Fault-tolerant computer system with auto-restart after power-fal

Details Fault-tolerant computer system with auto-restart after power-fal Fault-tolerant computer system with auto-restart after power-fal

1992-11-16

1994-05-31

Fleming, Michael R.

Boots, shoes, and leggings

364DIG1, 3642316, 3642734, 395575, 371 66, G06F 1100

Patent

active

053177525

ABSTRACT:
A fault-tolerant computer system employs a power supply system including a battery backup so that upon AC power failure the system can execute an orderly shutdown, saving state to disk. A restart procedure restores the state existing at the time of power failure if the AC power has been restored by the time the shutdown is completed. This powerfail/autorestart procedure may be implemented in a fault-tolerant multiprocessor configuration having multiple identical CPUs executing the same instruction stream, with multiple, identical memory modules in the address space of the CPUs storing duplicates of the same data. The system detects faults in the CPUs and memory modules, and places a faulty unit offline while continuing to operate using the good units. The multiple CPUs are loosely synchronized, as by detecting events such as memory references and stalling any CPU ahead of others until all execute the function simultaneously; interrupts can be synchronized by ensuring that all CPUs implement the interrupt at the same point in their instruction stream. Memory references via the separate CPU-to-memory busses are voted at the three separate ports of each of the memory modules. I/O functions are implemented using two identical I/O busses, each of which is separately coupled to only one of the memory modules. A number of I/O processors are coupled to both I/O busses. I/O devices are accessed through a pair of identical (redundant) I/O processors, but only one is designated to actively control a given device; in case of failure of one I/O processor, however, an I/O device can be accessed by the other one without system shutdown.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3681578 (1972-08-01), Stevens
patent: 3959778 (1976-05-01), Brette
patent: 4015246 (1977-03-01), Hopkins, Jr. et al.
patent: 4213174 (1980-07-01), Morley et al.
patent: 4234920 (1980-11-01), Van Ness et al.
patent: 4253144 (1981-02-01), Bellamy et al.
patent: 4316245 (1982-02-01), Luu et al.
patent: 4321666 (1982-03-01), Tasar et al.
patent: 4327410 (1982-04-01), Patel et al.
patent: 4358823 (1982-11-01), McDonald et al.
patent: 4412281 (1983-10-01), Works
patent: 4432051 (1984-02-01), Bogaert et al.
patent: 4438494 (1984-03-01), Budde et al.
patent: 4458307 (1984-07-01), McAnlis et al.
patent: 4541094 (1985-09-01), Stiffler
patent: 4607365 (1986-08-01), Greig et al.
patent: 4611289 (1986-09-01), Coppola
patent: 4658352 (1987-04-01), Nagasawa
patent: 4757442 (1988-07-01), Sakata
patent: 4757505 (1988-07-01), Marrington et al.
patent: 4763333 (1988-08-01), Byrd
patent: 4819159 (1989-04-01), Shipley et al.
patent: 4823256 (1989-04-01), Bishop et al.
patent: 4845419 (1989-07-01), Hacker
patent: 4868832 (1989-09-01), Marington et al.
patent: 4907150 (1990-03-01), Arroyo et al.
patent: 4907232 (1990-03-01), Harper et al.
patent: 4959774 (1990-09-01), Davis
patent: 4965717 (1990-10-01), Cutts, Jr. et al.
patent: 5018148 (1991-05-01), Patel et al.
patent: 5020059 (1991-05-01), Gorin et al.
patent: 5212797 (1993-05-01), Miyake et al.
S. Chang, "Multiple-Read Single Write Memory and its Applications", IEEE Transactions on Computers, Aug. 1990, pp. 689-694.
D. Nadel, "Closely Coupled asynchronous hierarchical and parallel processing in an open architecture," The 12th Annual International Symposium on Computer Architecture, Conference Proceedings, Boston, Mass. Jun. 17-19, 1985, pp. 215-220.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Fault-tolerant computer system with auto-restart after power-fal does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Fault-tolerant computer system with auto-restart after power-fal, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Fault-tolerant computer system with auto-restart after power-fal will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1635269