Patent · US Expired

Computer system operation with corrected read data function

US5263032A · kind A · utility

118Cited by
2References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 27, 1991
Grant dateNov 16, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 27, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F11/1024
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A computer system having a memory with an ECC function employs an improved method for handling corrected read data events, so transient errors caused by alpha particle hits in DRAMs may be distinguished from hard errors. When a corrected read data event occurs, a footprint defining its location is compared with previously-stored footprints to determine if this location has failed before. Also, a location showing a corrected read data event is "scrubbed" (data is read, corrected and rewritten) so transient error locations are removed. If another corrected read data event occurs for this same location, after scrubbing, then the location is assumed to have a hard fault, and so the page containing this location is replaced.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.