Stratus Computer, Inc.

Charles J Horvath

William Irving Leavitt

Mark D Tetreault

Gregory M Green

Peter C Churchill

Arthur James Beaverson

John D Service

Richard Urmston

Walter A Jones, Jr

Jeffrey D Carter

John T Vachon

Matthew A Trask

A digital data processing device includes a bus for transmitting signals (e.g., data and/or address information) between plural functional units (e.g., a central processing unit and a peripheral controller). A first such unit includes first and second processing sections that concurrently apply to the bus complementary portions of like information signals (e.g., longwords containing data). A fault detection element reads the resultant signal from the bus and compares it with at least portions of the corresponding signals originally generated by the processing sections themselves. If there is discrepancy, the fault-detector signals a fault, e.g., causing the unit to be taken off-line. By use of a redundant unit, processing can continue for fault-tolerant operation.

Digital data processing methods and apparatus for fault detection and

A console terminal arrangement is disclosed for use in connection with a fault-tolerant computer system including a plurality of processing modules, at least some of the processing modules including an operator input/output interface for receiving operator input from an operator input device and operator display output on an operator display device. The console terminal arrangement facilitates management of all of the processing modules by a single operator from a single location. The arrangement includes a console terminal and a plurality of processing module interfaces interconnected by a network. The console terminal includes an operator input device and an operator display device, and generates operator input messages including processing module management information generated by the operator input device in response to inputs provided by an operator and an address identifying one of the processing modules to be managed by the console terminal. The console terminal further generates and displays video images in response to video image data received in messages from the processing modules. Each processing module interface receives operator input messages generated by the console terminal which include an address identifying the processing module connected to the processing module interface and provide the processing module management information to the operator input/output interface to control the processing module. In addition, each processing module interface receives video information from the associated processing module's operator input output device and generates a message including the video information and an address identifying the console terminal. The network carries messages generated by the console terminal and the processing module interfaces in accordance with the addresses contained in the respective messages.

System console terminal for fault tolerant computer system

A bus device (10) the communicates with other bus devices (12, 13) on a communication channel (14) that includes a plurality of duplicated information buses (16, 17) selectively assumes bus-selection states in which it uses information from one or the other of the buses (16, 17). It also monitors the buses (16, 17) for errors in the information that the buses (16, 17) carry, and it broadcasts an error signal over other lines (18) of the communications channel (14) in response to detection of such an error, but only if an error occurs in information on the bus that its current bus-selection state designates. On the other hand, when an error-broadcast signal indicating an error on either bus in the information transmitted by that device (10) appears on the bus, that bus device (10) retransmits the information, regardless of that device's current bus-selection state. Inconsistent operation phasing among bus devices that have assumed different bus-selection states is thereby avoided.

Fault-tolerant computer system employing an improved error-broadcast

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Concord, MA, United States of America

Charles J Horvath