Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-13
2002-05-07
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000, C345S215000, C345S215000, C709S223000, C709S224000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06384842
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to graphical representations of system components and, in particular, to displaying graphical representations that illustrate relative and absolute physical locations of disk memory system components located in a room.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Computer systems can comprise a substantial number of components, together with the equipment that supports and/or interfaces with such components. These can include memory storage devices, controllers, equipment racks, component or module trays, power supplies, interface devices, software, hardware connectors and cabling or wiring. A RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) is comprised of numerous such components. A RAID system has a large number of disk drives and controllers that have supervisory control over the disk drives and other environmental components. These components, as well as other RAID system components, are commonly supported in one or more racks having slots and/or subslots into which the system components are inserted. Since RAID system components can be arranged differently when they are installed at particular user sites, each physical arrangement or placement of these system components may be different for each such site. In that regard, the racks or other RAID system support structures are housed in parts of one or more selected rooms in the building having the RAID system. The system components are typically then positioned in such racks according to a suitable arrangement. In the case of any given RAID system, it is commonplace to use a host machine that has overall control of read/write operations conducted by the RAID system. However, the host machine may not be aware of the physical locations of all RAID system components. If an operator of the RAID system wants to access a particular RAID system component, the operator must determine its physical location among the large number of RAID system components. The operator might want to replace or move a particular system component in the RAID system and must know its location in order to perform the task. It is known to store and display component lists for RAID systems. RAID systems also currently have the capability of providing information regarding the identification and location of some components in the system, such as relative locations of disk drives in a drive tray. Such available information does not clearly and immediately provide the user with the relative and absolute physical locations of all RAID system components.
It would be advantageous, therefore, to be able to graphically illustrate relative and absolute physical locations of RAID system components so that an operator could more easily find a particular component or components among a substantial number thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, method and system are provided that implement a graphical user interface for displaying, on a display screen or monitor of a computer system or user machine, numerous graphical representations of actual relative and absolute physical locations of system components, preferably RAID system components. When viewed on the display screen, the operator can ascertain the location of one or more selected PAID system components, e.g., identify its location in order to readily find and access the actual system component in the room having numerous system components. Importantly, each graphical representation can be updated when a change occurs in its corresponding physical RAID system component. Depending on the type of system component, some updating can be accomplished substantially automatically without user operations or interventions. Other RAID system components require user control in order to accomplish the updating. Updating can also include providing status information for one or more RAID system components.
The graphical representations include geometric designs that schematically or pictorially represent the actual system components. For example, a rack for holding system components or modules is illustrated as a box-like unit having separated compartments or slots into which smaller quadrilateral-shaped items representative of disk drives and disk controllers are positioned. The graphical representations are indicative of a variety of system components such as the system racks, disk drives, storage array controllers, disk trays, controller trays, power supplies, fans, interface units, hardware connectors, cabling and/or wiring. System components can also encompass or include combinations of other system components, such as a combination of a controller and a controller tray, which combination could also be labeled a controller module. The user or operator of the computer system is able to select from among such numerous graphical representations and combine them on the display screen to graphically represent the actual arrangement of the system components in a room of a building or other physical area. At least some of the resulting graphical representations can include indicators or other indicia that convey the status information associated with the corresponding one or more of the actual system components. Such status information can include, for example, whether power is being applied to that system component and/or whether or not that system component has experienced one or more predetermined faults.
The computer system of the present invention is used in processing, displaying and otherwise controlling operations related to such graphical representations. In one embodiment, a number of computer systems are employed. The computer system typically comprises computer hardware such as one or more processors, the monitor having the display screen, program memory and storage memory (e.g. hard disk drive storage memory) for storing data indicative of the numerous graphical representations and input devices including a keyboard and mouse. The geometric shapes, which represent one or more system components or parts of a system component, are built or developed and stored in the storage memory in a readily accessible manner. Such graphical representations can be defined as including an object form that represents a system component or part thereof and/or text that may, but need not, accompany the object form. The text might be useful in further defining the particular component pictorially illustrated by the object form, such as a certain disk controller that differentiates it from other disk controllers.
The computer system(s) can operably communicate with one or more of the RAID memory systems. Each, or all of such, RAID system(s) may be conveniently further defined as including a number of RAID subsystems, for example, when illustrating or otherwise defining their locations in different rooms or different parts of the same room. One or more host systems is typically in communication with the RAID memory system(s). Such a host system may be involved in controlling read/write operations of the data or other information relative to, for example, a particular one or more of the RAID systems. In one embodiment, one or more of such host systems are able to also directly communicate with the computer system.
With respect to Utilizing the numerous graphical representations, in one embodiment, the RAID system is set-up or configured in one or more rooms and in one or more parts of the same room. That is, the RAID system components are shipped from the manufacturing location or other site to the designated user geographical site. The user can then arrange or assemble the system components in accordance with a desired or predetermined physical configuration in which each system component has a relative location to the other system components, as well as an absolute physical location in a particular part of a room or other area. The user also has the computer system with memory that stores the software package or software modules required for establishing the graphical user interface for utilizing the numerous graphical representations of system components. That is, the
DeKoning Rodney A.
Delaney William P.
Bayerl Raymond J.
Thai Cuong T.
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