Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Digital data processing system initialization or configuration – Loading initialization program
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-04
2003-07-22
Butler, Dennis M. (Department: 2185)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Digital data processing system initialization or configuration
Loading initialization program
C713S002000, C713S100000, C714S038110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06598158
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In computer systems, particularly in real-time systems such as, for example, switching systems of telecommunications technology, software maintenance mechanisms are integrated in a standard way that offer techniques for neutralizing software errors.
These techniques are automatic restarts of parts or of the entire system, whereby data, operating means, operating system resources and the code part of the software (SF) themselves are reset graduated and re-initialized.
Automatic restart, techniques are generally graduated as follows:
1. Restart of an individual SW process or of a group of processes with initialization of its local data.
2. Restart of all processes of a processor (in multi-processor systems) with initialization of global data.
3. Synchronized start of all SW processes of a processor.
4. System-wide restarts with synchronized commissioning of all processors.
5. System-wide restarts with synchronized commissioning of all processors and loading of data and code.
6. System-wide restarts with synchronized commissioning of all processors connected with a fall-back to an earlier startup-tested SW generation in the overall system.
Errors are thereby currently neutralized in that, as a result of the initialization of data and the multiple program statuses that derive from the code with the corresponding data, that system constellation (data and code) that led to the error no longer occurs in purely statistical terms over the mid-term (i.e. until the correction of the SW error in the field, for example with PATCH, which was prepared in the laboratory.
This method fundamentally contains a critical deficiency: given serious errors, an escalation (expansion of the restart) to a system-wide startup level always occurs, whereby the entire SW is generally restarted. I.e., the faulty SW continues to be contained in the system and is also dynamically active. When it is a matter of an error that is hard to reproduce, then the error cannot be neutralized by the above mechanism. When the error is likewise already present in the earlier fall-back generation, then the system rolls and does not return into an active condition of its own power.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to avoid or diminish the previously noted disadvantages.
According to the present invention, in a computer system, a restart component is provided that only restarts software that allows a continuation of operation of the computer system with reduced functionality.
Also according to the invention, in a computer system a restart mechanism is provided that, given occurrence of an error during normal operation, initially attempts at least one time to reconvert a computer system into normal operation and, when this miscarries or the normal operation does not remain stable, implements a restart technique that only restarts software of the computer system that allows a continuation of operation of the computer system which reduce functionality.
With the computer system of the invention, in a computer system there is the improvement of a division into shells around a core. The core comprises a hardware of the computer system as well as software functions that are required for a basic operation of the system. At least one further shell is arranged around the core that comprises further software functions that are required for an expanded operation of the system. A restart mechanism controls the restart, this restart mechanism initially attempting at least once to activate the core in all shells and, when an error reoccurs, repeats the restart or activation attempt upon omission of a respective outermost shell.
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patent: 5276863 (1994-01-01), Heider
patent: 5455940 (1995-10-01), Daniel et al.
patent: 5491788 (1996-02-01), Cepulis et al.
patent: 6279120 (2001-08-01), Lautenbach-Lampe et al.
patent: 6381694 (2002-04-01), Yen
patent: WO 95/22794 (1995-08-01), None
Bauer Wolfgang
Eggers Harald
Niessen Jürgen
Schlag Richard
Schmelz Manfred
McCormick Paulding & Huber LLP
Patel Nitin C.
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
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