Systems and methods for CPU repair

• US 7,603,582 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Kuntz, Guy, Sedmak, Michael, Pomaranski, Ken, Barlow, Jeff, Brauch, Jeff, Joyal, Lacey, Hack, Stephen, Calkin, Howard, Gratias, Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): DUNCAN, MARC M
• Application Number:
  US11/356,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20060230231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 714/7, 714/8, 714/42, 714/710, 714/711
• US Class Current: 714/6.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/121 using replacement algorithms

Abstract

In one embodiment, a cache element allocation method is provided. Each cache element on a CPU is assigned a quality rank based on the error rate of the cache element. If an allocated cache element is deemed to be faulty, the quality rank of the faulty allocated cache element is compared with the quality rank of the non-allocated cache elements. If a non-allocated cache element has a lower quality rank than the allocated cache element, the non-allocated cache element is swapped in for the allocated cache element.

Claims

1. A method of repairing a processor comprising the steps of:

assigning each cache element a quality rank based on each cache element'"'"'s error rate;

comparing the quality rank of an allocated cache element to the quality rank of a non-allocated cache element; and

swapping in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element based on said comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

determining said allocated cache element is faulty when the quality rank of said allocated cache element exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of comparing the quality rank of an allocated cache element to the quality rank of a non-allocated cache element comprises comparing at least one characteristic or attribute associated with said allocated and non-allocated cache element.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of swapping in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element based on said comparison comprises swapping in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element if said quality rank of said non-allocated cache element is better than said quality rank of said allocated cache element.

5. A method of repairing a processor comprising the steps of:

assigning each cache element a severity rank based on each cache element'"'"'s error rate;

comparing the severity rank of an allocated cache element to the severity rank of a non-allocated cache element; and

swapping in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element based on said comparison.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

determining said allocated cache element is faulty when the severity rank of said allocated cache element exceeds a predetermined threshold.

7. A CPU cache element management system comprising:

at least one processor having at least one allocated cache element and at least one non-allocated cache element;

a cache management logic operable to assign said allocated cache element and said non-allocated cache element a quality rank, operable to compare the quality rank of said allocated cache element to the quality rank of said non-allocated cache element, and operable to swap in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element based on said comparison.

8. The CPU cache element management system of claim 7 wherein said cache management logic is further operable to determine that said allocated cache element is faulty if the quality rank of said allocated cache element exceeds a predetermined threshold.

9. The CPU cache element management system of claim 8, wherein said cache management logic is further operable to monitor cache errors and record cache error information in a memory.

10. The CPU cache management system of claim 8, wherein said cache management logic is further operable to de-allocate said processor if the quality rank of said non-allocated cache element is worse than the quality rank of said allocated cache element.

11. The CPU cache management system of claim 10, wherein said cache management logic is further operable to swap in a spare processor for said de-allocated processor.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the logic to swap in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element based on said comparison comprises logic to swap in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element if said quality rank of said non-allocated cache element is better than said quality rank of said allocated cache element.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein the logic to swap in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element based on said comparison comprises logic to swap in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element if said severity rank of said non-allocated cache element is better than said severity rank of said allocated cache element.

13. A CPU cache element management system comprising:

at least one processor having at least one allocated cache element and at least one non-allocated cache element;

a cache managing logic operable to assign said allocated cache element and said non-allocated cache element a severity rank, operable to compare the severity rank of said allocated cache element to the severity rank of said non-allocated cache element, and operable to swap in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element based on said comparison.

14. The CPU cache element management system of claim 13 wherein said cache managing logic is further operable to determine that said allocated cache element is faulty if the severity rank of said allocated cache element exceeds a predetermined threshold.

15. The CPU cache management system of claim 14, wherein said cache management logic is further operable to de-allocate said processor if the severity rank of said non-allocated cache element is higher than the severity rank of said allocated cache element.

16. The CPU cache management system of claim 15, wherein said cache management logic is further operable to swap in a spare processor for said de-allocated processor.

17. The CPU cache element management system of claim 13, wherein said cache managing logic is further operable to monitor cache errors and record cache error information in a memory.

19. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor having at least one allocated cache element and at least one non-allocated cache element; and

a cache managing logic operable to assign said allocated cache element and said non-allocated cache element a quality rank, operable to compare the quality rank of said allocated cache element to the quality rank of said non-allocated cache element, and operable to swap in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element if the quality rank of said non-allocated cache element is lower than the quality rank of said allocated cache element.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein said cache managing logic is further operable to determine that said allocated cache element is faulty if the quality rank of said allocated cache element exceeds a predetermined threshold.

21. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor having at least one allocated cache element and at least one non-allocated cache element;

a cache managing logic operable to assign said allocated cache element and said non-allocated cache element a severity rank operable to compare the severity rank of said allocated cache element to the severity rank of said non-allocated cache element, and operable to swap in said non-allocated cache element for said allocated cache element if the severity rank of said non-allocated cache element is lower than the severity rank of said allocated cache element.

22. The computer system of claim 21 wherein said cache managing logic is further operable to determine that said allocated cache element is faulty if the quality rank of said allocated cache element exceeds a predetermined threshold.

23. A method for repairing a computer system having an operating system comprising the steps of:

monitoring at least one allocated cache element associated with at least one CPU for at least one cache error;

recording cache error information associated with said at least one cache error;

updating a cache error history database with said logged cache error information;

evaluating said cache error history database to determine a quality rank for said allocated cache element;

assigning said quality rank to said allocated cache element corresponding to a total number of errors occurring in said cache element over a predetermined time period;

determining that said allocated cache element is faulty based on said quality rank of said allocated cache element;

comparing the quality rank of said faulty allocated cache element to a quality rank of a non-allocated cache element; and

swapping in said non-allocated cache element for said faulty cache element if the quality rank of said non-allocated cache element is less than the quality rank of said faulty cache element.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said allocated cache element is determined to be faulty if its quality rank exceeds a predetermined threshold.

25. A method for managing a computer system comprising the steps of:

monitoring at least one allocated cache element associated with at least one CPU for at least one cache error;

recording cache error information associated with said at least one cache error;

updating a cache error history database with said logged cache error information;

evaluating said cache error history database to determine a severity rank for said allocated cache element;

assigning said severity rank to said allocated cache element;

determining that said cache element is faulty based on said severity rank of said allocated cache element;

comparing the severity rank of said faulty allocated cache element to a severity rank of a non-allocated cache element;

swapping in said non-allocated cache element for said faulty allocated cache element if the severity rank of said non-allocated cache element is less than the severity rank of said faulty allocated cache element.

26. A processor comprising:

a plurality of first memory portions;

a plurality of second memory portions;

logic for determining whether a first memory portion is faulty; and

logic for replacing the faulty first memory portion with a second memory portion if said first memory portion has a worse quality rank than said second memory portion, wherein the logic for replacing the faulty first memory portion with a second memory portion comprises logic for de-allocating the processor if said second memory portion has a worse quality rank than said first memory portion.

27. The processor of claim 26 wherein the logic for determining whether a first memory portion is faulty comprises logic for assigning a quality rank to said first and second memory portions.

28. A processor comprising:

a first cache means configured for high-speed information storage and retrieval from the processor;

a second cache means for high-speed information storage and retrieval;

means for determining whether any portion of the first cache means configured for high-speed information storage is faulty; and

means for replacing the faulty portion of the first cache means with at least a portion of the second cache means for high-speed information storage and retrieval if said first cache means has a worse quality rank than said second cache means wherein the means for replacing comprises means for de-allocating the processor if the portion of the second cache means has a worse quality rank than the faulty portion of the first cache means.

29. The processor of claim 28 wherein the means for determining whether a first memory portion is faulty comprises means for assigning a quality rank to said first and second memory portions.