Error monitoring of partitions in a computer system using partition status indicators

A computer program product, comprising at least one computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code comprising an algorithm adapted to implement a method for monitoring a plurality of partitions in a computer system, said method comprising:

• providing a partition status indicator (PSI) for each partition of the plurality of partitions, said partition status indicator denoting a RUNNING status or a FAIL status of the partition;
• providing an error log area for each partition, said error log area adapted to store at least one error entry pertaining to the partition, each error entry including a partition identifier (PI), an entry status indicator (ESI), and an error identifier (EI), said partition identifier identifying the partition, said entry status identifier indicating a READ status or UNREAD status of the error entry, said error identifier identifying a detected error for the partition;
• examining the partition status indicator of each partition to determine whether the partition has the FAIL status, each examined partition being denoted as a first partition;
• and
• performing an error procedure for each first partition having the FAIL status as determined by said examining, said performing comprising:
• copying each error entry in the error log area of the first partition whose entry status indicator indicates the UNREAD status into the error log area of a second partition of the plurality of partitions, said second partition being a running partition;
• setting the entry status indicator to the READ status for each copied error entry in the error log area of the first partition;
• and
• having the entry status indicator set to the UNREAD status for each copied error entry in the error log area of the second partition.

A computer system comprising a processor, a plurality of partitions, and a computer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for monitoring the plurality of partitions in a computer system, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

• providing a partition status indicator (PSI) for each partition of the plurality of partitions, said partition status indicator denoting a RUNNING status or a FAIL status of the partition;
• providing an error log area for each partition, said error log area adapted to store at least one error entry pertaining to the partition, each error entry including a partition identifier (PI), an entry status indicator (ESI), and an error identifier (EI), said partition identifier identifying the partition, said entry status identifier indicating a READ status or UNREAD status of the error entry, said error identifier identifying a detected error for the partition;
• examining the partition status indicator of each partition to determine whether the partition has the FAIL status, each examined partition being denoted as a first partition;
• and
• performing an error procedure for each first partition having the FAIL status as determined by said examining, said performing comprising:
• copying each error entry in the error log area of the first partition whose entry status indicator indicates the UNREAD status into the error log area of a second partition of the plurality of partitions, said second partition being a running partition;
• setting the entry status indicator to the READ status for each copied error entry in the error log area of the first partition;
• and
• having the entry status indicator set to the UNREAD status for each copied error entry in the error log area of the second partition.