Abstract: Described are techniques for performing data recovery processing for two failed devices included in a set of devices. It is determined whether the two failed devices are each one of the data devices, a horizontal parity device, or a diagonal parity device. Each of the data devices is partitioned into N?1 data segments. The horizontal parity device includes N horizontal parity segments each including parity information for a horizontal grouping of N?1 of the data segments. The diagonal parity device includes N diagonal parity segments each including parity information for a diagonal grouping of N?1 of the data segments. Recovery processing is performed to recover two failed devices in accordance with the diagonal parity device, the horizontal parity device, and the data devices.

Abstract: Sampled profile data provides information about processor activity during a test. Processor activity can be analyzed to determine an amount of processor resources used to execute the various functions, modules, and processes associated with a tested software activity. Statistical methods can be applied to the resource data from multiple test runs to determine whether a significant regression has occurred between a baseline test pass and a daily test pass. By collecting data at the function, module and process levels, significant regressions may be uncovered at any of the levels. Regressions may also be ranked according to their importance, which allows for identification and notification of development teams responsible for significant regressions.

Abstract: Methods are described for solving the problems associated with error messages by providing methods for unique identification of error messages to allow for resolving one or several messages to information, such as a knowledge base article. The methods include a method for reporting errors by generating an error message box upon determination that an error occurred, displaying the error message box to a user and allowing a user to interact with the error message box by selecting a universal resource locator (URL) in the error message box to connect to product support. The user can cause passing of a string to product support including an error message identifier to enable a search to match the error message identifier to information concerning the error. The information could be information about the error or a bug submission form for assisting product support to isolate a new error in the application.

Abstract: A system and method that rejuvenates a computer system is provided. The user uses the computer system that includes an operating system and applications for a first period of time creating data files and applying patches to the operating system and applications. An image is created of the primary drive and stored on a second nonvolatile storage area. In one embodiment, the second nonvolatile storage area is a hidden partition of a hard drive. The user continues using the system during a second period of time. When the computer system becomes sluggish, the primary drive is reformatted and the image is copied from the second nonvolatile storage area to the primary drive. In addition, patches and applications installed after the image was created are stored to the second nonvolatile storage area and reapplied and reinstalled on the primary drive after the image has been copied to the primary drive.

Abstract: A web site or other interactive service maintains user activity data reflective of the activities of its users. A failure analysis component analyzes the user activity data to automatically detect likely failure events. A failure event filtering component intelligently selects failure events for which to request feedback from the user, preferably taking into consideration information about the failure event itself and information about the particular user. Requests for user feedback, and operator responses to the user feedback messages, are preferably presented on a personal log page that also displays other types of personalized information.

Abstract: Providing redundancy between an active component and a standby component in a network router comprises maintaining a first route input information base associated with the active component, synchronizing with the first route information base a second route input information base associated with the standby component, generating a route output information base using the second route input information base, and comparing the generated route output information base, in the event of switchover of the standby component to an active mode, to a synchronized route output information base associated with the standby component which synchronized route output information base reflects routes known to have been shared with one or more peers by the active component prior to the switchover, and sharing and/or withdrawing routes as necessary to reflect any differences between the generated route output information base and the synchronized route output information base.

Abstract: In a method for responding to errors that occur during operation of a medical system, having a number of computer workstations connected via a network, upon failure of a system component that is necessary for proper operation of a system program, while the system program is running on one of workstations, a display is presented at the workstation that indicates at the workstation which portions of the system program can still be used, and which portions of the system program can no longer be used due to malfunctioning of the component. Via the network, an automatic notification is transmitted to a workstation associated with a person who is responsible for correcting the malfunctioning component.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for time stamping events occurring on a large scale distributed network uses a local counter associated with each processor of the distributed network. Each counter resets at the same time globally so that all events are recorded with respect to a particular time. The counter is stopped when a critical event is detected. The events are masked or filtered in an online or offline fashion to eliminate non-critical events from triggering a collection by the system monitor or service/host processor. The masking can be done dynamically through the use of an event history logger. The central system may poll the remote processor periodically to receive the accurate counter value from the local counter and device control register. Remedial action can be taken when conditional probability calculations performed on the historical information indicate that a critical event is about to occur.

Abstract: A method for use in a computer system provides a dynamic, “self tuning” soft-error-rate-discrimination (SERD) method and apparatus. Specially designed SRAMs or other circuits are “tuned” in a manner that gives them extreme susceptibility to cosmic neutron events (soft errors), higher than that of the “regular” SRAM components, memory modules or other components in the computer system. One such specially designed SRAM is deployed per server. An interface algorithm continuously sends read/write traffic to the special SRAM to infer the soft error rate (SER), which is directly proportional to cosmic neutron flux. The inferred cosmic neutron flux rate is employed in a Poisson SPRT algorithmic approach that dynamically compensates the soft error discrimination sensitivity in accordance with the instantaneous neutron flux for all of the regular SRAM components in the server.

Abstract: A method utilizes targeted boot diagnostics in connection with a boot operation to automate the handling of hardware failures detected during startup or initialization of a computer. In particular, in response to detection of a failure after initiation of and during performance of a boot operation, a targeted diagnostic operation is initiated on at least one hardware device in the computer in response to detecting the failure, such that after the targeted diagnostic operation is initiated, the boot operation may be completed.

Abstract: A prognostic processor for predicting machine failure in avionics electronics comprises prognostic capabilities in a single integrated circuit, with a processor, volatile and non-volatile memory, clock, on-chip and off-chip sensors and transducers, A/D converters, a common I/O interface adapted to be employed in a network of similar prognostic processors, and predictive Failure Analysis (FA) model software, which may be distributed throughout the network. The FA software employs a log file history, with the log file history storing data collected by the prognostic processor, real-time execution of a predictive model, with the ability to update the FA model with data from field failures. The prognostic processor network supports hierarchical processing to work with multiple prognostic processors. The prognostic processor system is applicable to FA monitoring of a wide range of avionics electronic equipment, in particular, Line Replacement Units (LRUs).

Abstract: Method, apparatus, system and computer program product for analyzing and reporting the status of an adapter in a data processing system. The system includes a service application having the capability of providing a variety of service functions to permit data to be captured regarding the status of the adapter, and a communication structure to permit data to be transmitted to and received from the service application. The analyzing and reporting system of the invention facilitates the reporting and diagnosis of adapter problems so that encountered problems can be better understood and more easily corrected.

Abstract: A cluster or group of cooperating systems may implement failure chain detection and recovery. The group may include multiple nodes and each node may include a group management services (GMS) module that in turn may include a group communications mechanism to detect cluster membership events. Each GMS module may maintain an identically ordered view of the current group membership. When a member of the group fails, the member that joined the group immediately after the failed member, according to respective join times, may be selected to perform recovery operations for the failed member. If a group member fails while performing recovery operations for another failed member, the next member in the group (according to respective join times) may be selected to perform recovery for that node and may also perform recovery operations for the original failed node as well.

Abstract: Method, system, and apparatus for executing input/output operations. The method including selecting a level of error recovery for input/output operations, receiving a request to execute the input/output operation, attempting the input/output operation, and when the input/output operation fails, performing the level of error recovery specified. The selection of the error recovery level may be done by a user, or embedded within the input/output request itself.

Abstract: In a computer system having a cluster configuration, a reset command issued from each of computers to any of the other computers is transmitted to a reset control unit. A control module of the reset control unit judges whether a target of the newly inputted reset command conflicts with a target and a source of a reset command currently executed. If judging as no conflict, the newly inputted reset command is transmitted to a destination computer of the reset command, and then information of the transmitted reset command is stored as information of the reset command that is currently being executed. With this configuration, when one of the computers in which failure has occurred is reset by means of heartbeat mutual monitoring, it is possible to avoid a delay caused by a mutual reset or a repeated reset, and thereby to quickly reset the failed computer.

Abstract: A failover scope comprises a node collection in a computer cluster. A resource group (e.g., application program) is associated with one or more failover scopes. If a node fails, its hosted resource groups only failover to nodes identified in each resource group's associated failover scope(s), beginning with a first associated failover scope, in order, thereby defining an island of nodes within which a resource group can failover. If unable to failover to a node of a resource group's first failover scope, failover is attempted to a node represented in any next associated failover scope, which may require manual intervention. Failover scopes may represent geographic sites, whereby each resource group attempts to failover to nodes within its site before failing over to another site. Failover scopes may be managed by the cluster runtime automatically, e.g., an added node is detectable as belonging to a site represented by a failover scope.

Abstract: A system and method for logging and storing failure analysis information on disk drive so that the information is readily and reliably available to vendor customer service and other interested parties is provided. The information, in an illustrative embodiment, is stored on a nonvolatile (flash) random access memory (RAM), found generally in most types of disk drives for storage of updateable disk drive firmware. A known location of limited size is defined in the flash RAM, to form a scratchpad. This scratchpad is a blank area of known addresses, formed during the original firmware download onto the memory, and which is itself free of firmware code. This scratchpad is sufficient in size to write a series of failure codes in a non-erasable list as failures/errors (and user/administrator attempts to unfail the disk) are logged.

Abstract: To provide a computer system capable of detecting a failure at an early stage while keeping down an increase in I/O load due to failure monitoring. The computer system includes plural storage systems connected in stages between a first computer and a second computer. The first computer sends control I/O to the storage systems. The second computer monitors control I/O transferred through the storage systems; and when there is control I/O that has not been transferred successfully, requests state information of the storage systems to transfer the control I/O.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are provided for managing errors in prefetched data. The apparatus, system, and method identify prefetched data that contains an uncorrectable error. In addition, the apparatus, system, and method initiate an error recovery process only for prefetched data that is actually used by a requesting device, module, or application. The apparatus includes a prefetch module that prefetches data packets, a validation module that determines whether a prefetched data packet contains an uncorrectable error, a transfer module that transfers prefetched data packets to a requester, and an error recovery module that selectively initiates error recovery for those data packets that contain an uncorrectable error and are actually transferred to the requester.

Abstract: A method and device are provided that use a sequencer in the device to control interactions on an interface bus. The sequencer is programmed to interrupt a co-processor before execution of a command. Based on the interrupt signal and a stored error mode page, a false error condition is initiated by further programming the sequencer to operate abnormally. After recovery from the error condition, the sequencer is reprogrammed to operate normally.