Abstract: A method and system for identifying compatibility between firmware images. The method for identifying compatibility between firmware images includes analyzing a control block of each of the firmware images, where each of the control blocks includes a firmware family code and a compatibility table of a firmware image associated with the control block. Next, the method determines if the firmware family codes of the firmware images are the same and whether any of the compatibility table entries pertain to either firmware image. Generally, if the firmware family codes are the same, the firmware images are considered compatible, however, if the firmware family codes are different, the firmware images are considered to be incompatible, unless a compatibility table entry indicates otherwise.

Abstract: A system enclosure uses two heat exchangers and a thermoelectric cooling module to manage heat within the system. An airflow enters the system and is heated by server blades. Portions of the airflow split and travel to various portions of the system enclosure. Some heat is removed from the airflow by passing through the first heat exchanger before circulating around downstream subsystems. The first heat exchanger contacts the cold side of a TEC module, to reduce the temperature of that airflow. The air then enters the network switch module or other subsystem where it is further heated. Thereafter, the second heat exchanger ‘bypasses’ those components by reinserting the upstream heat back into the downstream airflow. The second heat exchanger contacts the hot side of the TEC module. The mixture of all heated air is then expelled from the system enclosure.

Abstract: A system and method for establishing and maintaining date information associated with an electronic device. The system is typically configured to prompt a user to enter or otherwise establish a valid date at some point after power is applied to the system. After establishing a valid date, the real time clock is configured to maintain real-time date/time information. Upon determining that a valid date has been set, the system may subsequently obtain date/time information from the real time clock and store the obtained date and time in the non-volatile memory as the in-service date. The system may be enabled to determine if, subsequent to establishing an in-service date, the user altered the date/time information in a manner that indicated an intent to extend the warranty period beyond the manufacturer specified warranty period.

Abstract: A system for storing and configuring CMOS setting information remotely in a sewer blade environment includes a management module having includes persistent storage containing a table of CMOS setting information for each server blade. Each server blade includes boot block software that executes when the blade is booted. The boot block software initiates communication with the management module and retrieves its CMOS settings from the table. Thus, CMOS settings for a particular blade location remain unchanged each time a blade is replaced or upgraded. The management module and saver blades may implement a programming interface tat includes command abstractions for each CMOS setting. The management module sends command abstractions to each sewer blade during the CMOS configuration process. The server blade interprets the commands and maps the commands to specific CMOS bit addresses thereby making the specific CMOS implementation employed by any server blade transparent to the management module.

Abstract: A computing device incorporates a user sensor to signal when a user is moving or within a specified proximity of the computing device. If the user is not present, the computing device will go into a low-power mode. A real-time clock is programmed to interrupt at user indicted event times and dates. If a queued event occurs, the computing device samples the user sensor and begins notification procedures if the user is present. If a queued event time occurs while the user is not present, then the computing device enters or stays in the low-power mode. If the user sensor indicates that the user is present, the computing device notifies the user of the pending event and any missed events. The computing device may require a user code before normal operation is activated following a transition to an indication that the user is present.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for dynamically sharing a limited supply of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses among a larger number of servers. A manager coupled between the Internet and a plurality of servers may receive a request for an IP address associated with a domain name from a client coupled to the Internet. The manager may be configured to map the domain name into an IP address assigned to the server hosting the web site of the domain name. Each assigned IP address may be valid only for a limited time. Once the time the assigned IP address is valid has expired, the assigned IP address may be returned to the pool of available IP addresses thereby allowing a smaller number of IP addresses to be dynamically shared among a larger number of servers.

Abstract: A method and system for adaptively implementing a disk drive startup sequence for a disk drive array. Prior to a next disk drive spin-up sequence a currently available power supply resource capacity and a startup metric of each of the array disk drives are determined. Each of the disk drives are scheduled into designated startup groups as a function of both the determined currently available power supply resource capacity and the determined startup metric. The scheduling of disk drives into designated startup groups includes determining an activation sequence timing schedule for each of the disk drives. The activation sequence timing schedule determines the relative times at which spindle motors for each of said plurality of disk drives will be activated as a function of the determined startup metric for each of the disk drives and the available power supply resource capacity as reduced by the steady state power requirements of each of the startup groups.

Abstract: A data processing system and method analyze the performance of its components by obtaining measures of usage of the components over time as well as electrical requirements of those components to recommend an optimal configuration. The location in the system and the time duration that any one or more components is in a performance-limiting or bottleneck condition is determined. Based on the observed bottlenecks, their times of occurrence and their time duration, more optimal configurations of the system are recommended. The present invention is particularly adapted for use in data processing systems where a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus is used.

Abstract: A system and method for implementing a system optimizer utilized to determine if a current configuration of a data processing system is optimized for system performance according to testing criteria. If the current configuration is not optimized, alternate configurations are generated and analyzed to find at least one optimized alternate configuration. If an optimized alternate configuration is found, the system optimizer notifies a user. However, if at least one optimized alternate configuration is not found, the testing criteria is altered and the set of generated alternate configurations are analyzed utilizing the altered testing criteria.

Abstract: A method for co-operative thermal management of a number of independent electronic devices housed within a common enclosure that includes designating a priority number and measuring a temperature for each of the independent electronic devices. Next, for each of the independent electronic devices, the measured temperature is evaluated to determine if it exceeds a threshold value for the independent electronic device. If the measured temperature exceeds a threshold value, a count-down value is initialize to the designated priority number of the independent electronic device. Following which, the count-down value is evaluated to determine if it is equal to zero. If the count-down value is equal to zero, the independent electronic device is powered down. However, if the count-down value is not equal to zero, a specified time interval is allowed to expire before the count-down value is decremented and re-evaluated to determine if it is equal to zero.

Abstract: A system and method for determining an active service processor from two or more redundant service processors in the system. The system typically includes two management modules and at least one managed subsystem such as a server blade. Each management module includes a service processor and control logic. The control logic is configured to receive various status signals from the service processor and to generate a control signal based thereon. The control signal is provided, via an interconnect plane, to determination logic on each managed subsystem. The determination logic receives a control signal from each management module and generates a switch signal based on the state of the control signals. The switch signal controls switching logic configured to receive bus signals from the service processors on each management module. Based on the control signal, one of the service processor bus signals is provided to managed instrumentation on the managed subsystem.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for thermal analysis are disclosed. Embodiments of the invention receive temperatures associated with elements of a system. The temperatures received are dependant upon airflow and heating patterns of the elements. Differences between the temperatures received and expected temperatures are detected. Potential airflow and heating patterns associated with a thermal problem are then determined, the potential airflow and heating patterns being substantially consistent with the temperatures received, to identify a root cause of the thermal problem as a probable source of the differences. More specifically, embodiments collect temperature readings from temperature sensors within an enclosure of the system; identify and upward temperature gradient or temperature that exceeds a threshold temperature; and select a failure scenario associated with a root cause of a thermal problem that is similar to the thermal problem described by the temperature readings collected.

Abstract: This invention is comprised of a data processing system containing at least one main processor connected to a system bus, a system memory connected to the system bus and accessible to each of the main processors, a tamper mechanism, and a local service processor. The tamper mechanism is configured to change state each time the system is inserted into a slot in a rack enclosure. The local service processor is connected to the tamper mechanism and configured to update an insertion log upon detecting a change in state of the tamper mechanism. The insertion log provides a count and a history of rack insertions to which the system has been subjected. The system may include a non-volatile storage element which is updated exclusively by the local service processor that contains the insertion log. The insertion log may include an insertion counter. In this embodiment, the local service processor is configured to increment the insertion counter upon each insertion.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for thermal analysis are disclosed. Embodiments of the invention receive temperatures associated with elements of a system. The temperatures received are dependent upon airflow and heating patterns of the elements. Differences between the temperatures received and expected temperatures are detected. Potential airflow and heating patterns associated with a thermal problem are then determined, the potential airflow and heating patterns being substantially consistent with the temperatures received, to identify a root cause of the thermal problem as a probable source of the differences. More specifically, embodiments collect temperature readings from temperature sensors within an enclosure of the system; identify an upward temperature gradient or temperature that exceeds a threshold temperature; and select a failure scenario associated with a root cause of a thermal problem that is similar to the thermal problem described by the temperature readings collected.

Abstract: A method and system for identifying compatibility between firmware images. The method for identifying compatibility between firmware images includes analyzing a control block of each of the firmware images, where each of the control blocks includes a firmware family code and a compatibility table of a firmware image associated with the control block. Next, the method determines if the firmware family codes of the firmware images are the same and whether any of the compatibility table entries pertain to either firmware image. Generally, if the firmware family codes are the same, the firmware images are considered compatible, however, if the firmware family codes are different, the firmware images are considered to be incompatible, unless a compatibility table entry indicates otherwise.

Abstract: A system in which a networked device automatically evaluates hacker attack notification information and, based thereon, selects and executes responses to the attack. The notification may include information such as the address of the infected system, identification of the specific worm, and a list of vulnerable applications and operating systems. The evaluation is based on factors including criticality and vulnerability of applications running on the system and connectivity of the device. A variety of automatic responses can be selected, including notification of network administration, shutdown of the device or services running on the device, updating and activation of anti-virus software, and selective handling of data sent from the address of the suspect network device. The selection of responses can occur automatically based on rules input during setup or by intervention of network administration.

Abstract: A method and system for storing and configuring CMOS setting information remotely in a server blade environment. The system includes a management module configured to act as a service processor to a data processing configuration comprising a set of one or more server blades sharing common resources such as system power and cooling fans. The management module includes persistent storage in which is stored a table containing CMOS setting information for each server blade in the configuration. Each server blade includes boot block software that executes when the blade is booted after power-on or system reset. The boot block software initiates communication with the management module and retrieves its CMOS settings from the management modules CMOS setting table. In this manner, CMOS settings for a particular blade location in the configuration remain unchanged each time a blade is replaced or upgraded.

Abstract: A method and system for adaptively implementing a disk drive startup sequence for a disk drive array. Prior to a next disk drive spin-up sequence a currently available power supply resource capacity and a startup metric of each of the array disk drives are determined. Each of the disk drives are scheduled into designated startup groups as a function of both the determined currently available power supply resource capacity and the determined startup metric. The scheduling of disk drives into designated startup groups includes determining an activation sequence timing schedule for each of the disk drives. The activation sequence timing schedule determines the relative times at which spindle motors for each of said plurality of disk drives will be activated as a function of the determined startup metric for each of the disk drives and the available power supply resource capacity as reduced by the steady state power requirements of each of the startup groups.

Abstract: A system and method for determining an active service processor from two or more redundant service processors in the system. The system typically includes two management modules and at least one managed subsystem such as a server blade. Each management module includes a service processor and control logic. The control logic is configured to receive various status signals from the service processor and to generate a control signal based thereon. The control signal is provided, via an interconnect plane, to determination logic on each managed subsystem. The determination logic receives a control signal from each management module and generates a switch signal based on the state of the control signals. The switch signal controls switching logic configured to receive bus signals from the service processors on each management module. Based on the control signal, one of the service processor bus signals is provided to managed instrumentation on the managed subsystem.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for remotely booting devices. A deployment server may remotely transmit authentication parameter(s), e.g., public key, secret key, to a service unit configured to establish a private connection between server blades and the deployment server. The service unit may remotely install the authentication parameter(s) onto the server blade(s) to be booted by either the deployment server or another boot server. By the service unit remotely installing the authentication parameter(s) onto the server blade(s), the need to manually install them during each network boot operation may be alleviated. By remotely transmitting authentication parameter(s) instead of manually installing them on the devices to be booted during each network boot operation, the deployment server may be able to generate unique authentication parameter(s), e.g., public/private key pair, secret key, for each network boot operation thereby substantially reducing the exposure to replay attacks.