Facilitating detection of hardware service actions

• US 7,925,728 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Herring, Jay R., Lundin, LeRoy R., Divirgilio, John, Atkins, Mark G., Rash, Nicholas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit; Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US11/223,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20070055913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,042 Days
• Field of Search: 709222-318, 714/100
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity

Abstract

A series of state transitions is indicative of performance of hardware service actions. A transition from, for instance, a disconnected state to a connected state for a hardware component is indicative of performance of a service action for the hardware component. Detection of this transition is automatic.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating detection of hardware service actions, said method comprising:

automatically distinguishing, by a hardware management console, between intermittent availability of a hardware component of a communications environment indicative of an error state of the hardware component and performance of a service action to physically service the hardware component, the automatically distinguishing comprising automatically detecting, by the hardware management console and without user intervention, that a state associated with the hardware component has transitioned from connected state, to disconnected state and back to connected state, the detection of the transition from the disconnected state back to the connected state indicating performance of a service action to physically service the hardware component by an operator and indicating, restoration of constant availability of the hardware component;

responsive to the automatically detecting indicating that the hardware component has been physically serviced by the operator, automatically determining by the hardware management console absent user intervention operational viability of the hardware component, the automatically determining comprising referencing information of one or more hardware registers associated with the hardware component related to operational viability thereof;

responsive to automatically determining that the hardware component is operationally viable, using the hardware component operational; and

wherein the transition from the disconnected state to the connected state comprises a transition from a disconnected state of a physical layer of the hardware component to a connected state of the physical layer of the hardware component, and wherein the detection of the transition from the disconnected state to the connected state indicates performance of a service action for the hardware component to correct for an error in the physical layer of the hardware component, the service action to correct for the error in the physical layer of the hardware component comprising removing a cable associated with the link, at least one of repairing a component of the link and replacing a component of the link, and re-installing the cable.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically detecting comprises querying one or more states of the hardware component to detect the transition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises checking information of one or more registers associated with the hardware component to determine whether the connected hardware component is operational.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware component comprises a self-timing link.

5. A communications system for facilitating detection of hardware service actions, the communications system comprising:

a hardware management console capable of performing a method, said method comprising;

automatically distinguishing between intermittent availability of a hardware component of a communications environment indicative of an error state of the hardware component and performance of a service action to physically service the hardware component, the automatically distinguishing comprising automatically detecting, by! the hardware management console and without user intervention, that a state associated with the hardware component has transitioned from connected state, to disconnected state and back to connected state, the detection of the transition from the disconnected state back to the connected state indicating performance of a service action to physically service the hardware component by an operator and indicating restoration of constant availability of the hardware component;

responsive to the automatically detecting indicating that the hardware component has been physically serviced by the operator, automatically determining by the hardware management console absent user intervention whether operational viability of the hardware component, the automatically determining comprising referencing information of one or more hardware registers associated with the hardware component related to operational viability thereof; and

wherein the transition from the disconnected state to the connected state comprises a transition from a disconnected state of a physical layer of the hardware component to a connected state of the physical layer of the hardware component, and wherein the detection of the transition from the disconnected state to the connected state indicates performance of a service action for the hardware component to correct for an error in the physical layer of the hardware component, the service action to correct for the error in the physical layer of the hardware component comprising removing a cable associated with the link, at least one of repairing a component of the link and replacing a component of the link, and re-installing the cable.

6. The communications system of claim 5, wherein the automatically detecting comprises querying one or more states of the hardware component to detect the transition.

7. The communications system of claim 5, wherein the determining comprises checking information of one or more registers associated with the hardware component to determine whether the connected hardware component is operational.

8. The communications system of claim 5, wherein the hardware component comprises a self-timing link.

9. A computer program product for facilitating detection of hardware service actions, the computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a processor and storing instructions for execution by the processor for performing a method comprising;

automatically distinguishing between intermittent availability of a hardware component of a communications environment indicative of an error state of the hardware component and performance of a service action to physically service the hardware component, the automatically distinguishing comprising automatically detecting, by the hardware management console and without user intervention, that a state associated with the hardware component has transitioned from connected state, to disconnected state and back to connected state, the detection of the transition from the disconnected state back to the connected state indicating performance of a service action to physically service the hardware component by an operator and indicating restoration of constant availability of the hardware component;

responsive to the automatically detecting indicating that the hardware component has been physically serviced by the operator, automatically determining by the hardware management console absent user intervention operational viability of the hardware component, the automatically determining comprising referencing information of one or more hardware registers associated with the hardware component related to operational viability thereof; and

wherein the transition from the disconnected state to the connected state comprises a transition from a disconnected state of a physical layer of the hardware component to a connected state of the physical layer of the hardware component, and wherein the detection of the transition from the disconnected state to the connected state indicates performance of a service action for the hardware component to correct for an error in the physical layer of the hardware component, the service action to correct for the error in the physical layer of the hardware component comprising removing a cable associated with the link, at least one of repairing a component of the link and replacing a component of the link, and re-installing the cable.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the automatically detecting comprises querying one or more states of the hardware component to detect the transition.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the determining comprises checking information of one or more registers associated with the hardware component to determine whether the connected hardware component is operational.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the hardware component comprises a self-timing link.