Handling errors in a data processing system
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsAndrew C. Walton, Jeffrey A. Barlow
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of managing errors in a data processing system may involve at least one computer system. Each computer system may include a processor that executes an operating system, firmware, and system memory storing instructions for the operating system. A firmware error handler resident in the firmware may identify an error occurring in the computer system. The firmware error handler may determine whether the operating system is required to take an action in response to the error. If the operating system is not required to take an action in response to the error, the firmware error handler may create an error log accessible to the operating system appropriate to cause the operating system to take no action.
Claims15
A method of handling errors in a data processing system having an error management system and plural computer partitions, each computer partition including a processor executing an operating system, firmware including a firmware error handler, and system memory storing instructions for the operating system, the error management system including the firmware error handlers and a firmware error manager separate from the computer partitions, the method comprising:
- identifying, by the firmware error handlers, errors occurring in their respective computer partitions;
- hiding, by the firmware error handlers, at least some of the identified errors from the respective operating systems;
- communicating from the firmware error handlers information about the errors hidden from the respective operating systems to the error manager;
- and
- analyzing, by the error manager, the information about the errors hidden from the respective operating systems.
A data processing system comprising:
- plural computer partitions, each computer partition operating according to an operating system and including hardware and firmware having a firmware error handler configured to identify errors occurring in the hardware;
- an error management system including the error handlers and an error manager separate from the computer partitions, the error handlers being configured to hide at least some of the identified errors from the respective operating systems and to communicate information about the errors hidden from the respective operating systems to the firmware error manager.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage device readable by one or more computer partitions of a data processing system and having embodied therein a program of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer partitions, provide for:
- identifying, by firmware error handlers resident in firmware within the computer partitions of a data-processing system, errors occurring in the respective computer partitions;
- hiding, by the firmware error handlers, at least some of the identified errors from respective operating systems executing in respective ones of the computer partitions;
- communicating, from the firmware error handlers, information about the errors hidden from the respective operating systems to an error manager of the data-processing system, the error manager being separate from the computer partitions;
- and
- analyzing, by the error manager, the information about the errors hidden from the respective operating systems.
A data processing system comprising:
- plural computer partitions configured to execute respective operating systems, each of said computer partitions including a respective processor, respective memory, and respective firmware including a respective firmware error handler, each firmware error handler being configured to identify errors occurring in the respective partition, to hide at least some identified errors from the respective operating system, and to communicate information regarding errors hidden from respective operating systems to a firmware error manager separate from the computer partitions;
- and
- a management processor including firmware encoded with code and hardware for executing the code to manage the computer partitions, the managing including rebooting the computer partitions, the management processor including the firmware error manager, the firmware error manager being configured to receive and analyze the information regarding errors hidden from respective operating systems.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.