Error collection coordination for software-readable and non-software readable fault isolation registers in a computer system
First Claim
1. A method for coordinating failure information retrieval from non-software accessible registers and software accessible registers of a computer system, the method comprising:
- performing failure information retrieval with the software accessible registers when a non-maskable interrupt occurs;
determining whether failure information retrieval utilizing a service processor (SP) is necessary;
performing failure information retrieval from non-software accessible registers by utilizing the SP by initiating the SP for register scan through receiving an attention signal and determining if a semaphore indicator has been set; and
forming an error log with error data retrieved during the failure information retrieval steps.
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Abstract
The present invention provides method and system aspects for performing error data gathering from fault isolation registers of a computer system following a machine check occurrence. A method aspect includes utilizing firmware to perform failure information retrieval in software accessible registers and initiating a service processor (SP) for failure data retrieval in non-software accessible registers. The method further includes coordinating the combination of the failure information retrieved and the failure data retrieved in an error log for use in isolation of a fault source in the computer system.
88 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method for coordinating failure information retrieval from non-software accessible registers and software accessible registers of a computer system, the method comprising:
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performing failure information retrieval with the software accessible registers when a non-maskable interrupt occurs; determining whether failure information retrieval utilizing a service processor (SP) is necessary; performing failure information retrieval from non-software accessible registers by utilizing the SP by initiating the SP for register scan through receiving an attention signal and determining if a semaphore indicator has been set; and forming an error log with error data retrieved during the failure information retrieval steps. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for performing error data gathering from fault isolation registers of a computer system following a machine check occurrence, the method comprising:
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utilizing firmware to perform failure information retrieval in software accessible registers; initiating a service processor (SP) for failure data retrieval in non-software accessible registers by receiving an attention signal and determining if a semaphore indicator has been set; and coordinating the combination of the failure information retrieved and the failure data retrieved in an error log for use in isolation of a fault source in the computer system. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer system capable of identifying a source of a machine check condition from data in failure isolation registers, the computer system comprising:
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processing means; firmware means supported by the processing means for performing failure information retrieval from software-readable registers; service processor (SP) means coupled to the processing means, the SP means performing failure information retrieval for non-software readable registers and being initiated for register scan by receiving an attention signal and determining if a semaphore indicator has been set; and memory means coupled to the SP means and the processing means for storing failure information retrieved by the firmware means and the SP means in a predefined error log data structure. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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Specification