System and method of automatic parameter collection and problem solution generation for computer storage devices

• US 7,058,860 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• 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: Miller, Jennifer J., Lenart, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lohn, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US09/896,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20030005362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 714/47, 714/48, 714/49, 714/57, 714/39, 714/26
• US Class Current: 714/47.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• 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 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing

Abstract

The present invention includes a system for and a method of a support system which includes an information manager to gather performance information and error condition-related information from a computer product which is sent by the information manager electronically to a support server. The support server, working with an associated database, attempts to solve the underlying error present in the computer product by analyzing the information received, comparing the information to a database containing previously reported error related information and identification of a proposed solution or corrective action from the database. This proposed solution, or corrective action is then sent to the information manager.

Claims

1. A support system comprising:

an information manager within a storage device configured to collect performance information and embed said performance information of said storage device into an error message;

a support server configured to receive said error message from said information manager and analyze said performance information; and

a database configured to maintain a history of previous performance information and at least one corresponding corrective solution wherein;

said support server bypasses support personnel and communicates a proposed solution to said information manager if said proposed solution can be identified from said database;

otherwise

said support server sends a message to support personnel if said solution can not be identified from said database.

2. The support system of claim 1 wherein said information manager is a remote management card within said storage device.

3. The support system of claim 1 wherein said error message is written in Extensible Markup Language.

4. The support system of claim 1 wherein said support server receives said error message via the Internet.

5. The support system of claim 1 wherein said support server is configured to search said database to identify matching performance information and send said solution associated to said performance information to said information manager as said proposed solution.

6. The support system of claim 1 further comprising:

a database update logic configured to update said performance information and said at least one solution in said database to include performance information received from said information manager and corresponding said at least one solution.

7. A method of identifying proposed solutions to correct an error condition within a storage device, said method comprising the steps of:

gathering error condition-related information of said storage device;

embedding said error condition-related information into an electronic message;

transmitting said electronic message to a remote support server; and

identifying as a proposed solution;

one of a set of known solutions, if said error condition-related information can be matched to an error condition linked to said one of said set of known solutions; and

a solution created by a support technician after being forwarded said error condition-related information, if said match cannot be made; and

wherein said gathering, said embedding, and said transmitting are performed within said storage device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of gathering error condition-related information further comprises at least one of the group of:

sensing parameters of said storage device and reading information from an internal log.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of embedding said error condition-related information further comprises formatting said information in an Extensible Markup Language.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of communication further comprises transmitting said electronic message on the Internet.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said method further comprises the step of:

communicating identified proposed solutions from said remote server via said Internet to said storage device.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of identifying a proposed solution to said error further comprises a step of comparing said error condition-related information to error information contained in a database.

13. The method of claim 7 further comprising a step of:

communicating said proposed solution to a remote management card in said storage device that exhibits an error corresponding to said error condition-related information.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of communicating further comprises transmission of an electronic message to said remote management card.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of communicating further comprises providing an electronic message to a user of said computer product.

16. A method of automatically identifying a possible solution for an error condition comprising the steps of:

automatically recognizing, without manual intervention, an error condition within a computer storage device;

gathering error condition-related information;

embedding said error condition-related information into an electronic message;

communicating said electronic message to a support server remote from said computer storage device;

comparing said error condition-related information to a set of known error conditions;

if said error condition-related information does not match one of said known error conditions, identifying as said possible solution associated with said matched known error condition; and

if said error condition-related information does not match one of said known error conditions, forwarding said error condition-related information to a support technician, wherein said support technician identifies said possible solution; and

wherein said recognizing, said gathering, said embedding, and said communicating are performed within said storage device.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said step of automatically recognizing an error condition further comprises sensing parameters with said computer storage device.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of gathering error condition-related information further comprises performing at least one of the group of:

sensing parameters of said storage device and reading information from an internal log.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of embedding said error condition-related information uses Extensible Markup Language.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:

communicating identified ones of said proposed solutions from said remote location to said computer storage device.

21. A computer implemented method, said method comprising:

detecting an error condition in a computer storage device;

transmitting, with the computer storage device, an electronic message describing said detected error condition to a support server;

acquiring, with the computer storage device, a solution to said detected error condition using;

computer executable code for determining if a solution to said detected error condition matches one of a plurality of known error conditions stored in memory; and

computer executable code for acquiring, from a user, a solution to said detected error condition if said detected error condition does not match the known error conditions stored in memory; and

means for transmitting said acquired solution to a system utilizing said storage device.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said support server is remote from said system utilizing said storage device, and further comprising:

means for transmitting said electronic message to said remote server across the Internet; and

means for transmitting said acquired solution to said system utilizing said storage device across the Internet.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

a processor executing said code for acquiring said solution to said detected error condition.

24. Computer executable code stored on a computer readable storage medium, said code comprising:

code for accepting an electronic message from a system using an electronic storage device, wherein said electronic message comprises a description of an automatically detected error condition of a computer storage device;

code for comparing said detected error to a list of known errors and solutions to determine if said detected error matches one of said known errors, and returning a solution to said known error condition that matches said detected error condition; and

code for presenting said detected error condition to a user if none of said known error conditions matches said known condition; and

wherein a detection of the error condition, a creation of the electronic message, and a transmission of the electronic message from said system is all carried out within the storage device.

25. The code of claim 24 further comprising:

code for updating said list of known errors by adding said detected error and a solution to said known error generated by said user.