Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Plural physical display element control system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-30
2001-08-28
Liang, Regina (Department: 2674)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Plural physical display element control system
C345S046000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06281860
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to information processing systems and more particularly to devices for providing indicia representative of system status information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Computer systems and computer related systems are becoming commonplace in today's workplace and homes. Both personal computers and larger systems including workstations and networked computer terminals, are being applied to new applications daily. In these and other electronic systems, when the system is started-up or “initialized”, there are several operations or steps that are executed before the system is ready for use. Occasionally, for any of various reasons, the system does not complete the initialization steps and gets “hung-up” during the initialization and an error message, for example, may be displayed to a user.
In networked systems, which include server units, the servers include panels or drawers of I/O (input-output) components mounted in racks which are physically displaced from any user or display device. When a server does not initialize properly, it is sometimes difficult to determine the point at which the initialization process failed.
Although it is possible to provide software support for initialization error detection, such programs may only provide an error message on a system display CRT that the initialization process did not complete. In many cases, the display CRT is at a location displaced from the system hardware racks which include the electronics and boards which would need to be checked. Moreover, the exact cause or point at which the failure occurred is not known or is not displayed. Accordingly, when the system is being checked-out to for the cause of the failure, the start-up or initialization process must be run again to attempt to determine at what point in the initialization process the failure occurred.
Moreover, in systems which are shipped to international customers, software de-bugging solutions are sometimes difficult to implement because of the number of languages to which the error and other information must be translated before being communicated to repair personnel for system repair and/or maintenance.
Thus, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for communicating error and other system initialization and other operating information to personnel responsible for system operation and/or maintenance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method and apparatus is provided which is effective to communicate various states of operation of an electronics system by sequentially operating a plurality of perceptible indicia combinations representative of an operational execution sequence. In one exemplary embodiment, first and second perceptible indicia devices include a light-emitting diode in combination with an alphanumeric display device, which are both mounted on an I/O drawer of a computer system server equipment rack. Various states of a system initialization process are indicated by different combinations of possible states of the LED and display devices such that the sequencing of an initialization process can be determined by inspection of the status of the perceptible indicia devices.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5423006 (1995-06-01), Brown et al.
patent: 5515071 (1996-05-01), Cho
patent: 5930524 (1999-07-01), Sasaki
patent: 5987535 (1999-11-01), Knodt et al.
Ahrens, Jr. George Henry
Duron Mike Conrad
Faust Robert Allan
Gray Forrest Clifton
Szabo Kurt Paul
International Business Machines - Corporation
Leeuwen Leslie A. Van
Liang Regina
Wilder Robert V.
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