Information handling system physical component maintenance through near field communication device interaction

• US 9,967,759 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Terwilliger, Kevin D., Ozias, Orin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, James
• Application Number:
  US14/940,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20160073276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition

Abstract

Information handling system maintenance is aided by sending maintenance codes with a management processor of the information handling system to a mobile telephone with a NFC communication. The maintenance code and an identifier of the information handling system are provided to an administrative station to confirm that the proper maintenance is taking place at the proper system before the maintenance is authorized.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining an information handling system, the method comprising:

detecting a hardware component maintenance event at the information handling system;

in response to detecting, presenting a visual indication of the hardware component maintenance event at the information handling system and communicating the hardware component maintenance event to memory associated with a NFC device at the information handling system; and

reading the hardware component maintenance event from the NFC device with a portable information handling system having a NFC device, the hardware component maintenance event communicated with at least a maintenance code and an identifier of the information handling system, the portable information handling system determining a hardware component fault associated with the hardware component maintenance event from the maintenance code, presenting a visual image that depicts the location in the information handling system of the hardware component having the fault, and communicating the maintenance code and identifier through a network to a network administrator to obtain authorization for maintenance related to the maintenance code.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the portable information handling system comprises a mobile telephone.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to reading the hardware component maintenance event, presenting the hardware component maintenance event at a display of the portable information handling system; and

presenting at the display maintenance actions for addressing the hardware component maintenance event.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein:

in response to the reading the hardware component maintenance event further comprises at the portable information handling system, sending the hardware component maintenance event to an administrative network location to obtain maintenance actions; and

presenting at the display maintenance actions further comprises presenting an image of the information handling system, the image including visual directions for performing the maintenance action at a depicted hardware component disposed in the information handling system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the hardware component maintenance event includes at least a network communication device failure, the method further comprising:

obtaining at the portable information handling system network configuration information associated with the network communication device failure; and

communicating the network configuration information from the portable information handling system NFC device to the information handling system NFC device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the hardware component maintenance event includes at least a storage device failure, the method further comprising:

retrieving information regarding the hardware component maintenance event to the portable information handling system through a local area network; and

applying the information at the portable information handling system to present an image of the location of a failed storage device in the information handling system.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

reading with the portable information handling system NFC device maintenance information from an NFC device of the failed storage device; and

applying the maintenance information at the portable information handling system to confirm compatibility of a replacement storage device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

locking the information handling system;

retrieving information regarding the hardware component maintenance event to the portable information handling system through a local area network;

retrieving information from a replacement hardware component to the portable information handling system with a NFC communication between the replacement hardware component and the portable information handling system; and

unlocking the information handling system if the replacement hardware component matches the hardware component maintenance event.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the unlocking further comprises sending authorization to unlock the information handling system from the portable information handling system to the information handling system through a NFC communication.

10. A system for maintaining hardware components of an information handling system, the system comprising:

a visual maintenance indicator disposed at the information handling system and operable to provide a visual indication of a hardware component maintenance event detected at the information handling system;

a portable information handling system having a maintenance tool operable to request a maintenance code associated with the hardware component maintenance event from the information handling system with a first NFC communication to the information handling system;

a lock physically restricting access to the information handling system; and

a maintenance module running on the information handling system and operable to respond to the request with the maintenance code communicated to the portable information handling system with a second NFC communication;

wherein the maintenance tool presents the hardware component maintenance event at a display of the portable information handling system as an image of the hardware components of the information handling system and having a location of one or more of the hardware components associated with the hardware component maintenance event highlighted in the image, reads by a NFC transaction from a replacement hardware component information relating to the replacement hardware component, and authorizes access to the information handling system at the lock if the replacement hardware component is compatible with the information handling system.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the maintenance tool is further operable to:

report the maintenance code to a network location through a local area network interface; and

in response to the report, to receive maintenance information through the local area network interface for presentation at the display of the portable information handling system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the maintenance tool is further operable to unlock the information handling system to allow access to the hardware component after presentation of the maintenance information.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the maintenance information comprises configuration information for application to a replacement hardware component, the maintenance tool further operable to communicate the configuration information to the information handling system with a third NFC communication.