Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett-packard Company

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Michael S Allison

Stephen J Silva

John A Morrison

Fred Sprague

Leo J Embry

Richard W Gillespie

Stephen Patrick Hack

Thomas W Yip

Edward A Cross

Nathan Jared Hughes

Bradley Dean Winick

John R Metzner

Daniel R Dwyer

Johnny A Lam

Thomas E Ford

Michael John Erickson

Daniel V Zilavy

Matthew Lewis Call

Richard Dickert Powers

Donald R Bloyer

Jeffrey J Grange

Robert J Blakely

Richard E Berriman

Christopher Shawn Kroeger

John R Feehrer

James Mankovich

John W Hover

John A Strange

Diego A Rodriguez

Phillip David Langley

Systems and methods for early warnings of power loss in solid state storage drives are disclosed. Early warnings of power loss can be used to power the drive to force the drive into a low power states before the energy in backup power sources, such as backup capacitors, is used. The low power states can allow for the reduction of power use by the drive which can provide cost savings and reduction in the risk that the drive will be rendered reconfigurable by a power failure event.

Power fail protection and recovery using low power states in a data storage device/system

Systems and methods for testing non-volatile storage devices are disclosed that provide functionality to control when testing of the non-volatile storage device is performed. In one embodiment, information stored in persistent memory indicates whether testing is enabled or disabled. For example, the testing information may indicate that testing is to be performed upon a first initialization of a non-volatile storage device, but not in connection with subsequent power-up events. Furthermore, functionality is disclosed for re-running and/or bypassing testing of the non-volatile storage device.

Automatic and on-demand testing of non-volatile storage devices

An electronic device is disclosed comprising a non-volatile memory storing a first version of a control program (CP), a first header comprising a first version identifier (VID) identifying the first version of the CP and a first VID check code generated in response to at least the first VID. The non-volatile memory further stores a second version of the CP, and a second header comprising a second VID identifying the second version of the CP and a second VID check code generated in response to at least the second VID. When the first and second VIDs are valid, the electronic device selects between the first version and the second version of the CP in response to the first and second VIDs, and executes the selected version of the CP.

Updating firmware of an electronic device by storing a version identifier in a separate header

Methods and apparatus for subdividing a hard partition of a computer server system into one or more soft partitions using partition management programming installed within firmware of the server system. The partition management firmware may be disposed at least partially on a central service processor and may be programmed to present generic interfaces, so that operating systems do not require modification to interface with the partition management programming.

Managing hardware resources for soft partitioning

A method of allocating a resource in a computer system having a plurality of operating systems, and related system, are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the method includes providing an advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) operating to facilitate interactions between at least one of the plurality of the operating systems and one or more of the resource, a hardware device, and firmware, and determining whether the resource is allocated to a first of the plurality of operating systems. The method further includes ejecting the resource from the first operating system, and allocating the resource to a second of the plurality of operating systems.

Method and system for dynamically reallocating a resource among operating systems without rebooting of the computer system

Provided is a method for restarting a computing platform to a state in which applications run in less time than an initial start, including powering on a computing platform having a plurality of devices; identifying one or more of the devices which are not critical to running applications; storing information about the non-critical devices; restarting the computing platform; retrieving the information about the non-critical devices; disabling the non-critical devices; performing at least one of testing and initialization of at least one device of the plurality of devices that are critical to running the applications before the restart is completed; offloading at least one of testing and initialization of at least one of the non-critical devices; enabling devices which are not non-critical; and enabling the non-critical devices after the restart is completed.

Method of restarting a computer platform

Provided is a method for restarting a computing platform to a state in which applications run in less time than an initial start, comprising powering on a computing platform having a plurality of devices; identifying one or more of the devices which are not critical to running applications; storing information about the non-critical devices; restarting the computing platform; retrieving the information about the non-critical devices; disabling the non-critical devices; enabling devices which are not non-critical; and enabling the non-critical devices after the restart is completed.

Implementations of speedy boot for computer systems are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a method of speedy boot for a computer system may include invoking a platform management interrupt (PMI) to soft reset a processor without resetting hardware for the processor. The method may also include bypassing at least some initialization procedures and tests to speed recovery of the computer system to a usable state. The method may also include resetting operating system interfaces and loading the operating system.

Speedy boot for computer systems

Systems, methodologies, media, and other embodiments associated with acquiring processor executable instructions from an option ROM are described. One exemplary method embodiment includes discovering input/output devices operably connected to a processor and updating a data structure with information concerning the input/output devices. The example method embodiment may also include obtaining a device driver from an option ROM associated with an input/output device, storing the device driver in non-MMIO memory and making the device driver available to input/output devices physically connected to the processor and for which information is stored in the data structure.

Option ROM code acquisition

Systems, methodologies, media, and other embodiments associated with power management are described. One exemplary system embodiment includes an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) manager logic configured to determine a power status of one or more UPS devices attached to one or more external peripheral devices. The UPS manager logic can be configured to notify an appropriate operating system of a power loss to a selected external device.

Power management system for UPS attached to external devices

A system and method updating firmware of cells in cellular, high availability, computing systems. One or more cells having missing, obsolete, corrupt, or otherwise errored firmware when compared to other cells in the partition are identified as mismatched cells. An update cell having desired firmware transmits an update message to each mismatched cell via a manageability system slow speed interconnect. In response to the update message, each mismatched cell enables a high speed interconnect over which they can receive the desired firmware. The update cell transmits the update firmware to each mismatched cell via the high speed interconnect.

System and method for high availability firmware load

A computer program version checking system checks at least one version of software running on a computing device including a plurality of programmable devices. A version of software running on the computing device is identified and compared to a version of the software in a recipe that is previously determined to be a correct version of the software. A determination is made as to whether the versions match.

Verification of computer program versions based on a selected recipe from a recipe table

A system and method generate a read only memory (ROM) image for a ROM. The ROM image generator operates with a data image builder. The ROM image generator processes an input file to identify data images for a build. The image identifier generates tokens for building each data image. A data image builder uses the tokens as an input to build each data image. A ROM image builder builds the ROM image using each data image build and generates a data image build validating signature for each data image build, such as a checksum. Once each data image build and associated validating signature is written to the ROM image, the ROM image is completed with a checksum of the entire ROM image.

Method for generating a read only memory image

A system and method for power management in a computer system having multiple power grids is disclosed. The system includes a service structure operable in conjunction with an operating system (OS) instance executed on the computer system. At least one uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and at least one alternative source of power provide power to the multiple power grids. Where an UPS sends a loss of power notification to the service structure, the service structure is operable to maintain power supply to the grids from an available alternative source of power.

System and method for power management in a computer system having multiple power grids

A system for providing notification, to the associated operating system, of removal and replacement of I/O devices during operation of a multiprocessor computer system running multiple operating systems. The system includes a plurality of cells, each containing multiple RISC processors, low-level I/O firmware, a local service processor, scratch RAM, external registers, a memory and I/O manager, and interfacing hardware. Each partition comprises one or more cells and runs its own operating system (OS). Each cell is connected to a peripheral backplane containing a plurality of peripheral I/O card slots via a switch on the system backplane, which also connects the cell to a supervisory processor, which sends card slot status information to the appropriate cell. Each I/O (typically PCI) card slot has an associated latch which provides an indication, to the supervisory processor, that a platform event has occurred. Platform events include inserting or removing an I/O (peripheral device interface) card to/from a card slot, and opening an access panel that provides access to the I/O cards.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Collins, CO, United States of America

Michael S Allison