CA2071804A1

CA2071804A1 - Computer system manager

Info

Publication number: CA2071804A1
Application number: CA002071804A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Ronald G. Ward; Scott C. Farrand; Thomas J. Hernandez; Ronald A. Neyland; Richard A. Stupek; James E. Barron; Cheryl X. Chen; Lih-Juan L. Danielson; Richard P. Mangold; Mitchell R. Wiley; Andrew J. Miller; Said S. Saadeh; Paul R. Fulton; Richard A. Kunz; Arthur D. Heald; Dinesh K. Sharma
Original assignee: Ronald G. Ward; Scott C. Farrand; Thomas J. Hernandez; Ronald A. Neyland; Richard A. Stupek; James E. Barron; Cheryl X. Chen; Lih-Juan L. Danielson; Richard P. Mangold; Mitchell R. Wiley; Andrew J. Miller; Said S. Saadeh; Paul R. Fulton; Richard A. Kunz; Arthur D. Heald; Dinesh K. Sharma; Compaq Computer Corporation
Current assignee: Compaq Computer Corp
Priority date: 1991-06-24
Filing date: 1992-06-19
Publication date: 1992-12-25
Also published as: JP3410748B2; ATE164242T1; EP0520769B1; DE69224775D1; US5367670A; EP0520769A3; EP0520769A2; JPH05257914A; DE69224775T2

Abstract

COMPUTER SYSTEM MANAGER

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A system manager for a computer system. The system manager transparently monitors signals transferred between computer system components along a system bus and stores objects related to the monitored signals in an object space. Information related to operating conditions within the system can then be provided from the object space. Later, the object space can be updated and the updated object space used to provide updated information regarding the operating conditions of the system

Description

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q~e invention relates to a manager for a co~puter system, and, more particula~ly, to a co~puter sy~tem manager which innately m~r~ito~ proCeS8eS ~jects in~ica~ive of cong?uter - : :: ... :, , ~: ~ : .
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system performance and actual and/or potential computer system failures, determines alert conditions based upon the innately monitored and processed objects, reports alert conditions in either an in-band or out-of-band mode and provides for corractive action to be taken from a remote location.

The desire to share computer resources has motivated the development and continuing improvement of computer networks.
One such computer netw~rX i8 generally referred to as a local area network (or "LAN'). A L~N i~ a system of computer hardware and software that links components 6uch as computers, printers and other periphe~als into a networX suitable for transmission between various ones of the linXed components located in Lelative proximity to each other, for exam~le in different offices in a building, or in different buildings situated near one another. Simil æ to a LAN is a wide æea network (or ~IW~N~). A W~N differs frcm a LAN in that a telephone netw~rk is also required to linX at least some of the components included in the network to the remainder of the network components.
Various types of network operating systems are in existence today. mey include the NetWare system manufactured by ~ovell, Inc. of Provo, Utah, ~he VINES system manufactured by Banyan, and the LAN Manager system manufactured by Micrc~oft Corporation of Redmond, ~ashington. While such network cpsrating systems often include a networ~ manager, the ne~work manager included in ~uch sy~tems have typ~ally relies upon the netw~rk operating sys em to pro~ide data to the network manager for performang netwvrk mana~ement fu ~ on~. Slnce netw~rk managex~ have been ~Offled to rely upon data transmitted by the networ~, prior netwbrk managers have focussed on analyzlng th~ health of the netwvrk and have not been particularly well ~uited to analy2e the heal~h of the c ~ nents of the network Thus, of the five functional areas of network management (confi~uration, fault analysi6, accounting, performance and ::-.: ;: . . .:
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security) recognized by the CSI/Network Management Forum, network managers have been best equipped to performing configuration and security management. Network managers can also provide limited fault analysis, but, in most cases, only after failure has occurr~l Recently, the develcpment of larger networks, both L~N and ~N, which include multiple printer, communication, database, and file server locations have been contemplated. This drive tcwards combining increasing numbers of computer components into a 6ingle netw~rk, has led to an increased d~nand ~or greater management capabilities. While, in the past, failure alerts may have been satisfactory, there is an increasing demand for information that will lead to failure whereby potential failures may be reported in sufficient time to allow for corrective action before an actual failure occurs. In addition to this increased demand for information that will lead to failure, the capability of real-time analysis of the performance of a computer system is also seen as a highly desireable management capability, p æticul æly in the develcpment of l æ ger, multiple file server networks which will challenge minicomputers and mainframes for larger 6cale applications. Furthermore, as many of such networks will utilize a ~N configuration, the nee~ to be able to manage the network from a remote console is of increased importance. Total reliance on local management capabilities would ~e a ~igm ficant detrimen~ to 6uch systems ~ince a~ least one ma~or component of the systems would likely be remotely located with respect to the - remainder of the ~y~te~ thereby pro~ucing a netw~rk unable to manage the entire system from a slngle management con~ole.
SUMM~gY OF THE INvENnloN
In a first embcdiment, the prese~t in~ention is of a co~puter netw~rk comprising a filç server having a compu~er system installe1 therein, a computer station and a network bus connecting the console to the file server. A netw~rk operating system/network manager controls and manages information . .
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transfers between the file ~erver and the console al~a a system manager manages the computer system board by monitoring signals transferred along the sy6tem bus, determinlng alert conditions ba~ed upon the monitored signc~ls and generating alerts based upon the determined alert conditions. In one aspect of this embodiment of the invention, power supplied to the system manager ia monitored and also used to manage the system. In another aspect, the system operating temperature is used to manage the system and, in still another aspect, network managemen~ information is also uaed to mc~nage the 6ystem.
In another embcdiment, the present invention is of a manager for a computer system which comprises means for monitoring information tran~sfers along the computer system bus, a processor for determining calert conditions based upon the monitored infor~ tion transfers, a con~ole for receiving alerts from the processor, and mea¢s for transferring the alerts generated by the processor to the console. In alternate a6pects of this embodiment of the invention, the monitored lnformetion transfers may ~e the level of voltage supFlied to the system manager or the temperature at which the system nanager operates.
In still another e~bodimen~, the present invention is of a system manager for a comput~r system which comprises means for passively monito~ing signal~ transferred between computer system components along a sy~tem kus a~d an o~ect space for storing o~ect6 relatea to tha passively ~onitQrea 8ignals and providi~
informat~on related to cperating co~ditions within the syste~
In one aspect of thi~ @mbcdiment, means for ~pdQting the ok~ect space based upon a~ditional 8ignalB k#ing passively m~nitorea duLing tran~fer alo~g the ~ystem bu~ ara al80 p~ovid~
me invention may be better ~derstood and its numerous ob~ ect6, features and a.dvantag~6 become El~parent to those 8kLlled ln the art b~ referencing the acco~panying drawing in ~ whi5h:

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FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer network having an EIS~ based computer ~ystem and a computer sy~tem manager constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention installed therein;
FIG. 2 i9 a ~lock diagram of the system manager of FIG. 1 which illustrates information flcw to and from, as well as within, the system manager;
FIG. 3 is a tcp level block diagram of the system manager of FIGS. 1-2 FIG 4 is a low level klock diagram of the sy~tem manager of FIG. 3; and FIG 5 is a flcw diagram of the dataflow between the hardware and software components of the 6ystem ma~ager of FIGS.
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: 15 Reerring first to FIG. 1, an extended industry standard ~ architectur2 (or "EISA") based computer network 10 having a ; system manager 22 construoted in accordance with the present invention shall now be described in detail. ~he computer netw~rk 10, which may be configured a~ either a hAN, ~N, or other type of network confi~uration, i~cludes an EISA server 12, : for example, a Systempro Mbdel 486-840 manufactured by CGmpaq Com$u~er Corp. of Houston, lex~s, haviDg an EI5A based computer system k~ard comprised o~ a SeLieS of computer subsy~t~m~ (t shown) interconnected by a EIS~ h~ea s~stem bus. AS the computer 6ub6ystems themselves are not specifically illustrated herein, the EISA computer ystem bcard and EISA system bus are, : for ease of illustration, i icated as a ~lnl~iea element, EIS~
system bcard/bus 13, al~hough all ~pecific references to such ~ 30 element shall speciflcally indicate w~loh portion of the ~ fied ; element is being con~idersd i~ such referenoe.
Installed on the EIS~ computer sy~tem board 13 are a plurality of cards which inclu~e the ~y~tem manager 22, which, as will be re fully described belaw, i6 cQmprised o,f a 3~ klt . , . , .. ,, . . ~ .

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intelligent bus n~ster board and supporting firmware, an E~5A
network interface adapter 24 and an intelligent disk array controller device 26. Installed in the operating system (or ~CS") section of the E~SA server 12 is a nstwork operating system 14, preferably one which include~ a network management agent 15. It is contemplated that any one of numerous network operating systems, for example, the NetWare or LAN M~nager network operating sy6tel~ previously described, would be suitable for use a~ the netwo~k operating system 14.
Interfacing the system manager 22 anl the network operating 6ystem 14 is a system n~nager device driver 16. me system manager device driver 16 acts as a bi-directional translator for all reguests to and from the system manager 22, thereby providing two-way communication between the system manager 22 and the networ~ management agent 15. m rough this interconnection between the system manager 22 and the network management agent 15, the network n~nagement agent 15 may supply information to or receive information collected by the system manager 22. Cb~ect nanagement by the system manager 22 may, therefore, ke initiated by the network management agent 15 if the network n~nagement agent 15 issues instructions to create, delete, modify, reset, or clear ob~ects stored in the system manager 22.
The system n ~ ger device driver 16 will also h2ndle certain in-band and ~ut-of band alerts. If generatea ~y the system manager 22, an ln-ban~ alert will be trznsmitte~ by the ~; syst~m manager device ~iYar 16 to the net~rk operating ~ystem14 which, under the contrcl of the network management agent 15, ~: will direct the in-band alert to a local network manager console : : 30 36 c~nnected to the netw~rk ope~ating ~ystem 14 by in-bQnd ~;; network bus 42. Out of-~and alerts generated by ~he netw~rk operating system 14, on the other hand, wlll be tLansmitted by the sy6tem manager devlae driver 16 to the 6ystem manager 22 for ~ransmis6ion to a remotely located systPm manager facility 34 '~'' 2 ~

connected to the system manager 22 via an asynchronou6 link 40, or example, a telephone connection~ Two-way commNnication hetween the system manager 22 and the remotely l w ated system manager console i8 provided by a 6ystem manager facility device driver 38. While there are additional signals transmitted between the system manager 22 and the network operating system 14 by the sy~tem manager device driver 16, these additional 6ignals shall be discu~sed in greater detail later.
me network management agent 15 also operates as a central collection point for network management information for the EISA
server 12 by acting as a link between the sy6tem manager 22, other cards installed on the computer ~ystem k~ard 13, and the computer netw~rk itself. For example, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, an EI5A network interface adapter 24, for example, a Mbdel NE3200 32-bit Ethernet adapter manufactur~d by Anthem Electronics, Inc., and an intelligent disk array controller device 26, are also installed on the computer system boand 13. me network operating system 14 connects the computer system board 13 and, via a netw~rk interace device driver 18 which operates in a manner similar to the system manager device driver 16, the netw~rk interface adapter 24 for two-way data transmlssion th rebetween.
Furthermore, as the ~etwork inter~ace adapter 24 i5 connected for tw~-way data transmi6sion with the netw~rk 28, a two-way commwnication link between the Yystem manager 22 and the network 28 i8 thu81y provid~l Th~ n~tw~rk 28 is the interface of the netw~rk CQmpODe~ts via the netw~rk media The netw~rk 28 may be configured in a token ring, ethernet, or other n~tw~rk topology in use today, to control the acces~ of multiple computer stations to the netw~rk 28, although, in the embo~iment of the invention described and illustra~ed hereln, a 6in~1e computer ætation 30 h3s been provld~l An in~elligent di~s array controller device driver 20 which, like the netw~rk interface device driver 18, operates in :~

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a manner similar to the 6ystem manager device driver 16, provides for twD-way data transmission between the system manager 22 and, via the n~twork operating system, the intelligent disk array controller device 26. me intelligent S disk ~rray co~t mller devlce 26 provides di6X storage for the c~mputer 6ystem board 13. For exanp~e, it i8 contemplated that the intelligent disk array (or "InA") controller device 26 may provide 840 Mbytes of di~k ~torage for the computer system board 13 by associating four 210M-byte Compaq IDA drive pair~
therewith Referrin~ next to FIG. 2, the flcw of information, most commonly in the form of data ana alerts, to and from, as well as w~thin the system manager 22 shall now be described in greater detail. AB will be more fully described below, the system manager 22 has the ability to monitor various system components and parameters. If a component experiences a failure or exhibits characteristics that in~icate it may experiencs a failure, the system manager 22 detects the failure or characteristic indicative of a potential failure and reports the failure or characteri~tic indicative of a potential failure as an alert in a manner such ~ha~ corrective action can be take~
: As may ke seen in FIG 2, the pa~h by which data accumulated during the monitoring of system eompon~nts ana ~ param2texs i~dicative of an actual or potential failure may be :~ 25 any one of four paths, depenaing on the paYticular type of actual or potential failure baiDg monitor31 Each syste~
com~onent being monitored may be referred to afi ~n ok~ect having -. a number of at~ributes. As the compon~nts aontinua to be '; monitored, the value of the ok~ect'~ attributes may change, for ~: 30 example, by incrementing, decrementing, updat~ng, resetting or mcdifylng. ~hen the attributes exce~d ~heir boundary sr threshold value, an alert will bs generat~l In addition to alerts, the attributes of o~ects may be u~ilized to provide continuous real-time mom toring of the aQmputer system bOara 13 .~ .

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Addressing the specifia signals being monitored by the system bus manager 22, the computer system bus 13 supplies certain signals to a bus monitor 44 which will help determine the state of the computer system board 13. These signals include interrupt request (or "IR~') signals, data memory request (or "DR~') signals an input/output (or "I/a') signals.
In one embcdiment of the invention, it is contemplated that the bus monitor 44 monitors the I/O signals although, in a further embodiment of the invention, it is contemFlated that the bus m~nitor 44 monitors the supplied IR~l DRQ an~ I/O signals. If the signals are active, then the corresponding system resources are being used. In this manner, these sign ls may be used to monitor the performance of the computer system board 13. Other signals supplied by the computer system bus 13, are utilized during object management to indicate alert conditions. For example, the absence of the refresh signal will generate an ;~ alert since the lack of refresh may cause the file server 12 to fail. SimilaLly, an indication of a memory parity error will cause the generation of an alert. Also innately monitored by the bNs monitor 44 are the printer port, 80 that the system manager 22 can report whethex or not there is a printer error or is out of paper, the asynchronous serial port, so that the sy~tem manager can monitor ana log asynchronou~ ac~vity such as overrun errors, pdrity error~, an~ framing srrors for sy~tem boaLd serial ports, ~ystem software, so that soft~are errors can -: be identified, an~ keyboard events, so tba~ keystro3~es can be logged ~na the relati~nship between a system failure and keyboar~ iDp~ts can be analyz~l Finally, the bNs monitor 44 *dll detect the assertlon of IC~; indicative of a catastrophic ` board failure, ,md board "times out", indi~ative of a violation of EISA 6t~ndards. me bus monitor 44 tr3nsfers these ~ignals to information pr~cessing and ale-rt detexmination elements 52 where the monitor~d informatio~ is processe~ ~s wlll be more :;

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fully described below, the information processing and alert determination elements 52 of the sy~tem manager 22 is comprised of a contrnl proces60r and supporting logic which, by the application of ob~eat management techniques, i8 configured to 5 determine whether the monitored information warrants the generation of an alert.
~he system manager 22 further provide~ for the monitoring of other ~ignals for delivery to the information processing and alert determination elements 52 for potential generation of 10 alerts. These other signals are supplied to the information processing and alert determination element~ 52 by a path distinct from that previously discu~s~l To power the system manager 22, the computer system bN~ 13 provides ~5 Volt and ~12 Volt lines to a power-temperature monitor/p~er sup$1y elements 15 50. The level of voltage supplled to the system manager 22 is converted into a digital signal by an analog-to-digital converter included in the power-temperature monitor/pcwer supply elements 50 and the digital power level signal is provided to the information processing and alert determination elements 52.
` 20 For exam~le, lf a drcp in system power is detected, the information processing and alert determination elements 52 will generate an alert. If, hcwever, a comçlete los& of p~wer occurs, the system manager 22 will switch to battery pcwer and the event reported, again as an alert, through one or both of 25 its a~ynchronous mcdem ~nd serial connection~. Ihds aspect of the sy6tem manager 22 i8 more fully described ln co-pending paten~ application seri~l no. _ entitled "Pcwer Supply for a Computer Sy~tem Mbnage~' and previously incorporated by refe~ence. Erisfly, hcwever, after loss of ~yætem power, the 30 system manager will switch into reserve powær to deliver alerts an~, after completing alert delivery, to standby mode to ;~ conserve power. After reserve pcwer i8 exhau~ted, the system - manager then wltohe into dormant mode to kee~ it6 RAM memory;` valid for an extended period of ti~e and, after tha expiration .. . ... ..
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of the extended period o time, cutting power off completely.
The sy6tem manager 22 i6 further provided with a temperature ~ensor 48. The internal temperature of the system manager 22 ia continuously monitored by the temperature sensor 48 and the measured temperature tran~mitted to pcwer-temperature monitor/p~wer supply elements 50 where an~log to digital conversion of the monitoxed temperature is perform~1 The digital temperature level is then transmitted to information processing and alert determination elements 52 for ob~ect management. If the information processing and alert determination elements 52 determine that the temperature has risen above a predetermined threshold, then an alert may be issued.
Finally, a bus master interface 46 is used to transfer certain signals from the network operating system 14 to the information processing and alert determination elements 52.
Typically, the inform2tion provided by the bus master interface 46 differs from that passively suFplied by the bus monitor 44 or th~ pownr-temperature monitor/p~wer supply elements 50 in that information supplied via the bus master interface 46 are supFlied as hard inputs. However, ky interfacing with netw3rk operatin~ system 14, the system manager 22 can monitor network resource~ other than the computer system board 13 itself. For examçle, in a typical network management ~ystem/ the intellige~t disk array controller device 26 would pr~vlde management ~- information to the network ~ nt agent 15 such as the number of read erros that have occu~r~ In turn, the netw~rk management agent 15 can pr~vide that information to the system ~; manager 22 via the kus m2ster interface 46.
me information passively nitored by the bus monitor 44 an~ the power-te~perature monitor portion of the pcwer-temperature m~nitor/power 8upply elements 50 an~ supplied to the information processing and alex~ detexmination elements 52, as well a~ that information ~upp~ied to the information prccessing , and alert determination elements 52 by the bus master interface 46 may be used for several purpose~. First, the information processing and alert determination elements 52 can process the information and, if appropriate, generate an alert. Examples of alert condition~ that may be determined by information processing and alert determination elements 52 include los~ of system power, server subsystem failure, excessive server temperature as well as other co~figurable events that require outside attentio~
Once the information processing and alert determination elements 52 determine that an alert should be issued, such an alert can be issued in a number of ways. Initially, it must be determined if the alert ~hould be delivered "in-band" or "out-of-band". Once originated by the information processing and 15 alert determination elements 52, an in-band alert is directed to the bus nEster interface 46 and on to the network operating system 14 and, under the control of the n~twork management software contained in the network management agent 15, on to the local network manager console 36. So that the use of existing ;~ 20 network hardware i~ maximized, it is contemplated that in-band alerts to the local netw~rk manager console 36 will be utilized ` as the primary path for communications with the system manager;~ 22. It should be specifically noted, hawever, that, a localsystem manager console may be used to receive in-band alerts without departing fr~m the practice of the present invention.
~ I~ the informa~ion proces6ing an~ alert detexmination elements - 52 determlne that the alert should be issued ~out-of-band~, the - alert is transmitted to oommunication element~ 54 where an alert `; i~ is~ue~ As iB more fully described in co-psnding U. S. Patent Appllcation Ser. Nb. entitled "In-~and/Out-of-band Alert Delivery Sy~tem for a Co~puter System MaDage~' and previously inoorporated by r~ference, ~he commun~aation elements ma~ ~end an out-of-band alert by sending a protccol mQsSage over a switched telephone connection to ~he system manager facility " ~ ,.: . ,~ .. :

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34, by dialing a phone numcer assoc~ated with a pager 56 or by dialing a phone number to a phone 58 associated with a person and generating a synthesized voiae message upon completing a connaction with the phone 58.
In addition to alert determination and generation based upon the passively monitored information, the information processing and alert determination elements 52 also perform several other functions. More specifically, the received information is also time stamped and stored or "logged" into RAM
memory for later access. ~hu9, in the event of a catastrophic failure of the file server 12, the monitored and logged information will bs availahle for "post rtem" diagnostics.
Similarly, network information may be transferred over the bus master interface 46 and logged into RAM memory contained within the information processing an~ alert determination elements 52.
` Finally, the ob~ects can ba transfer~ed, for exanFle to the remote system manager facility 34 or the local network manager console 36 to provide real time information regarding the `` performance of the system manager 22.
Through the link between the communications elements 54 of the system manager 22 and the system manager facility 34, ~ignificant control of the system manager 22 can be performed from a remote locatio~ FrQm the system manager facility 34, remote console emulation, access to ~tored data and remote contrnl or "rebootin~' may be perfonm~1 Remote console emulation or "hard key insertion" permlts keystrnkQs at the remote console to be delivered to the system ma~ager 22 as if they were input loc lly. Through the hard key insertion, "soft"
reboots are emulated by simwltaneou~ly inserting "control'l--~alt~ del~ to actuate a xeboot of the system manager 22.
While not being a~le to actuate a scnplete "h3rd" reboot, the system manag~r facility 34 c~ simulate a hard reboot by selectively removing power fr~m system components. More information regarding remote conscle emulation is set forth in . .

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2 ~j co-pending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. entltled "Remote Console Emulator or a Computer System Mbnager" and previously incorporated by reerence.
Referring next to FIG. 3, the structuLal coniguration of S the system manager 22 shall now be described ln greater detail.
While quite similar to FIG. 2, certain elements of the system manager 22 have now been redesignated to more closely describe their ~tructuxal configurations whereas, ln FIG. 2, such elements were deæignated with their operational characteristics closer in mi~l As may be better seen in FIG. 3, the bus monitor 44 innately nitors a pluLality of signals relating to the state of the computer system koard 13. Innate monitoring is acco~plished by the bus monitor 44 receiving all data and addLess signals being transferred along the system bus 13. me ~us monitor 44 will then select those signals which will help ~ determine the state of the computer system board 13 and directs `` the 6elected sign21s via a bus to, what previously was functionally designated as the information processing and alert determination elements 52 and wha~ i6 now structurally designated as a CPU/memory subsystem 52 which is the hardw~re which, together with associated firmware, will perform the aforementioned information processing and alert determination functions. Other Si9nalB, indicated here as miscellaneous system signals, are always considered to help determine the state of ~he computer system board an~ are directed through the bus mom tor 44 to ths CPU/mem~ry subsystem 52. Addition21ly, the system bus 13 supplies pcwer to the system manager 22 via ~5~, ~12V lines to the ~ -temperature m~nitor/pcwer supply element 50 and on to the CPUj~emory sub~ystem 52. In the event of that the 8upply oi pcwer ~rom the ByStem ~US 13 i6 terninatea, the power-t ~ erature mondtor/pcwer 6uFply element 50 ~lll begin ~u$plying pcwer from a battery included therei~
The termination of the ~uFply of power from the sy~tem bus will also be reported to tha CPU/mem~ry ~uk6ystem 52 as an alert . . : , ~ . :.:, .: .. .

condit~on. -Connected to output of the CPU/memory subsystem is a modem/asynchronous interface 60 r~presents the two paths along which an out-of-band alert may be transmitted, via an S asynchronous communication port or via a modem, ln the event that an alert condltion has been established. Alert conditions include loss of system power, server subsystem failure, exces~ive server temperature as well as out of other events which require the attention of the sy~tem m3nager facility 34.
~; 10 Either of these may be used to report an alert condition, although the modem would typically contact either one of the : pager 56 or the phone 58 while the asynchronous communicationport would typically contac-t a remote system manager, for example the system manager fadlity 34 illustrated in FIG 2.
Servicing the modem/asynchronous interface 60 is voice/audio ` elements 62. In the event that a voice alert is selected, the; voice audio elements generate the voice alert which is then transferred to a phone 58 via the mode~ Finally, in the system manager con~iguration illustrated herein, a local sy tem manager console 64 and system mem~ry I/O ~upport tha system manager 22 and are accesslble via the bus master interface 46.
Referxing next to FIG. 4 the system manager 22 shall now be descrlbed in 8till greater detail. The ystem manager 22 is compris0d of a bl-dirsctional contIol processor bus 67 an~ a 25 series of system manager components connected to the contrcl proce~sor bus 67 for the transfer of address, data and control signals between various component~ of the s~tem manager 22.
Connectea to the contrxl prOCeSSQr b~s 67 a~e a control processor 68, ran~om acc~s6 mmory 70, read only m~mory 72 a real time clo~k 74, contrcl pr~ce~or arkitration logic 76, a bNs master i~terface 78, con~rc~ prnces60r transfer buffer logic 80, vodce ~ynthesis logic 82, a modem 8q, a innate bus mon~toring dsvice 86, a touch tone decoder 88, un~versal control/sta~u6 regi3ters 90, a umver6al asynchrvus receiver ' transmltter tor l~u~Rrl) 92, a U~Rr interface 94, a power mode controller 96, an analog-to-digital converter 98; and indirectly a battery 100 and a battery charge lndicator 102 and a ; temperatnre sensor 48.
~, 5 Ihe various operation6 performed by the ~ystem manager 22 and the various system manager component6 48 and 68-102 which are utllized to perform such operations 9hall now be described in greater detail. In the embodiment of the invention disclo6ed herein, the ~ontrol proce6sor 68 is a 16 bit microproce660r ~- 10 which operates at 16 MHz, although, in alternate embodiments of -~ the invention, other mioroprocessor types will be suitable for ., use. The control processor 68 performs mNltiple tasks, including a primary task of collecting and storing in~ormation received from multiple sources and detecting failures based upon ` `:
; 15 acquired data and issue alerts a~ appropriate. The control proces~or 68 also performs several other tasX6 which will be `!~ de~cribed in greater detail later. In its primary task, ck~ect d~ta which is proce~sed bv the control processor 68 i6 stored in the random access mem~ry 70 an~ proce3sor instructions are ; ~0 stored in the read only memory 72. Depending on the particular o~ect management performed on a ~ icular system c Q onent, data from the computer system bus 13 and innately m~nitored by the innate bus monitoring device 86 may be operated on by the contrcl processor 68 and the resultant ob~ect stored in ~he random aCC2s9 memory 70 or, depending on the particular ok~ect being managed, may ~e directly 9tored lnto the random acc2ss memory 70. Similarly, tempera ~ and/or power data transmitted by the A/D converter 98 may be operated on by the control processor 6B and the result st~red in the rand~m access mem~ry 70 or may be directly st~red into the random access m~m~ry 70.
me real time clock is a clock independent of the 6ystem clock which is configured to store date, time, year and other time related vaxia~les relating to ob~ects, depenaing on user preference.

, In "norm21" operatlon, the control processor 68 controlq the control processor bus 67 to provide data transfers between the control processor 68, the random access memory 70, the read only memory 72 and the real time clock 74. In normal operation, the control processor 68 pe.rforms ok~ect management as set forth in detail elsewhere. Based upon the acquired data, ok~ect management will provide for the detection of failures of the file ser~er 12 or sub6ystems thereof.
~he bus master interface 78 which, for example, may be an ; 10 Intel 82355 EMIC, i~ configured to interrogate and m~dify thememory and I/0 space 66 of the computer system 13 as well as the random access mem~ry 70 of the system manager 22. For example, during a "data transfer operation" involving the 6ystem manager 22, the control processor arbitration logic 76 instructs the control processor bw~ 67 regarding the address, direction and destination of the data transfer. The control processor arbitration logic 76 then instructs the bus master interface 78 as to the transfer. Once the system manager 22 is ready for a transfer, the bus ma3ter i~terface 78 will then instruct the computer system bus 13 to arrange for a ~rst transfer of data to the bus master interface 78 which, in turn, will transfer the data, to the contxcl pr~cessor transfer buffer logic 80 and on to the random access mem~ry 70 for storage. Transfer of data from the random access memory 70 to the bus master interface 78 25 i6 accomplished in rever~e manner.
Cnce, o}~ect management within the contrcl processor 68 has indicated that ~n alert should be generated, the control processor 68 contr~ls the delivery of the appropriate alert mes~age vla the modem 84, the UART 94 and/or the network operating system 15. The U~RT 9~ provides a~ asynchxon~s interface between ~he system manager 22 ~nd ~he syst~n manager facility 34. Through a ~of ~ interface pro~ided between the UAR~ 94 and the system manager facility 34, for ex~n~le, by use of the Wind~ws software, ~he system m~nager facility 34 is .

~ -18-,, 1 oapable of reading monitored o}~ect values from and writing ob~eat control to the sy~tem manager 22. Likewise, video screen data can be transmitted from the system manager 2~ to the remote ; console and keystroke can be transmitted from the system manager facility 34 to the system manager 22. The system manager facility 34 also keeps alert logs. Finally, another function of the UART 94 is to connect an external modem to deliver page alerts under the contol of the contrcl processor 68.
. 10As previously mentioned, alerts delivered to the pager 54 or the phone 56 are mada via the modem 84 under the control of :~ the control processor 68. When, however, an alert message is dslivered to the phone 56, the voice synthe i8 logic 82 is utilized by the control processor 68 in order to generate an audibls, voice alert. Pre-rscorded voice messages are stored within the voice synthesis lo~ic 82. These voice messages, whic~ are stored in accordance with ada~tive differential pulse code modulation, relate to a multitude of messages which may bs acces~ed by the control procsssor and transmitte~ For example, dates, numbers, alert conditions, names, voltages which correspond to the information useful to identify the type, severlty, tims of, location, or other identifving information resarding alert conditions. Thus, if the contrcl processor desired to transmit a voice alert, the control processor 68 would instxuct the voice 6ynthesis logic 82 to sup~ly the selected m~ssage to the modem 84, whlch, for example may be a 2400 blt per second modem, can tran8~it the selected message over its tw~ way interface wlth ~he phone 58. After the alert has been tral65mitted, the modem 84 w~ll aw~it a return call 30 through which it will pasq server information and con~rcl.
The touch tone decoder 88 i~ connected to accept ~n~l og 8ign218 from the modem 84. The touch tons decGder 88 decodes signal~ received by the modem and informs the control prc~essor as to the nature of the sign~l. Mbst c~mmoniy, the touch tone ` 19 decoder will be used to provide security or the system manager 22. For example, when a alert delivery is sent via the modem 84 to a pager 56 or a phone, a u~er receivin~ the alert will, in many situations, desire to contact the system manager 22 for additional information. For example, if the user transmits a passw~rd to the modem 84, the touch tone decoder 88 will decode the tones and transmit the decoded tones to the control processor 68. The control processor 68 then decides whether the password is legitimate. As will be more fully described in co-pending application Serial No. _ , entitled "Re teConsole Emulator for System Bus Manager", and previously incorporated by reference, the touch tone deccder 88 is also utilized in connection with remote console emulation operations.
The power mode controller 92 both controls the pcwer for the system manager 22 and monitors the power level for the system ~oanl In a manner more fully described in co-pending application Serial No. , entitled "Power Supply ; Controller for Computer System Manager", and previously incorporated by reference, the power mode controller will contrnl the operation of the system manager 22 by designating which of alternate power modes the system manager 22, or in accordance with the requirements of certain power modes, which components of the system manager 22 are to be suçplied pcwer.
In the event that power from ~he syste~ bus 13 i8 unavailable, the battery 100 ~hall supply p~wer to eith~r the system manager 22 or to selected co~p~nents thereof. As the battery 100 is rechargeable, ~he battery c ~ indicatox 102 $s provided to indicate wnen the bQttery 100 is being recharge~ For example, the pcwer mode contrvller 92 will cause ~he sy~tem manager 22 ~o activate the battery 100 6hould the ~upFly vo~tage needed to operate the ~ystem manager 22 fall bel~w a minimum operating voltage. me pcwer mode contraller 92 will 3180 turn on and off dsvices n~t needed during operation of the battery 100. Ihis circuitry wlll pr~vlde the best use of the battery 100 in this ~ & ~

low pcwer mode. After the processor delivers an alert, the pcwer mode controller 92 will turn off the pcwer to the control proce~sor 68. The processor will be re6tarted when a call i~
detected, UART aativity, expiration of set lnterval in real time alock and other system activity or subsystem activity.
Referring next to FIG. 5, the flow of data between the various hardware and firmware components of the system manager 22 shall now be described in greater detail. System manager occux~ within the contIxl processor 68 by the interaction of the control processor firmware 104 with the contrnl processor's random access memory 70 as well as certain other har~ware elements. In a manner to be more fully described bQlcw, the system manager firmware 104 acts upon i~Futs from the bus master intexface 78 and the U~RT 94, monitors parameters of the system board 13 being input by the innate kus monitoring device 86, monitors tamperature and pcwer parameters of the system board 13 being input by the A/D converter 98, and, as deemed necessary, generate alerts via the bus master interface 78 and/or the UAR~
94.
The system manager 22 operates baæed upon the concept of ok~ect management. Each object represents a system component that can be managed and contains pertinent information about the component that it represent~. As cha~ges occur that affect the statu~ of a component, the information contained in the corresponding object i8 update~ C~ect3 ana/or data reiated to ob~eat~ axe input to the system manager firmware 104, prvcessed therein, and stored in an ob~ect space 108 located within ~he random access mem~ry 70. The ob~ect space 108 ls managed by an ok~ect manager 106 which receives object messages from the bus maæter interface 78, the U~R~ 94, ana, in the case of innate ob~ect~ updates, from within th@ syste~ ~anagar firmware 104 s~lf.
M~re ~pecifically, an EI5A moDitor 110, in conjunction wlth p~og~ammab~e hardware within the innate bNs monitoring device : . .,:, . .
:: , .,, .::; ., , .. ... , : , . ~ : ..

86, selectively listens to bus activity. As events are detected, the EISA monitor 110 provides information relating to the ob~ect manager for updating the innate object6 corresponding to the event. Similarly, the voltage/temperature monitor 112 periodically monltor~ the ~5, ~12 voltage~ supplied to the system bus manager 22 by the system bus 13 and updates the innate objects corresponding to pcwer and temperature. In the event of a loss of power from the 6ystem bus 13, however, the voltage/temperaturo mo~itor 112 will report a power event directly to a control manager 118.
For each update, increment or decrement, the ob~ect manager 106 will, in the event that a boundary or thre~hwld has been exceeded, determine that an alert needs to be issue~ m e ob;ect manager 106 will then request that an alert manager 114 comFose an appropriate alert message and trznsmit the composed message. If the compceed alert message i6 to be an in-band alert, the alert message is sent to a bus master interface manager 1~6 and, if the composed alert message is to be an out-of-band alert, the alert message is sent to the control manager 118. Ths control manager 118 would then forwara the out~of-band alert to an asynchronous commurlcatlon manager 120. The asynchronous communication manager 120 acts a traffic controller between the vario~ls tasks to be performed by the ~ystem manager firmware 104 a ~ an asynchronous maMager 122 whlch provides ~h8 firmware in,terface between the system firmware 104 and both the modem 84 and the U~R~ 94. For example, if a voice message is to be generated fo~ the out-of-band alert, the asynch m nous communication manager 120 w wld interface with a voice/tone manager 124 w~lch, like the asynchr~n~ous manager 122, provides the firmware interface between the system ~irmware a~d the voice ~ynthesis logic 82 an~ the touch tone decoder 88. Ihus, during the out-of-ban~ alert delivery, the asynchroncus communication manager 120 would transfer the ~lert message, a~ well as any voica meSBage to accompany and/or comprise the alert, to the ., , r~ a~
; -22-:`

asynchronou3 manager 122 whioh would then deliver the alert message, either via the modem 84 or the U~R~ 94.
; Final.ly, in addition to delivering out-of-band alert me~sages originating with the alert manager 114 to the asynchronou~ commu~ication manager 120, the control manager 118 performs several other functions. First, in the event of critlcal event occurrences, such as loss of pcwer or failure to communicate with the system 13, the control manager will directly gen~rate out-of-band alert messages. Second, the contr~l manager serves to monitor sigxificant events monitored by other managers, log events in an event log 126 which, like the ob~ect space 108, is located within the random access memory 70, and provide logged information as requeste~ Logged information can be requested by the bus master interface manager for transfer, via the bus ma~ter interface to the network operating system 14 and by the asynchronous commum cation manager 120 for transfer via the asynchronous manager 122 to the UART 94.
Thus, there ha6 been described an~ illustrated herein, a manager for a computer system operable within a computer netw~rk which pr~vides significant sy~tem mEnagement capability and, which may also operate in conjunction wi~h the net~ork manager to provide still greater manageme~t capabilities. Rather than attempking to manage through the u3e o~ hard inputs delivered fr~m the networX, in the present inventio~ m3nagement is provid~d by the innate monitoring 8ign21s wlthin ~he system computer itself and proces~ing ob~ects whdch correspond to the innately monitored sign21s and w~ich are considered to be indicative of conditions within the co~puter syst ~ Thr~ugh object management, the 6ystem manager d~termines alert co~ditions based upon the innately monitorea and processed ob~ects, reports alert con~itions in either an in-band mode w~ich taXæ~ advantage of ~he camputer ne~work or ~n ou~-of-band r~x1e in which the alert ~essage is asynchron~usly transferred to , :, . .. , ~ .

'3 ~

a remote console from which corrective action may be take~
Hcwever, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications and variations besides those specifically mentioned may be made in the techniques described herein without S departing subetantially from the coneept of the present invention. Aecordingly, it should be elearly understood that the form of the invention as deseribed herein ls exemplary only and is not intended as a limitation on the seope of the invention.

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Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED IS DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A computer network comprising:
a file server having a computer system board with a system bus installed therein;
at least one computer station having a console;
a network connecting said at least one console to said file server;
a network operating system for controlling information transfers between said file server and said at least one console via said network, said network operating system including a network manager for managing information transfer along said network; and a system manager for managing said computer system board, said system manager managing said computer system board by monitoring signals transferred along said system bus of said computer system board, determining alert conditions based upon said monitored signals and generating alerts based upon said determined alert conditions.

2. A computer network according to claim 1 and further comprising means for supplying power to said computer system board, said system manager monitoring the level of voltage supplied to said computer system board and determining additional alert conditions based upon said monitored power levels.

3. A computer network according to claim 1 and further comprising means for determining the operating temperature of said computer system board, said system manager monitoring the operating temperature of said computer system board and determining additional alert conditions based upon said monitored temperature.

4. A computer network according to claim 1 and further comprising:
a remote console;
an asynchronous interface between said remote console and said system manager, said system manager capable of transmitting generated alerts to said remote console via said asynchronous interface.

5. A computer network according to claim 1 and further comprising an interface connecting said network operating system and said system manager, said network operating system transferring information to said system manager via said interface, said system manager determining additional alert conditions based upon said information supplied by said network operating system.

6. A computer network according to claim 5 and further comprising a local console connected to said network, said system manager capable of transmitting generated in-band alerts to said local console via said network operating system.

7. A computer network according to claim 6 and further comprising:
a remote console;
an asynchronous interface between said remote console and said system manager, said system manager capable of transmitting generated out-of-band alerts to said remote console via said asynchronous interface.

8. A computer network according to claim 7 and further a modem for interfacing said system manager and a remote device via a telephone line, said system manager configured to selectively transmit generated out-of-band alerts to said remote console via said asynchronous interface or said remote device via said modem.

9. For a computer network having at least one computer system operable therein, said computer system having a plurality of components interconnected by a system bus for transferring information between said components, a manager for said computer system, comprising:
means for monitoring information transfers along said system bus;
a processor connected to said monitoring means, said processor determining alert conditions based upon said monitored information transfers and generating alerts upon determining said alert conditions;
a console for receiving alerts from said processor; and means for transferring said alerts generated by said processor to said console.

10. A system manager according to claim 9 wherein said computer network further comprises a network manager and said system manager further comprises:
means for interfacing with said network manager, said interfacing means providing for the transfer of information from said network manager to said processor;
wherein said processor determines said alert condition based upon said monitored system bus information transfers and said transferred information from said network manager.

11. A system manager according to claim 9 and further comprising:
means for monitoring the level of voltage supplied to said system manager by said system bus, said power monitoring means transferring said monitored power level to said processor;
wherein said processor determines said alert condition based upon said monitored system bus information transfers and said monitored power level.

12. A system manager according to claim 11 wherein said power level monitoring means further comprises:
a power monitor having an input connected to said system bus and an output, said power monitor measuring, in analog, the level of voltage supplied to said system manager by said system bus and outputting said measured power level; and an analog to digital converter having an input connected to said power monitor output and an output connected to said processor, said analog to digital converter converting said measured analog power level to a digital power level and outputting said digital power level to said processor.

13. A system manager according to claim 9 and further comprising:
means for monitoring the operating temperature of said system manager, said temperature monitoring means transferring said monitored temperature level to said processor;
wherein said processor determines said alert condition based upon said monitored system bus information transfers and said monitored temperature level.

14. A system manager according to claim 13 wherein said temperature level monitoring means further comprises:
a temperature monitor mounted to said system manager and having an output, said temperature monitor measuring, in analog, the operating temperature of said system manager and outputting said measured temperature level; and an analog to digital converter having an input connected to said temperature monitor output and an output connected to said processor, said analog to digital converter converting said measured analog temperature level to a digital temperature level and outputting said digital temperature level to said processor.

15. A system manager according to claim 9 wherein said console is remotely located and said means for transferring said alerts generated by said processor to said console further comprises interface means for asynchronously transferring said alerts to said remote console.

16. A system manager according to claim 15 wherein said computer network further comprises a network manager and a local console accessible to said network manager via said network, and wherein said system manager further comprises:
means for interfacing with said network manager, said interfacing means providing for the transfer of alerts from said processor to said network manager;
wherein said alerts generated by said processor may be selectively delivered to said remote console via said asynchronous transfer means or to said local console via said network manager.

17. A system manager according to claim 15 wherein said system manager further comprises a telephone and said means for transferring alerts further comprises a modem connected to said processor, wherein said alerts generated by said processor may be selectively delivered to said remote console via said asynchronous transfer interface means or to said telephone via said modem.

18. A system manager according to claim 15 wherein said system manager further comprises a pager and said means for transferring alerts further comprises a modem connected to said processor, wherein said alerts generated by said processor may be selectively delivered to said remote console via said asynchronous transfer interface means or to said pager via said modem.

19. A system manager for a computer system having a plurality of system components and a system bus for transferring information between said components, comprising:
means for passively monitoring signals transferred along said system bus; and an object space for storing objects related to said passively monitored signals, said object space providing information related to operating conditions of said system.

20. A system manager according to claim 19 and further comprising means for updating said object space based upon additional signals being passively monitored while being transferred along said system bus, wherein said updated object space provides information related to operating conditions of said system.