Abstract: An example of a method for error tracking includes sending a data object to a first location. This example also includes determining if the data object was successfully stored at the first location, and if so, storing meta data corresponding with the data object, wherein the meta data includes first path information. This example of the method also includes sending the data object to a second location. This example further includes determining if the data object was successfully stored at the second location, and if so, adding second path information to the meta data corresponding with the data object, to update the meta data. Some examples of the invention may be called a data centric error tracking and problem analysis method (and system), because the error tracking is generally based on the path traveled by the data.

Abstract: Described herein is technology for, among other things, accessing error report information. It involves various techniques and tools for analyzing and interrelating failure data contained in error reports and thereby facilitating developers to more easily and quickly solve programming bugs. Numerous parameters may also be specified for selecting and searching error reports. Several reliability metrics are provided to better track software reliability situations. The reliability metrics facilitate the tracking of the overall situation of failures that happen in the real word by providing metrics based on error reports (e.g., failure occurrence trends, failure distributions across different languages).

Abstract: A complex user-facing computer application often has run-time dependencies on other computer applications. The other computer applications may, in turn, have run-time dependencies on still other applications. A supporting application might run on multiple hosts and a particular host might be chosen by a higher-level application in order to meet requirements such load balancing or reliability. In order to facilitate intelligent choices by higher-level applications in the system, each server in the system is responsible for generating a performance capability or health score that reflects the health of local components and the health of all servers on which the given server has a direct run-time dependency. A particular server's generated health score is advertised to any other server that has a direct run-time dependency on the particular server. Decisions about which of alternative lower-level servers to use in a servicing a client request are made using a routing or hop-at-a-time approach.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for adapter card failover. A switch module connects a first processor complex to an adapter card through a first port as an owner processor complex. The owner processor complex manages the adapter card except for a second port and receives error messages from the adapter card. The switch module further connects a second processor complex to the adapter card through the second port as a non-owner processor complex. The non-owner processor complex manages the second port. A detection module detects a failure of the first processor complex. A setup module modifies the switch module to logically connect the second processor complex to the adapter card as the owner processor complex and to logically disconnect the first processor complex from the adapter card in response to detecting the failure.

Abstract: A host processor is coupled to a memory controller and configurable to retrieve from the memory controller information indicative of the health of a non-volatile memory device operatively coupled to the memory controller. A host system uses the information to monitor the health of the non-volatile memory device.

Abstract: Provided is a storage apparatus that can dramatically shorten the time for recovery from a fault in a storage device. In a storage apparatus provided with one or more storage devices and a method for controlling the storage apparatus, when a fault occurs in the storage device, whether or not the fault is a predetermined specific fault is judged, and the storage device is rebooted if the fault is the predetermined specific fault. As a result, recovery from the fault can be achieved in a dramatically shorter amount of time than the time required for replacement of the storage device. Accordingly, the time for recovery from the fault in the storage device can be shortened dramatically.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing disaster recovery services to enterprise customers of virtual computing services are described. Disaster recovery services may be provided in data centers that also provide primary computing services to enterprise customers. Disaster recovery services may be distributed across the data centers, such that no dedicated disaster recovery site exists. In addition, disaster recovery services may be provided such that each of the enterprise customers receiving primary services at a given data center may be distributed across the remaining data centers for disaster recovery purposes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is described herein for tracking errors for one of a plurality of lanes in a link, tracking errors for the link, and in the case of a root complex, tracking error correction messages. This information is used to determine the suitability for use of a lane and to determine if correction action is needed. In one embodiment, this method and apparatus is used with PCI Express interconnects.

Abstract: A system for testing redundancy and hot-swapping capability of a redundant power supply includes a power switch fixture, a system under test (SUT), and a computing device. The power switch fixture includes a processor, an alternating current (AC) source, a first relay, a second, and two AC outputs. The processor is configured for controlling the AC source to output voltage to the two AC outputs by switching one of the first and the second relay on and the first and the second relay off, so as to ensure that one of the first power supply and the second power supply is operable to provide power to the SUT. The SUT includes a redundant power supply that includes a first power supply and a second power supply. The computing device includes a test control unit for testing redundancy and hot-swapping capability of the redundant power supply.

Abstract: Disclosed is a full error description for a technical system which is described by a system description which can be processed by a computer and stored. The system description contains information on elements available in system and information on the links therebetween. An element error description is determined for each element taken into consideration, using a stored error description which is respectively associated with a reference element. At least one part of the reference elements is grouped into a reference element group and a group error description is determined for the reference elements of a reference element group using a stored group error description which is respectively associated with a reference element group, enabling possible errors of the reference elements of the reference element group to be described. A full error description is determined from the element error descriptions and the group error descriptions, taking into account information on element links.

Abstract: An improved system and method for using a file system to automatically backup a file in persistent storage is provided. A storage aggregator may organize nonvolatile memory for use in aggregate to store backup copies of a file. A file system filter driver may receive a request from an application for storing a file and may access a policy to determining whether to create a backup copy of the file and what type of backup to apply to the file. A generational file handler may create and manage a set of generational files as backup copies of a particular application file. And a recovery user interface may be provided to retrieve one or more backup copies, such as the set of generational files, for inspection by a user to recover whatever copy of the file may be desired by the user.

Abstract: A debug network on a multiprocessor array having multiple clock domains includes a backbone communication channel which communicates with information nodes on the channel. The information nodes store and access information about an attached processor. The nodes are also coupled to registers within the attached processor, which operate at the speed of the processor. A master controller solicits information from the information nodes by sending messages along the backbone. If a message requires interaction with a processor register, the node performs the action by synchronizing to the local processor clock.

Abstract: A network device for correcting corrupted memory locations. The network device includes a plurality of free pointers, each of which points to a free memory location. The network device also includes a plurality of cell locations for storing information, each of the plurality of cell locations comprising a field for storing a pointer to another cell location. Upon retrieving information from one of the plurality of cell locations, the device includes means for determining if the pointer to the current cell location is valid and for storing a valid pointer with the plurality of free pointers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for recreating a system state in a non-deterministic distributed computing system. A message generated by a message producer is received during debugging. If the received message matches a stored message in a persistent message store, the received message is transmitted to a message consumer. If the received message does not match the stored message, the stored message is transmitted to the message consumer.

Abstract: A fault zone definition mechanism groups components of an interconnect environment having a common point of dependence into a logical group defining a fault zone for the interconnect environment. The fault zone definition mechanism may be implemented in software, firmware or hardware, or a combination of two or more of software, firmware and hardware. A method for defining a fault zone is also disclosed.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus detects an error which occurred in a system and stores a system status that the error occurred in association with error information indicating the error. The information processing apparatus outputs guidance information according to a system status, a system status stored in the storage unit, and error information.

Abstract: When a fault is detected by a surveillance agent mounted in a user device, fault information is reported to a maintenance center device by an electronic mail through an internet. The user device is provided with a connect confirmation unit to prepare and transmit connect confirmation mails of a plurality of patterns different in mail content, and the maintenance center device is provided with a diagnosis unit, which diagnose a mail transmission environment of the user device from the reception result of one or a plurality of connect confirmation mails received within a fixed period of time and transmits a diagnosis result to the user device by the electronic mail.

Abstract: A system and method for clustered failover of storage appliances is provided. In the event of a failover of one storage appliance to a surviving storage appliance, the surviving storage appliance assumes the identity of the failed storage appliance. This assumption of the identifier is accomplished by activating a network interface controller or host bus adapter with a network address associated with the failed storage appliance and by mapping a iSCSI name from the failed storage appliance to the surviving storage appliance.

Abstract: A method and system of determining the execution point of programs executed in lock step. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are computer systems comprising a first processor that executes a program, and a second processor that executes a duplicate copy of the program in lock step with the first processor. After receipt of a duplicate copy of an interrupt request by each processor, the first processor determines the execution point in its program relative to the execution point of the duplicate copy of the program executed by the second processor.

Abstract: Errors occurring in computing clusters and other computing systems can impact system performance. Each error has an error type and each error type has a base cost estimating importance of correcting the error. Each error type also has a confidence indicating the level of agreement between those who fix the errors and those who assigned the base cost. An error type's actual cost is produced using the base cost and confidence. An error cascade map contains estimates that one error will cause another. An error type that causes other error types has a cascade cost. Upon detecting an error type, a repair order can be generated, depending on the cost involved. Repairs are then performed. Feedback mechanisms and correlations can be used to update the confidences and the error cascade map.