Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Data processing system error or fault handling – Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-01
2001-10-23
Beausoleil, Robert (Department: 2184)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Data processing system error or fault handling
Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308289
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to environmental sensing and control and in particular to a local processor using sensors for continuously monitoring environmental conditions within a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a local processor that utilizes registers arranged in a fault/mask/cache fashion to pass information to system firmware for environmental control and sensing within a data processing system or information handling system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many data processing or computer systems support a standard input/output (I/O) systems conforming to the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) Local Bus architecture, an architecture supporting many complex features including I/O expansion through PCI-to-PCI bridges, peer-to-peer (device-to-device) data transfers, multi-function devices, and both integrated and plug-in devices. These input/output sub-systems may typically be set up in I/O drawer configurations, especially in large server systems having multiple I/O sub-systems. One of the complexities involved in these types of configurations is keeping the I/O drawer at the manufactures recommended operating temperatures and/or keeping enough supply power to run all the devices and operations. Even though personal computers or servers, during normal system operation, run little risk of corrupting data, the risk of data corruption becomes significant when environmental variables change (i.e. temperature) or system components (i.e. power supplies) become defective. This makes environmental sensing a very important feature.
Therefore, it would be ideal if a computer system would monitor environmental data in the background and alert its system only when a change was sensed to protect itself from data corruption. However, a problem arises when trying to bridge the localized environmental sense information of a system component to the system level where an appropriate action can be taken due to hardware and software complexities. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a method and system for monitoring and controlling at the I/O sub-system level environmental and system component information through an arrangement of simple hardware registers common to both the system firmware and the I/O drawer processor code. The present invention solves these problems in a novel and unique fashion not previously known in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a method and system for environmental sensing and control for an I/O subsystem or drawer within a data processing or information handling system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and system for background monitoring of environmental and system component data, which does not employ data processing system cycles until a change is sensed.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and system that causes in the case of a critical environmental condition the data processing system be alerted to perform an orderly shutdown, thereby avoiding any possibility of data corruption.
The foregoing objects are achieved as is now described. A local processor utilizes registers arranged in a fault/mask/cache fashion for environmental control and sensing within a data processing system. The local processor continuously reads input data from a variety of environmental sensors in order to determine if a threshold level has been reached and a fault condition exists. Cache registers allow the local processor to store/pass detailed sensor information to system firmware within system processor(s). The local processor sets a fault bit within a fault register designed to cause an interrupt to the system level firmware if any of its bits are non-zero, indicating that a fault condition has occurred. A mask register is designed to allow the interaction of both the local processor and system processor(s) when an interrupt is being serviced and help keeps track of which interrupts are being serviced and which are yet to be serviced in the case of multiple interrupt sources. The system firmware will service the interrupt and set the mask bit. The action will signal the local processor that the system has acknowledged the interrupt and will take the appropriate action. The local processor may now post another fault, exactly like the first fault, by clearing the mask bit and causing a subsequent interrupt to the system. The fault, mask, cache, and both local and system processor(s) work together to provide a positive interlock for synchronizing their actions with each other.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.
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“Interrupt Protocol for Interconnected Microprocessors”IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Jul. 1978, vol. 21, issue 2, pp. 786-787.
Ahrens George Henry
Duron Mike Conrad
Faust Robert Allan
McLaughlin Charles Andrew
Shempert Craig Henry
Beausoleil Robert
Bonzo Bryce P.
Bracewell & Patterson L.L.P.
International Business Machines - Corporation
Leeuwen Leslie A. Van
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