Method and apparatus for saving data used in error analysis

• US 7,010,726 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Issued: 03/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ruzek, Gary Lee, Faust, Robert Allan, Kehne, Kevin Gene, Nulu, Sayileela
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu, Gabriel L.
• Application Number:
  US09/798,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20020124209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 714/45, 714/57, 714/30, 714/31, 714/48
• US Class Current: 714/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0712 in a virtual computing platform, e.g. logically partitioned systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0787 Storage of error reports, e.g. persistent data storage, storage using memory protection

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer implemented instructions for saving data in a logically partitioned data processing system. An error is detected in the logically partitioned data processing system. Data needed for error analysis of the error is saved in a power independent memory associated with a service processor.

Claims

1. A method for saving data in a logically partitioned data processing system, said system including a plurality of processors that are assigned to one of a plurality of logical partitions, the method comprising:

detecting an error in the logically partitioned data processing system; and

saving data needed for error analysis of the error in a power independent memory that is included within a service processor, said service processor being utilized to manage said plurality of logical partitions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said memory is a type of electrically erasable programmable read only memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes at least one of stack registers, general purpose registers, and floating point registers.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving the data from the memory for analysis.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is saved between system boots of the data processing system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory has a size of 16 megabytes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes an error log.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes dump data.

9. A logically partitioned data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications unit connected to the bus system, wherein data is sent and received using the communications unit;

a firmware connected to the bus system, wherein a set of instructions are located in the firmware;

a plurality of processors that are assigned to one of a plurality of logical partitions;

a service processor connected to the bus system, said service processor being utilized to manage said plurality of logical partition;

a power independent memory included within the service processor; and

a host processor connected to the bus system, wherein the host processor executes the set of instructions in firmware to detect an error in the logically partitioned data processing system; and

save data needed for error analysis of the error in the power independent memory included within the service processor.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the bus system includes a primary bus and a secondary bus.

11. The data processing system claim 9, wherein the communications unit is an Ethernet adapter.

12. A data processing system for saving data in a logically partitioned data processing system, said system including a plurality of processors that are assigned to one of a plurality of logical partitions, the data processing system comprising:

detecting means for detecting an error in the logically partitioned data processing system; and

saving means for saving data needed for error analysis of the error in a power independent memory included within a service processor, said service processor being utilized to manage said plurality of logical partitions.

13. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein the power independent memory is an erasable programmable read only memory.

14. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein the data includes at least one of stack registers, general purpose registers, and floating point registers.

15. The data processing system of claim 12, further comprising:

retrieving means for retrieving the data from the power independent memory for analysis.

16. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein the data is saved between system boots of the data processing system.

17. The data processing system method of claim 12, wherein the power independent memory has a size of 16 megabytes.

18. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein the data includes an error log.

19. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein the data includes dump data.

20. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for saving data in a logically partitioned data processing system, said system including a plurality of processors that are assigned to one of a plurality of logical partitions, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for detecting an error in the logically partitioned data processing system; and

second instructions for saving data needed for error analysis of the error in a power independent memory included within a service processor, said service processor being utilized to managed said plurality of logical partitions.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the power independent memory is an erasable programmable read only memory.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the data includes at least one of stack registers, general purpose registers, and floating point registers.

23. The computer program product of claim 20 further comprising:

third instructions for retrieving the data from the power independent memory for analysis.

24. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the data is saved between system boots of the data processing system.

25. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the power independent memory has a size of 16 megabytes.

26. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the data includes an error log.

27. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the data includes dump data.