International Business Machines Corporation

Neil Morris

Reginald Beer

Robert Bruce Nicholson

Ian David Judd

Paul Nicholas Cashman

Robert Frank Maddock

Paul Hooton

Barry Douglas Whyte

Allen Ronald Cox

Paul Jonathan Quelch

Barry Douglas White

Stephen Peter Legg

Stanley J Cutts

Peter John Deacon

David Newmarch

Steven Brian Kew

A method and apparatus for relating a device name to a physical location of a device () on a network is provided. The network may be a serial loop network, for example a Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop network. The network includes a plurality of devices () on or connected to the network () and a control device () with control over at least one of the devices (). Each device () has a check output () independent of the network () with connection means () to a control device (). The method includes the step of sending a device name from the check output () of a device () to the control device (). The check output () of a device () is also connected to an external indication means for indicating the failure of the device ().

Method and apparatus for relating device name to physical location of device on a network

A method and apparatus for detection of a port name in a loop network is provided, particularly a loop network in the form of a Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL). The loop network () has a plurality of devices () each device () having at least one port () on the loop network (). The method includes determining which ports () are populated with devices () for which the unique port name (WWPN) is not known. The populated ports are then all bypassed and a mode is entered on the loop network () in which idle frames are transmitted around the loop network (). One port is un-bypassed at a time and the port name from the un-bypassed port is received and recorded. The port name is received from the un-bypassed port in a Loop Initialisation Select Master (LISM) frame transmitted by the un-bypassed port.

Method and apparatus for detection of port name in a loop network

A method and apparatus for recovery from faults in a loop network () is provided. The loop network () has a host means (), a first loop and a second loop (), a plurality of ports () connected to each of the loops () and a control device () on or connected to each loop () with bypass control over at least one of the ports () connected to the loop (). In the event of a failure on the first loop (), the host means () instructs the bypassing of at least one port () on the first loop (), the host means () sending the instructions via the control device () on or connected to the second loop (). The host means () may determine the physical topology of the ports () on the first and second loops () such that when a failure is reported to the host means () by a port () on the first loop (), the host means () instructs the bypassing of a port () in a specific relationship to the reporting port () on the first loop (). The host means () may instruct the bypassing of all ports () on the first loop () and subsequently selectively un-bypass ports () to ascertain the location of a faulty port or ports.

Method and apparatus for recovery from faults in a loop network

A drop detection device having a spherical inertia member disposed within an enclosure. The enclosure has multiple faces, preferably six faces oriented orthogonally, with each face having a pressure contact member. The exertion of a predetermined force by the spherical inertia member on the pressure contact member causes a signal to be activated. Multiple enclosures maybe disposed in different orientations in a housing of a fragile product to provide a signal if the product is dropped in any one of multiple directions.

Drop detection device

A method and apparatus are provided for fault location in a loop network (). The network system having a host port () for supplying and receiving data and a plurality of successively connected ports () through which data from the host port () is transferred. A counter () for each port records data transfers in which the amount of data received at a destination port is less than an expected amount of data. When a transfer with less than the expected amount of data is identified for a data flow between a sending port () and a destination port (), the counters are incremented for each port () after the sending port up to and including the destination port. Analysing means determines a fault location in the network system from the distribution of counts in the counters ().

Method and apparatus for fault location in a loop network

This invention relates to apparatus and a method for connecting a pin array and a circuit board. In particular, the invention relates to pin array connections used in connecting disk drives into disk drive enclosures. Connection is accomplished by using a multi-pinned plug connector which sequentially engages conductive surfaces at different levels within the receiving PCB. The plug connector is connected electrically at its opposing end to a second PCB.

Printed circuit board for pin array connection

A data processing system comprises a host computer connected for the transfer of data to and from a plurality of data storage devices arranged in a string, the host computer including communication means comprising first and second ports connecting to first and second communication links, the first and second communication links being connected respectively to first and second data storage devices of said string. A bypassing means is provided between the first and second ports of the host system and the first and second data storage devices, the bypassing means being comprised of an independent bypass circuit on each of the first and second communication links between each of the first and second ports and the first and second data storage devices, the bypassing means being operable to bypass the host computer by connecting the first and second devices only when both of said independent bypass circuits detect a lack of data transfer on their respective links.

Bypass circuit for bypassing host computer which are connected to

A cooling system provides redundant fault-tolerant cooling to electrical devices in an electrical apparatus and comprises a plurality N+1 individual cooling fans, N cooling fans being required to provide cooling of the devices and further comprises monitor logic for monitoring the status of the plurality of cooling fans and for issuing a non-critical warning to the apparatus in the event of failure of one of the cooling fans, the logic being further operable, in the event of a failure in the logic, to issue a non-critical warning to the apparatus.

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Southsea, United Kingdom

Neil Morris