International Business Machines Corporation

Dell Products Inc.

Charles R Dart

Bruce James Wilkie

Terence K Rodrigues

Edmund Sutherland Gamble

Robert Joseph Ruckriegel

Gary Anthony Jansma

Stanley Leonard Merkin

A method and system for improving Field Replacement Unit (FRU) isolation in memory sub-systems by monitoring Voltage Regulator Module (VRM) induced memory errors. A comparator compares the output voltage coming from the VRM to memory. If the comparator detects a VRM output voltage transient that is outside a rated threshold, then a counter is increased by one. If the counter exceeds a count threshold, a VRM error is posted. If a memory failure occurs within a predetermined period of time, then the VRM error pinpoints the VRM output voltage transient as being the likely cause of the memory failure.

Monitoring VRM-induced memory errors

A system for improving Field Replacement Unit (FRU) isolation in memory sub-systems by monitoring Voltage Regulator Module (VRM) induced memory errors. A comparator compares the output voltage coming from the VRM to memory. If the comparator detects a VRM output voltage transient that is outside a rated threshold, then a counter is increased by one. If the counter exceeds a count threshold, a VRM error is posted. If a memory failure occurs within a predetermined period of time, then the VRM error pinpoints the VRM output voltage transient as being the likely cause of the memory failure.

A system and method are presented for restricting a compact disk containing boot software to work only on computer systems for which the boot software has been authorized to operate. The disclosure allows the boot software to run on a particular computer system only if predetermined computer identification criteria are met. An advantage is that, by replacing the boot software stored on the computer system hardware, it provides the flexibility to produce new boot software when required by the introduction of a revised or new operating system. Another advantage is that the verification software's identification criteria can be tailored to the needs of the hardware and software vendors over the product life of the computer system hardware without requiring changes to the identification data stored in the computer system hardware.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Charles R Dart