Method and apparatus for recovering from a failed I/O controller in an information handling system

• US 7,480,831 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2003
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: McAfee, Martin, Vasudevan, Bharath
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehrmanesh; Elmira
• Application Number:
  US10/349,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20040148542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: 714/9, 714/3, 714/5, 714/43, 714/56, 710/15, 710/104, 710/313, 710/314, 710/316
• US Class Current: 714/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2017 where memory access, memory control or I/O control functionality is redundant redundant communication control functionality G06F11/2005; redundant storage control functionality G06F11/2089

Abstract

An information handling system includes first and second I/O controllers, a detector for detecting an I/O controller failure, and an I/O recovery unit. The first I/O controller adaptively controls a first and a second I/O slot. The second I/O controller adaptively controls a third and a fourth I/O slot. Lastly, the I/O recovery unit, responsive to a detected I/O controller failure, operatively couples/decouples the first and second I/O slot to/from the first I/O controller, operatively couples/decouples the third and fourth I/O slot to/from the second I/O controller, and operatively decouples/couples the first and second I/O slot from/to the third and fourth I/O slot according to an I/O failure recovery protocol, the I/O failure recovery protocol provided for adapting one of either the first and second I/O controllers to operatively couple to the first, second, third and fourth I/O slots as a function of the detected I/O controller failure.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

using a first I/O controller to control a first and a second I/O slot;

using a second I/O controller to control a third and a fourth I/O slot;

providing a power on self test (POST) routine for detecting an I/O controller failure;

detecting a failure of one of the first I/O controller and the second I/O controller using the POST routine;

providing switching means, responsive to the detected I/O controller failure, for operatively coupling/decoupling the first and second I/O slot to/from the first I/O controller, for operatively coupling/decoupling the third and fourth I/O slot to/from the second I/O controller, and for operatively decoupling/coupling the first and second I/O slot from/to the third and fourth I/O slot according to an I/O failure recovery protocol, the I/O failure recovery protocol being provided for adapting one of either the first and second I/O controllers to operatively couple to the first, second, third and fourth I/O slots as a function of the detected I/O controller failure; and

wherein the first and second I/O controllers include PCI controllers and the first, second, third, and fourth I/O slots each include a PCI slot;

using the provided switching means to couple the first, second, third, and fourth I/O slots to one of the first and the second I/O controllers; and

using one of the first and second I/O controllers to control the first, second, third, and fourth I/O slots, wherein the one of the first and second I/O controllers is set to half bus speed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the POST routine includes executable code for an implementing an auto-bus scan, the auto-bus scan being provided for scanning the I/O controllers and switches to learn all permutations of failures and store the learned permutations, wherein responsive to a detection of an I/O controller failure, the POST routine executes a permutation to recover from the I/O controller failure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first switch operatively couples/decouples the first and second I/O slot to/from the first I/O controller, a second switch operatively couples/decouples the third and fourth I/O slot to/from the second I/O controller, and a third switch operatively decouples/couples the first and second I/O slot from/to the third and fourth I/O slot according to an I/O failure recovery protocol.