Patent · US Expired

Computer system failure reporting mechanism

US6230286A · kind A · utility

15Cited by
19References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 21, 1995
Grant dateMay 8, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 21, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F11/1417
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for a failed computer system to send a report of the failure to a remote site without dependency on a service processor or maintenance processor. The computer system is capable of reporting system failure to a remote site independent of whether the system may be successfully rebooted. The system includes a CPU, and, coupled to the CPU, a non-volatile control store, a main memory, a storage device storing a computer operating system, and a data modem. Firmware is resident in the non-volatile control store of the main computer system for reporting system failure to a remote site independent of whether the system may be successfully rebooted by reloading the operating system into main memory. The firmware is invoked upon occurrence of a non-recoverable error and provides for assembling failure-related information, establishing communication with the remote site, and transmitting the failure-related information to the remote site.

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