Server information handling system NFC ticket management and fault storage

• US 9,331,896 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Terwilliger, Kevin D., Taylor, Travis E. III, Ahmed, Syed S., Palmer, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US14/294,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20150312086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455423-425, 455/67.11, 455/67.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/006 Identification G06F11/2289 takes precedence
• 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 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis

Abstract

Server information handling system deployment and maintenance is enhanced with automated trouble ticket generation at a mobile telephone through an NFC transaction with a management controller. NFC transactions coordinate authorization for replacement component installation and server information handling system replacement. In one embodiment, a bezel includes an NFC device that interfaces with a management controller and stores configuration information to aid installation of replacement server information handling systems in the event of a system failure. A back-up battery provides power to an NFC support circuit that stores fault codes detected by the management controller so that fault codes are available during management controller failures.

Claims

1. A system for reporting server information handling system faults, the system comprising:

a management controller integrated with the server information handling system and operable to track faults by fault codes;

a near field communication (NFC) device interfaced with the management controller and operable to communicate the fault codes with an NFC transaction;

a portable information handling system operable to communicate with an NFC transaction;

a fault application running on the portable information handling system and operable to retrieve the fault codes from the management controller with an NFC transaction and apply the fault codes to automatically generate a trouble ticket identified with the server information handling system; and

an administrative tool interfaced with the fault application and operable to receive the trouble ticket identified with the server information handling system.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a battery interfaced with the server information handling system; and

an NFC support circuit interfaced with the battery, the management controller and the NFC device, the NFC support circuit operable to run with power from the battery upon failure of the server information handling system, the NFC support circuit providing fault codes stored in a memory at the failure to the NFC device for communication by the NFC transaction to the portable information handling system.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the memory comprises random access memory.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the administrative tool is further operable to apply the fault codes to issue a service ticket identified with the server information handling system, the service ticket directing replacement of an identified component at the server information handling system.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the administrative tool is further operable to communicate the identified component to the management controller and the management controller is further operable to require an NFC transaction from the identified component before authorizing interaction of the identified component with the server information handling system.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the administrative tool is further operable to communicate the service ticket to the fault application, and wherein the fault application is further operable to perform an NFC transaction with the identified component to retrieve configuration information from the identified component, modify the configuration and perform an NFC transaction with the management controller to configure the server information handling system to accept the identified component.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the administrative tool is further operable to communicate the service ticket to the fault application, and wherein the fault application is further operable to perform an NFC transaction with the identified component to retrieve configuration information from the identified component, and to interact with the identified component through an NFC transaction with the management controller using the configuration information after installation of the identified component in the server information handling system.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a bezel that couples to the information handling system, the bezel supporting the NFC device; and

an NFC support circuit disposed in the information handling system and operable to interface the NFC device and the management controller, the NFC support circuit including a microcontroller operable to coordinate NFC transactions of management controller information by the NFC device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the management controller stores a service identifier;

the NFC device stores a service identifier and configuration information; and

the NFC support circuit is operable to erase the configuration information if the management controller service identifier does not match the NFC device service identifier.

10. A method for reporting server information handling system faults, the method comprising:

detecting a fault indication at a server information handling system;

retrieving a fault code associated with the fault indication by an NFC transaction between the server information handling system and a mobile telephone; and

automatically populating a trouble ticket on the mobile telephone with the fault code and with an identifier of the server information handling system retrieved by the NFC transaction.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

forwarding the trouble ticket from the mobile telephone to an administrative tool; and

issuing a service ticket from the administrative tool to authorize replacement of a component at the server information handling system.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

performing an NFC transaction from a replacement component identified by the service ticket to the server information handling system;

in response to the NFC transaction, authorizing access at the server information handling system to install the replacement component.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

installing a replacement component identified by the service ticket into the server information handling system;

performing an NFC transaction from the installed replacement part to the mobile telephone;

editing configuration information of the replacement part on the mobile telephone; and

performing an NFC transaction of the edited configuration information from the mobile telephone to the replacement part.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

performing an NFC transaction of component information from a replacement component identified by the service ticket to the mobile telephone;

installing the replacement component into the server information handling system; and

performing an NFC transaction of the component information from the mobile telephone to the server information handling system.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

selecting a replacement server information handling system in response to the trouble ticket;

removing the failed server information handling system from a support slot;

removing a bezel from the failed server information handling system, the bezel having an NFC device;

attaching the bezel to the replacement server information handling system;

performing an NFC transaction from the mobile telephone to the bezel; and

in response to the NFC transaction, configuring the replacement server information handling system with configuration information stored in the bezel and interfaced with the NFC device.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

in response to the NFC transaction, comparing an identifier of the replacement server information handling system with an expected identifier; and

erasing the configuration information stored in the bezel if the identifier does not match the expected identifier.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein detecting a fault indication at a server information handling system further comprises:

detecting a power failure at the server information handling system; and

in response to detecting a power failure, storing the fault code in memory accessible by an NFC device of the server information handling system when the server information handling system is powered down.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the memory comprises a memory powered by a back-up battery.

19. A server information handling system comprising:

a processor operable to process information with instructions;

memory operable to store the information and instructions;

a management controller operable to manage operations of the processor responsive to remote instructions receive through a network;

an NFC device interfaced with the management controller; and

a trouble ticket manager interfaced with the management controller and having non-transitory memory storing instructions executable on the NFC device, the instructions operable to communicate trouble ticket information from the NFC device to an external NFC device in response to detection of a fault by the management controller.

20. The server information handling system of claim 19 wherein the trouble ticket manager is further operable to coordinate replacement of a component associated with the fault, the replacement authorized by NFC transaction.