Lucent Technologies Inc.

Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.

Todd Keaffaber

Charles Calvin Byers

Andrew F Scott

Douglas A Kimber

Richard Greischar

A method is provided for injecting faults into an operational system containing software and hardware components to be tested. A fault injection routine is stored in a memory location of the system. An interrupt service routine, preferably operational during normal operation of the system is provided with a pointer to the fault injection routine. A fault injection routine is executed from within the interrupt service routine. In one embodiment, the interrupt service routine provides a clock or timing function. In another embodiment, a number of fault injection subroutines are accessible by the fault injection routine. A value is passed to the fault injection routine indicating the particular fault injection subroutine to be employed.

Injection of software faults into an operational system

An electronic shelf includes a plurality of system circuit boards including a first system circuit board containing a first central processing unit (CPU) providing decision-making intelligence for end-user services supported by the first system circuit board. An auxiliary circuit board is connected to the first circuit board and provides input and output communications between the CPU and devices external to both the first system circuit board and auxiliary circuit board. The CPU is solely responsible for decision-making intelligence for management control for at least a predetermined number of system circuit boards while also being responsible for the decision-making intelligence for end-user services supported by the first system circuit board.

Electronic shelf unit with management function performed by a common shelf card with the assistance of an auxiliary interface board

One or more programmable clock management components of an apparatus in one example are coupled with a backplane. The one or more programmable clock management components comprise a reconfigurable clock management component. Upon receipt of one or more control signals, the reconfigurable clock management component undergoes a reconfiguration to be able to process one or more frequency signals.

Programmable clock management component reconfiguration upon receipt of one or more control signals to be able to process one or more frequency signals

An ejector handle mounted to an electronic circuit card provides leverage to assist in engaging and disengaging the electronic circuit card from engagement with an electronic shelf. The ejector handle transmits light, such as by using light pipes, from an end of the handle adjacent to the faceplate of the electronic circuit card to a distal end of the handle where the transmitted light exits for viewing by maintenance personnel. A visual indicator assembly on the electronic circuit card supplies the sources of light that are coupled to and transmitted through the ejector handle. Indicia on the surface of the ejector handle identifies the corresponding function of the lights.

Electronic circuit card ejector handle that provides visual status indicia

Mezzanine boards can be added to and removed from a supporting base board mounted in a slot of a shelf adjacent other base boards while the base boards remain in electrical service. Guide rails allow a mezzanine board to be slid into position from the front edge of the base board. The guide rails themselves can be moved to provide a new spacing to accommodate a different width mezzanine board without having to take the supporting base board out of service. Openings in the sides of the guide rails promote the flow of air between the mezzanine board and the base board to provide cooling.

Growing community of inventors

Plano, IL, United States of America

Todd Keaffaber