

wherein the system is adapted to detect removal of the at least one removable devices and, in response, remove any entries in the event log corresponding only to identifiers of one or more devices that have been removed and

the identifiers comprise device serial numbers.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the identifiers represented in the second memory segment are part of the entries in the event log.

3. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the event log entries include the one or more locations of the devices corresponding to the event.

4. The information handling system of claim 3, wherein the second memory segment is configured to associate the represented identifiers with locations of devices.

5. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to detect removal by reading identifiers of devices upon startup.

6. The information handling system of claim 5, wherein the system is adapted to read devices upon startup when a chassis intrusion has occurred.

7. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to detect removal by periodically reading identifiers of devices.

8. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the event log includes active and inactive entries and removing an entry comprises changing the status of the entry from active to inactive.

9. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising a display coupled to the event log and adapted to indicate event status.

10. A method of retiring events upon device replacement, comprising the steps of:

detecting an event;

updating an event log to include an entry corresponding to the detected event;

detecting one or more devices corresponding to the event;

storing an identification of the corresponding devices in the corresponding entry;

for at least one of the corresponding devices, storing an identifier unique among identifiers of other devices of that type represented by a nonvolatile memory of that corresponding device;

detecting the removal of the device with the unique identifier; and

in response to detecting removal, removing any entry in the event log corresponding only to one or more devices that have been removed; and

wherein

the identifiers comprise device serial numbers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein storing the unique identifier includes storing the unique identifier in the entry of the event log.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein storing the unique identifier occurs during startup.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the entry of the event log identifies corresponding devices by location.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein detecting removal includes comparing the identifier read from a device position at startup to the identifier read at the same position during the previous startup.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the identifiers are read from device positions when a chassis intrusion has occurred.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein detecting removal includes comparing the identifier read from a device position at a periodic time to the identifier read at the same position during a previous periodic time.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the event log includes active and inactive entries and removing an entry is changing an active entry to an inactive entry.

18. The method of claim 10, further including the step of displaying the status of entries in the event log.

19. An information handling system, comprising:

a first memory module mounted in a first memory socket, the first memory module including nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory of the first memory module configured to represent an identifier unique among identifiers of memory modules in the information handling system;

a first memory segment configured to represent at least an event log, the event log including an entry identifying an error type, the first memory socket, and an active or inactive status of the event;

a second memory segment configured to represent an entry containing the identifier of the first memory module; and

wherein the system is adapted to detect removal of the first memory module and, in response, modify the entry in the event log to indicate inactive status and

the identifiers comprise device serial numbers.

20. The information handling system of claim 19, further comprising error status registers adapted to detect that errors caused by the first memory module correspond to the first memory socket.

21. The information handling system of claim 19, wherein the memory status registers are coupled to the first memory segment and the event log records entries with device locations detected by the error status registers.