Abstract: A system and a method for handling a system failure are disclosed. The method is adapted for an information handling system having a basic input and output system and a micro-controller. The method includes the following steps: sending, via the micro-controller, a signal; checking, via the micro-controller, whether an acknowledgement is received from the basic input and output system responsive to the signal; and scanning, via the micro-controller, a type of a system failure in response to the acknowledgement being not received.

Abstract: A process control system is provided having a plurality of I/O devices in communication using a bus. A primary redundant I/O device and a secondary redundant I/O device are coupled to the bus, where the secondary redundant I/O device is programmed to detect a primary redundant I/O device fault. The secondary redundant I/O device, upon detecting the primary redundant I/O device fault, publishes a primary redundant I/O device fault message on the bus. The controller may deactivate the primary redundant I/O device and activate the secondary redundant I/O device responsive to the primary redundant I/O device fault message.

Abstract: A fluid delivery system comprises a pump configured to deliver a therapeutic agent to a patient, a memory storing a therapy program defining the delivery of the therapeutic agent to the patient by the pump and a default infusion schedule based on the therapy program, and a processor configured to control the pump to deliver the therapeutic agent to the patient according to the therapy program, to determine an error condition that prevents the pump from continuing to deliver therapy according to the therapy program, and, upon determination of the error condition, to control the pump to deliver the therapeutic agent to the patient according to the default infusion schedule.

Abstract: A first unit and a second unit are provided in a multi-layer computing system, wherein the first unit is at a higher layer than the second unit in the multi-layer computing system, and wherein the first unit is a higher level unit and the second unit is a lower level unit. The higher level unit sends to the lower level unit, information to adjust a threshold for failure of components coupled to the lower level unit, wherein the higher level unit has more information on a degree of redundancy in the multi-layer computing system than the lower level unit. The lower level unit adjusts the threshold for the failure of the components, by using the information sent from the higher level unit.

Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments comprise a method, which can comprise automatically generating a trouble ticket responsive to a determined failure of one or more elements of a management Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC). The management PVC can be established between a signaling device and a device communicatively coupled to a backbone network.

Abstract: A reconfiguration manager is operable to reconfigure a repurposable recovery environment between a recovery environment for a production environment and a second environment different from the recovery environment. A storage system in the repurposable recovery environment periodically saves production information from the production environment while the repurposable recovery environment is operating as the second environment. The production information in the storage system is used to reconfigure the repurposable recovery environment from the second environment to the recovery environment.

Abstract: A method and a device for providing services for a user are provided. The method includes receiving, by an interrogating call session control function (I-CSCF), a failure response returned by a first serving call session control function (S-CSCF) after the I-CSCF selects the first S-CSCF for the user according to a capability set of an S-CSCF returned by a home subscriber server (HSS) and forwards a service request to the first S-CSCF; obtaining, by the I-CSCF, information of a second S-CSCF, and forwarding the service request from the user to the second S-CSCF.

Abstract: A suite of network-based services, such as the services corresponding to Microsoft® SharePoint™, are provided to users with high availability. The suite of network-based services may include browser-based collaboration functions, process management functions, index and search functions, document-management functions, and/or other functions. In particular, the indexing service associated with the suite of network-based services may be provided with high availability.

Abstract: When a fault occurs in a guest machine 2b of a virtual machine system 100b, a stop control part 5a of a guest machine 2a of a virtual machine system 100a requests a stop control part 4b of a host machine 1b to stop operation of the guest machine 2b. If the guest machine 2b does not stop operation normally, the stop control part 5a requests a BMC 8b to stop operation of the host machine 1b. The BMC 8b stops the host machine 1b, so that the machine where the fault occurs can be stopped.

Abstract: A system and method for coordinated bringup of a storage appliance in a storage appliance cluster. The repaired storage appliance, during its initialization, sets a variety of state values in a predetermined memory location comprising a state data structure, which is detected by a remote direct memory access read operation by the surviving storage appliance. By the use of the RDMA operations, the repaired storage appliance and surviving storage appliance coordinate the bringup and giveback of data servicing functionality.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus involve migrating workloads and disaster recovery. A snapshot is taken of a source volume using a volume shadow service. Depending whether a user seeks a migration or disaster recovery action, blocks of data read from the snapshot are transferred to a target volume in various amounts. The amounts of transfer include all of the blocks, only changed blocks between the volumes, or only blocks incrementally changed since a last transfer operation. Users make indications for transfer on a computing device storing and consuming data on the volumes and optionally do so in the context of Novell's Platespin® products. Other features contemplate kernel drivers to monitor the blocks of the volumes, as well as techniques for comparing them. Still other features involve computing systems, volume devices, such as readers, writers and filters, and computer program products, to name a few.

Abstract: Methods and systems for cluster resource management in virtualized computing environments are described. VM spares are used to reserve (or help discover or otherwise obtain) a set of computing resources for a VM. While VM spares may be used for a variety of scenarios, particular uses of VM spares include using spares to ensure resource availability for requests to power on VMs as well as for discovering, obtaining, and defragmenting the resources and VMs on a cluster, e.g., in response to requests to reserve resources for a VM or to respond to a notification of a failure for a given VM.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method for improving reliability and availability of an information handling system is disclosed. Operational data associated with an operating margin may be captured. A threshold specified by a pre-defined profile may be identified. The pre-defined profile may be useable in adjusting the operating margin. The captured operational data may be compared to the pre-defined threshold. A parameter specified by the pre-defined profile may be identified. The operation of a component of the information handling system may be modified based, at least in part, on the identified parameter specified by the pre-defined profile. The modification may result in adjusting the operating margin.

Abstract: An I/O compression apparatus, for testing a memory array and/or a logic circuit, is comprised of a selectable compression circuit that outputs compressed test data from the memory array/logic circuit. An I/O scan register is coupled to each I/O pad for converting serial data to parallel and parallel data to serial in response to a test mode select signal, a test data input, and a test clock.

Abstract: A set of disks in a plurality of disk arrays are configured to have one or more spare partitions. Upon detecting a faulty disk in a faulty array, the method involves the steps of: (a) migrating data in the faulty array containing the faulty disk to one or more spare partitions; (b) reconfiguring the faulty array to form a new array without the faulty disk; (c) migrating data from one or more spare partitions in the set of disks to the reconfigured new array; (d) monitoring to identify when overall spare capacity falls below a predetermined threshold; and when the predetermined threshold is exceeded, scheduling a service visit for replacement of the failed disks.

Abstract: Reconfigurable circuits, methods, and systems with reconfigurable interconnect devices, clusters of reconfigurable logic devices, and a programming interface configured to receive configuration data to configure a first combination of the reconfigurable interconnect and logic devices to implement a circuit, and to remap a portion of the received configuration data, corresponding to a defective cluster, from the defective cluster to another non-defective cluster of the plurality of clusters to configure a second combination of the reconfigurable interconnect and logic devices to implement the circuit.

Abstract: In a computer system wherein plural servers are connected with an external disk device via a network, each server incorporates therein a logic partition module for configuring at least one logic partition in the server, and the operating system stored in the logic partition is booted by the boot disk of an external disk device, the failover operation is performed only for the logic partition affected by a failure when the task being executed by a working server is taken over by another server at the time of the failure occurring in the working server.

Abstract: A method can be used to detect a problem, isolate the cause of the problem to a particular device in which the cause resides, and potentially repairing the particular device. In one embodiment, the method can be fully automated using a system. In another embodiment, the method may be partly automated. In this particular embodiment, the system can perform most or all of the testing or diagnosis automatically. The system can perform the method until a point where human intervention is required. The problem, the cause, and particular device may be known at the time notification is sent to customer care, a workcenter, or another network operations center. With the information regarding the problem, cause and particular device, a technician or other personnel can be dispatched and repair the problem more quickly than if only the problem is provided and the technician needs to perform the testing and diagnosis.

Abstract: A control apparatus controls a device to which the control apparatus is connected. The control apparatus includes a storing unit and a linking unit. The storing unit stores an error message that contains information on a failed component in a storage device upon receiving the error message from the device. The linking unit stores the error message and information on a replacement component, which has been installed in the device in place of the failed component, in the storage device in association with each other upon receiving the information on the replacement component.

Abstract: A redundancy control method is disclosed that controls a first redundancy function that switches between a working line and a protection line in response to a detection of a line error and a second redundancy function that performs a path switching in response to a detection of a path error in a ring network operating at a path rate lower than a line rate thereof. The method comprises a step of masking the path error detection within a period from a time of the detection of the line error to an expected time of the detection of the path error.

Abstract: A central controlling service for datacenter activation/deactivation control in a cluster deployment to assist in preventing a split-brain scenario. The central controlling service provides a central point of control in the datacenter for application servers to periodically query as to whether to go offline, online, or normal. Redundancy of the central service facilitates detection of datacenter failure by the redundant services interacting to resolve the state of control information. This control information is then used to answer the server queries. On startup from a datacenter failure, a single instance of the central service queries other redundant instance(s) to determine if the single instance is starting up from a datacenter-wide failure or from operations other than total datacenter failure. If the failure is datacenter-wide, a central service protocol assists in resolving to the single service keeping the associated datacenter servers offline; otherwise, the server queries are answered to go online.

Abstract: A method of dynamic allocation of non-volatile memory in a cache storage subsystem includes constraining a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) 6 array in an unavailable state, the RAID 6 array having been newly created in the subsystem, destaging data from a write cache to a storage medium to free memory space, reserving the freed memory space for allocation to data-persistent storage, allocating the memory space to an adapter in the subsystem as a target for data in the event of a power loss, and changing the RAID 6 array to an available state. A system for dynamic allocation of non-volatile memory in a cache storage subsystem includes a computer processing device which constrains a newly-created redundant array of independent disks (RAID) 6 array in an unavailable state to execute a reconfiguration method.

Abstract: A system and method for recovering from a single logical path failure. More specifically, although a host has not grouped its logical paths, the host knows which logical paths it has available. When a host detects a logical path failure, the host enters a path discovery mode of operation. If the host continues to detect a logical path failure while operating in the logical path discovery mode of operation, the host removes the logical path from a logical path mask, and the host does not use the removed logical path again. In the case of ungrouped logical paths, the host aborts its process because it does not have more paths available to continue its process. Additionally, in certain embodiments, a pseudo path group for ungrouped logical paths is created.

Abstract: Techniques for file system resource restoration are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for file system resource restoration comprising modeling source configuration information of one or more file system resources associated with a first storage management system, modeling target configuration information of one or more file system resources associated with a second storage management system, mapping one or more portions of the source configuration information to the target configuration information, generating computer executable restoration instructions based at least in part on the mapping; and executing the computer executable restoration instructions to restore one or more file system resources of the source configuration information to a target computing platform identified by the target configuration information.

Abstract: Even when a large number of guest OSs exist, a failover method meeting high availability needed by the guest OSs is provided for the each guest OS. In the event of a physical or logical change of a system, or change of operation states, a smooth failover method can be realized by preventing the consumption of resource amounts due to excessive failover methods, and the occurrence of systemdown due to an inadequate failover method. In a server virtualization environment, in a cluster configuration having a failover method due to hot standby and cold standby, by selecting a failover method meeting high availability requirements specifying performance during failover of applications on the guest OSs, a suitable cluster configuration is realized. Failure monitoring is realized by quantitative heartbeat.

Abstract: A primary I/O adapter and a redundant I/O adapter of a data processing system are assigned to support access to a system resource. While the primary I/O adapter is in service and the redundant I/O adapter is not in service in providing access to the system resource, a fail over command is issued to remove the primary I/O adapter from service and place the redundant I/O adapter in service in supporting access to the system resource. While the redundant I/O adapter is in service and the primary I/O adapter is not in service in providing access to the system resource, diagnostic testing on the primary I/O adapter is performed. In response to the diagnostic testing revealing no fault in the primary I/O adapter, a fail back command is issued to restore the primary I/O adapter to service and to remove the redundant I/O adapter from service.

Abstract: Information Technology Risk to an organization is associated with a plurality of virtual machines (VMs) each running on a plurality of hosts, each host being a computer system connected to a network and in communication with a risk orchestrator, which receives threat indication messages (TIMs) from threat indicators. Each TIM indicates a status of a threat to which a hosts is vulnerable. Downtime probability (DTP) resulting from the threat and an overall host DTP for each host are calculated. For each VM, a risk value associated with the VM is calculated as a function of the host DTP for and an impact for the VM, the impact being a value reflecting a relative importance of the VM to the organization. Each VM requiring risk mitigation is identified and prioritized in accordance with a policy, and a configured mitigation control action may be carried out for each VM requiring risk mitigation.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of implementing a multicast routing system in a mobile ad-hoc network environment. The method includes causing control packets for data transmission to be transmitted from a source node to object nodes in accordance with a predetermined method when data to be transmitted from the source node to the object nodes exists, forming, in a tree structure, information concerning nodes on paths through which the control packets are transmitted, and causing the source node to transmit the data to the object nodes using the formed tree structure.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for improving recovery times in fallover conditions in a multinode data processing system by sending notification of the failure of a server node, which is acting as server for a client application running on a client node, to the client application. In the present invention, this notification is provided by the fallover node acting as backup for the server node. When a client application receives no response from a server for a long time, it assumes that the server has failed and initiates reconnection. The present invention speeds-up the reconnect initiated by the client application by having system level software proactively notify the client application about the server failure. This results in faster recovery for client applications.

Abstract: A system and method for fault management in a computer-based system are disclosed herein. A system includes a plurality of field replaceable units (“FRUs”) and fault management logic. The fault management logic is configured to collect error information from a plurality of components of the system. The logic stores, for each component identified as a possible cause of a detected fault, a record assigning one of two different component failure probability indications. The logic identifies a single of the plurality of FRUs that has failed based on the stored probability indications.

Abstract: A Downloadable Conditional Access System (DCAS) headend system and method for processing an error of Secure Micro (SM) Client Software are provided to prevent further transmission of SM Client Software where an error occurred, and to prevent unnecessary traffic due to repeat reinstallation of SM Client Software between an Authentication Proxy (AP) server and a terminal, by changing policy information regarding a transmission of SM Client Software associated with error information, when a number of terminals that transmit the error information exceeds a reference value as a result of analyzing result information regarding a reception and an installation of the SM Client Software received from a terminal corresponding to a DCAS headend system.

Abstract: A system and a method for causing migration of VNASs formed on NAS heads of one NAS system to other NAS heads on the same NAS system or on other NAS systems including independent storage systems. A VNAS management program on each NAS head includes a VNAS assign program, a failure detect program and a load balance program, that all include a capability for causing remote migration of VNASs on the NAS head in case a VNAS fails, the NAS head fails, or the entire NAS system fails. The VNAS management capability may cause VNAS migration if a NAS head is over loaded or if it is lightly loaded and may be powered down after its VNASs have been transferred.

Abstract: A system and method for managing shared resources is disclosed. The system includes a primary coherency processing unit which processes lock requests from a plurality of data processing hosts, the primary coherency processing unit also storing a first current lock state information for the plurality of data processing hosts, the first current lock state information including a plurality of locks held by the plurality of data processing hosts. The system further includes a standby coherency processing unit storing fewer locks than the primary coherency processing unit, the locks stored by the standby coherency processing unit being a subset of locks included in the first current lock state information, the standby coherency unit configured to perform a plurality of activities of the primary coherency processing unit using the subset of locks in response to a failure of the primary coherency processing unit.

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.

Abstract: A server of a network of servers determines that its power source is failing. In response, the server communicates to one or more other servers of this network that it is leaving the network. This communication is powered by another power source.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for improving memory testing efficiency, raising the speed of memory testing, detecting memory failures occurring at the memory operating frequency, and reducing data reported for redundancy repair analysis. The memory testing system includes a first memory tester extracting failed memory location information from the memory at a higher memory operating frequency, an external memory tester receiving failed memory location information at a lower memory tester frequency, and an interface between the first memory tester and the external memory tester. The memory testing method uses data strobes at the memory tester frequency to clock out failed memory location information obtained at the higher memory operating frequency. In addition, the inventive method reports only enough information to the external memory tester for it to determine row, column and single bit failures repairable with the available redundant resources.

Abstract: When a primary computer is taken over to a secondary computer in a redundancy configuration computer system where booting is performed via a storage area network (SAN), a management server delivers an information collecting/setting program to the secondary computer before the user's operating system of the secondary computer is started. This program assigns a unique ID (World Wide Name), assigned to the fiber channel port of the primary computer, to the fiber channel port of the secondary computer to allow a software image to be taken over from the primary computer to the secondary computer.

Abstract: Described herein are method and apparatus for storing data to a low-latency random read memory (LLRRM) device using non-aligned data striping, the LLRRM device being implemented on a storage system. The LLRRM device may comprise a bank comprising a plurality of memory chips, each chip being simultaneously accessible for storing data on a plurality of erase-units (EUs). A storage operating system may maintain, for each chip, a reserve data structure listing reserve EUs and a remapping data structure for tracking remappings between defective EUs to reserve EUs in the chip. A defective EU in a chip may be mapped to a reserve EU from the reserve data structure. Upon receiving a data block to be stored to the LLRRM device at the defective EU, the storage operating system may stripe the received data block across a plurality of chips in a non-aligned manner using the remapped reserve EU.

Abstract: A communication system for a plurality of I/O cards by using the GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) and a method thereof are disclosed for overcoming the problems of the prior art; wherein the prior art uses the I2C and UART communication channels causing a greater quantity of the connecting lines to connect, thus the bus resource of the chip is consumed, which raises its cost. The present invention uses at least one GPIO port to replace a failure line of the I2C communication channel, or a failure line of the UART communication channel. The present invention also uses one or a plurality of additional GPIO ports to be the backup GPIO ports. Therefore, the present invention has a lot of characteristics, including excellent back-up capability, low cost, the communication channels can be easily switched, the required quantity of the signal lines is reduced, and the reliability of the communication is increased.

Abstract: Failover of blade servers in a data center, including powering off by a system management server a failing blade server, the failing blade server characterized by a machine type, the failing blade server mapped to remote computer boot storage administered through a Storage Management Initiative-Specification (‘SMI-S’) provider; identifying, by the system management server by use of the SMI-S provider from a pool of standby blade servers, a replacement blade server; remapping by the system management server through the SMI-S provider the remote computer boot storage of the failing blade server to the replacement blade server; and powering on the replacement blade server by the system management server.

Abstract: An exemplary method includes attempting, by a message broker subsystem, to deliver one or more messages intended for a recipient software application to the recipient software application during a predetermined fault interval, determining, by the message broker subsystem, that the recipient software application is in a fault state after failing to deliver the one or more messages to the recipient software application during the predetermined fault interval, and automatically performing, by the message broker subsystem, a fail-over process on one or more other messages intended for the recipient software application in response to the determination that the recipient software application is in the fault state. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of storing context information in an outgoing message sent from a node using a protocol stack having at least one layer, comprising: selectively indicating to a layer of the protocol stack that context information should be obtained for that layer; obtaining context information in accordance with the indication; and adding the obtained context information to the outgoing message such that a response to the message contains the context information.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for architecting fault tolerant applications. Embodiments of the invention include a method for executing an application in a computer system, the method including monitoring a behavior of the computer system, the computer system having a subsystem in an operating system of the computer system, in response to encountering a problem in the computer system, performing switching the application from a normal mode of operation to a critical mode of operation, executing the application in the critical mode of operation, determining if the computer system has returned to the normal mode of operation, in response to the computer system returning to the normal mode of operation switching the application to execute in the normal mode and executing the application in the normal mode of operation.

Abstract: The reliability is improved at a low cost even in a virtualized server environment. The number of spare servers is reduced for improving the reliability and for saving a licensing fee for software on the spare servers. A server system comprises a plurality of physical servers on which a plurality of virtual servers run, a single standby server, a module for detecting an active virtual server, and a module for switching the correspondence of boot disks of virtualization modules for controlling virtual servers to the physical servers. When a physical server fails, the boot disk of the associated virtualization module is connected to a spare server to automatically activate on the spare server those virtual servers which have been active upon occurrence of the failure.

Abstract: Availability of an information system including a storage system that performs remote copy between two or more storage apparatuses and a host computer using such storage system is improved. A third storage apparatus including a third volume is coupled to a first storage apparatus, a fourth storage apparatus including a fourth volume is coupled to a second storage apparatus, the first and third storage apparatuses perform remote copy of copying data stored in a first volume to the third volume, the first and second storage apparatuses perform remote copy of copying data stored in the first volume to a second volume, and the third and fourth storage apparatuses perform remote copy of copying data stored in the third volume to the fourth volume.

Abstract: A method for maintaining the status of a bootstrap peer includes: selecting a bootstrap peer; obtaining the status information of the bootstrap peer; updating a local bootstrap peer list according to the status information of the bootstrap peer. An apparatus and system for maintaining the status of a bootstrap peer are also disclosed. The bootstrap peer list is updated according to the status information of the selected bootstrap peer, which ensures the validity of the bootstrap peer list on the bootstrap server so that the information in the bootstrap peer list obtained by a joining peer is valid. This improves the success rate of joining the overlay network by the joining peer, shortens the joining process time of the joining peer, and implements load balancing between the bootstrap peers.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, data processing system, and apparatus for hardware resource arbitration in a data processing environment having a plurality of logical partitions. A hypervisor receives a request for a hardware resource from a first logical partition, wherein the request corresponds to an operation. The hypervisor determines the hardware resource is free from contention by a second logical partition. The hypervisor writes the hardware resource to a hardware resource pool data structure, as associated with the first logical partition, in response to a determination the hardware resource is free. The hypervisor presents the hardware resource to the first logical partition. The hypervisor determines that the operation is complete. The hypervisor release the hardware resource from a hardware resource pool, responsive to the determination that the operation is complete.

Abstract: When a new data relaying device that has yet to have configuration information set therein is incorporated, the configuration information of an existing data relaying device is copied to the new data relaying device.

Abstract: A code bit level redundancy method for a computer interlocking system is provided. The method includes: (1) controlling the output in parallel, and (2) sharing the collected information.

Abstract: In a system for appliance back-up, a primary appliance is coupled to a network, whereby the primary appliance receives requests or commands and sends a status message over the network to a standby appliance, which indicates that the primary appliance is operational. If the standby appliance does not receive the status message or the status message is invalid, the standby appliance writes a shutdown message to a storage device. The primary appliance then reads the shutdown message stored in the storage device and disables itself from processing requests or commands. When the primary appliance completes these tasks, it disables communication connections and writes a shutdown completion message to the storage device. The standby appliance reads the shutdown completion message from the storage device and initiates a start-up procedure.