The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 14, 2006
Filed:
Feb. 14, 2002
Paul Durrant, Slough, GB;
Stephen R Hanson, Aldworth, GB;
David S Gordon, Farnborough, GB;
Jeremy Harris, Chalfont St Giles, GB;
Paul Durrant, Slough, GB;
Stephen R Hanson, Aldworth, GB;
David S Gordon, Farnborough, GB;
Jeremy Harris, Chalfont St Giles, GB;
Sun Microsystems, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
A device driver (GRAPHICS, NETWORK, HIO, IOL, SERIAL) for use in a computer system comprising a processor (P), memory (M) and a device (GRAPHICS, NETWORK, HIO, IOL, SERIAL) operatively coupled to the computer system, the device driver being operable to control the device to monitor an operational status of the device, and consequent upon a change in the operational status to generate a fault report data indicating whether the change of status was caused internally within the device or externally by another connected device which caused the change of operational status to occur. The fault reports may also include an indication of the operational status of the device. Furthermore, if the fault report data indicates that the change of status was caused externally, the device driver may generate fault direction information indicative of an apparent direction on a connection between the device and the other device suspected as causing the indicated external fault. By providing an indication as to whether a fault has occurred internally or externally, and if externally, a relative direction on a data path from which the fault is perceived, a fault response processor can estimate the location of a faulty device of the computer system with improved accuracy.