Dynamic affinity mapping to reduce usage of less reliable resources

#The description herein relates to information handling systems and the handling of resources in such systems.

#As the value and use of information continue to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system (IHS) generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.

#IHSs contain resources, such as memory resources, input/output (I/O) devices and ports, etc., that can experience errors. Some resources are designed such that minor errors can be corrected. For instance, in the case of memory resources, many systems store data in memory along with an ECC (Error Correcting Code) that allows single-bit errors in a data word to be corrected. In the case of network interfaces, various packet protocol layers have the capability to detect errors, with at least some protocols responding to an error by dropping an offending packets and/or requesting that the packet be resent.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an IHS.

#FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of an IHS having a plurality of memory modules, according to an embodiment.

#FIG. 3 shows a system resource allocation table (SRAT), according to an embodiment.

#For purposes of this disclosure, an IHS includes any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an IHS may be a personal computer, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The IHS may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, read only memory (ROM), and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the IHS may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices as well as various I/O devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The IHS may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one typical IHS. The IHS 100 includes a processor 110 such as an Intel Pentium series processor or one of many other processors currently available. A memory I/O hub chipset 120 connects to processor 110 over a front-side bus 115. Memory I/O hub 120 provides the processor 110 with access to a variety of resources. Main memory 130 connects to memory I/O hub 120 over a memory bus. A graphics processor 140 also connects to memory I/O hub 120, allowing the graphics processor to communicate, e.g., with processor 110 and main memory 130. Graphics processor 140, in turn, provides display signals to a display device 150.

#Other resources can also be coupled to the system through memory I/O hub 120, including an optical drive 160 or other removable-media drive, one or more hard disk drives 165, one or more network interfaces 170, one or more USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports 180, and a super I/O controller 190 to provide access to user input devices 195, etc.