236results about "Detecting faulty hardware using expert systems" patented technology

Embodiments of the invention provide a method for determining errors and metrics in a computer network. The method includes positioning an analyzer in communication with the network, capturing a data trace of the network with the analyzer, determining a network device topology from a first processing of the data trace, building user layer protocols using a second processing of the data trace and the determined device topology, determining errors in the network device topology using protocol experts applied to the user layer protocols in conjunction with the determined device topology, and displaying at least one of the device topology and the determined errors to a user.

A system (830) and method (800) for diagnosing a malfunctioning machine. A fault event is selected (806) together with sequential operating parameter data (808) from a selectively focused time interval about the fault event for evaluation of a machine (810). The selectively focused time interval may include data occurring just before, just after, or spanning the fault event. Characterizing information such as slope, rate of change, and absolute sign of the data may be derived (809) from the operating parameter data over the selectively focused time interval and used in the diagnosis. The fault event and operating parameter data may be compared to existing cases in a case database (834). A set of rules (817) or candidate anomalies (841) may be executed over the operating parameter data to further improve the accuracy of the diagnosis.

An expert diagnostic service system using a distributed architecture for generating expert diagnostic suggestions based on input received from a plurality of diagnostic systems. The expert service system collects data related to effective diagnostic results, such as effective fixes, corresponding to various symptoms / faults from a plurality of diagnostic systems via a data transmission network, and accumulates the number of each effective fix corresponding to each of the various symptoms. The expert service system then assigns at least one effective fix to one of the various symptoms based on a result of the accumulating step, such as the rank of the accumulated number of each fix. The expert service system uses the assigned fix corresponding to a symptom as expert suggestions.

A method, system, and computer program product for associating events. A provided event dataset includes events occurring in each of N successive time intervals (N≧3). Association rules pertaining to successive events in the event dataset are deduced. Sequences of events are generated from the association rules. Clusters of the sequences of events are formed. Sequences of the clusters are created. The clusters of the sequences may be used: to identify at least one event occurring in a time interval of the N time intervals as being a probable cause of at least one event occurring in a later-occurring time interval of the N time intervals; or to predict an occurrence of at least one event in a time interval occurring after the N time intervals, wherein the at least one event had occurred within the N time intervals.

An expert diagnostic service system using a distributed architecture for generating expert diagnostic suggestions based on input received from a plurality of diagnostic systems. The expert service system collects data related to effective diagnostic results, such as effective fixes, corresponding to various symptoms / faults from a plurality of diagnostic systems via a data transmission network, and accumulates the number of each effective fix corresponding to each of the various symptoms. The expert service system then assigns at least one effective fix to one of the various symptoms based on a result of the accumulating step, such as the rank of the accumulated number of each fix. The expert service system uses the assigned fix corresponding to a symptom as expert suggestions.

A computer implemented method on a computer readable media is provided for determining the source of a problem in a complex system of managed components based upon symptoms. The problem source identification process is split into different activities. Explicit configuration non-specific representations of types of managed components, their problems, symptoms and the relations along which the problems or symptoms propagate are created that can be manipulated by executable computer code. A data structure is produced for determining the source of a problem by combining one or more of the representations based on information of specific instances of managed components in the system. Computer code is then executed which uses the data structure to determine the source of the problem from one or more symptoms.

Faults and errors are diagnosed from a repository of directed graphs. Subsets of all the possible questions and answers in the fault diagnosis process are encoded as directed graphs. Downloading subsets from a repository to a remote user substantially reduces the number of transmissions between the user and the repository.

Embodiments of the invention provide a method for determining errors and metrics in a computer network. The method includes positioning an analyzer in communication with the network, capturing a data trace of the network with the analyzer, determining a network device topology from a first processing of the data trace, building user layer protocols using a second processing of the data trace and the determined device topology, determining errors in the network device topology using protocol experts applied to the user layer protocols in conjunction with the determined device topology, and displaying at least one of the device topology and the determined errors to a user.

A method, computer program product, and data processing system for recognizing, tracing, diagnosing, and repairing problems in an autonomic computing system is disclosed. Rules and courses of actions to follow in logging data, in diagnosing faults (or threats of faults), and in treating faults (or threats of faults) are formulated using an adaptive inference and action system. The adaptive inference and action system includes techniques for conflict resolution that generate, prioritize, modify, and remove rules based on environment-specific information, accumulated time-sensitive data, actions taken, and the effectiveness of those actions. Thus, the present invention enables a dynamic, autonomic computing system to formulate its own strategy for self-administration, even in the face of changes in the configuration of the system.

A method for detecting network attacks is provided. In one implementation, the method receives a plurality of attack indications based on data transmitted on the network and applies rules to the plurality of attack indications. Also, the method generates an alert if an application of at least a subset of the rules on the plurality of attack indications indicates a potential attack. In addition, a network device that performs the method and a computer program corresponding to the method are provided.

Fact collection for a knowledge automation engine to use in detecting product issues on products. A knowledge automation engine may evaluate a check against a fact to detect a product issue on a product and provide a user of the product remediation information. A check may contain a product issue description, a rule to evaluate against a fact in order to detect the product issue, and remediation information to help a user address the product issue if the product issue is detected on the product. Product issues may include product installation validation and known product bugs. Facts used by the knowledge automation engine may include product configuration facts. Static facts may be collected into a fact repository. A fact collector may be used to collect facts not found in the fact repository but needed to execute checks on the knowledge automation engine.

An automatic documentation generation and management system and method, for documenting configurable systems such as complex software applications and hardware systems is disclosed. The method retrieves configuration parameters from the configurable system and utilizes them to automatically generate an explanatory document specific to the configured system. The invention also discloses a documentation appliance system, which is a dedicated documentation server coupled to the configurable system via a communication network, preferably via an Intranet. In yet another alternative, the invention may be practiced by integrating code for automatic documentation generation within the configurable system program.

An apparatus and method shares predictive failure information between computer system in a computer network. The shared predictive failure information allows dynamically rerouting a network request to avoid a computer system that may fail according to its predictive failure information. According to a first embodiment, if the requested resource on the network has predictive failure information that indicates the resource may soon fail, a message is returned to the requesting computer with information that includes possible alternative sites from which the information may be obtained. If there is an alternative site, the requesting computer system may access the alternative site, thereby avoiding the computer system that may soon fail. If there is no alternative site, the requesting computer system may return an error message, or may simply access the original resource on the chance that is has not yet failed. According to a second embodiment, a router in the network may indicate one or more alternative paths to a resource if the predictive failure information for the router indicates it may soon fail. The requesting computer system may then access the requested resource via the alternative path. In this manner, predictive failure information can be used in rerouting network traffic between computer systems on a network to minimize the effect of a failing, computer system.

A network management system (10) includes a fault diagnosis system (12) connectable to a communications network (20). The fault diagnosis system includes a fault object factory, a path determination module, and a fault diagnosis engine. The fault object factory is constructed and arranged to receive fault data and create fault objects. The path determination module is constructed to determine, in a communications network, a path related to the fault data. The fault diagnosis engine is constructed to perform, using the determined path, a fault analysis on the fault data to diagnose a fault related to the communications network. The network management may also include a help desk system (18), a topology mapper (14) or an impact analyzer (16).

An apparatus and method shares predictive failure information between computer systems in a computer network. The shared predictive failure information allows a requester of a network resource to determine whether the resource will be available to perform the request based on its predictive failure information. According to a first embodiment, predictive failure information is written by each computer system on the network to a common storage that is accessible by one or more other computer systems on the network. When a computer system on the network needs a resource on another system, the requesting computer system can check the predictive failure status of the system that contains the needed resource by reading the predictive failure information in the common storage. If the predictive failure information indicates that the resource may perform the requested function, the requesting computer system issues the request to the resource. In a second embodiment, one or more network protocols for communicating between computer systems on the network are modified so that messages given in response to resource requests include the predictive failure status of the requested system. Thus, if a requester needs data from another computer system, a message returned from that system in response to the request preferably includes predictive failure status or information indicating whether or not the request can be granted. If the predictive failure status or information indicates that the request can be granted, the requester performs the operation on the requested computer system. In this manner, predictive failure information can be used in granting access to resources between computer systems on a network, which allows accesses to be prevented if the predictive failure information indicates that the resource is likely to fail before completing the request.

A method and system for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of mobile assets (10) generally remote relative to each other is provided. The electronic data comprises at least respective mobile asset data indicative of respective performance of the plurality of mobile assets. The mobile asset data used for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the assets. The method allows for storing in a database (104) a list of respective cases to be processed. The method further allows for assigning to each case a respective download priority. A determining action allows for determining each case to be populated next with new mobile asset data based upon the assigned download priority. Respective executing actions allow for executing a download of the new mobile asset data between the diagnostic service center and a respective one of the mobile assets, and for executing predetermined analysis on the downloaded data for detecting the presence of respective potential malfunctions in the mobile assets. The download of data may be executed automatically whenever critical faults occur in the mobile assets.

A check for a knowledge automation engine to use in detecting product issues on products. A knowledge automation engine may evaluate a check against a fact to detect a product issue on a product and provide a user of the product remediation information. A check may contain a product issue description, a rule to evaluate against a fact in order to detect the product issue, and remediation information to help a user address the product issue if the product issue is detected on the product. Product issues may include product installation validation and known product bugs. Facts used by the knowledge automation engine may include product configuration facts.

Provided is a method, system, program, and data structures for maintaining a database of objects. At least one structured document is received representing an instance of an object including attributes and attribute values defined for a class. Content of the structured document representing the object is added into a database, wherein the database is capable of storing multiple structured documents representing multiple objects. In another implementation, an instance of at least one object including attributes and attribute values defined for a class is generated. For each generated object, a structured document is generated representing the object and including a representation of the attributes and attribute values in the object. Each structured document is transferred to a database program to maintain.

A check for a knowledge automation engine to use in detecting product issues on products. A knowledge automation engine may evaluate a check against a fact to detect a product issue on a product and provide a user of the product remediation information. A check may contain a product issue description, a rule to evaluate against a fact in order to detect the product issue, and remediation information to help a user address the product issue if the product issue is detected on the product. Product issues may include product installation validation and known product bugs. Facts used by the knowledge automation engine may include product configuration facts.

An apparatus, program product, and method utilize a dynamic, automated, extensible and flexible intelligent agent-based product support “framework” to facilitate the provision of product support services to customers of computer-related products. Agent platforms are utilized on both a customer computer and a product support computer, with different agents configured to execute on one or both of such computers. Automated analysis and / or creation of remedial actions, based upon cross-customer operational data, and often relying upon intelligent agents for many or all of such actions, may be used to decrease product support personnel burden and effort. Publishing control may be provided to limit distribution of certain intelligent agents, as may multi-agent remediation of undesirable operational conditions, where agents from multiple parties collectively address a problem experienced by a customer.

A system for creating and editing checks for a knowledge automation engine to use in detecting product issues on products. A knowledge automation engine may evaluate a check against a fact to detect a product issue on a product and provide a client of the product remediation information. A check may contain a product issue description, a rule to evaluate against a fact in order to detect the product issue, and remediation information to help a client address the product issue if the product issue is detected on the product. Product issues may include product installation validation and known product bugs. Facts used by the knowledge automation engine may include product configuration facts. Statistics on check execution results may be accumulated to provide additional information on products through their life cycle.

An apparatus and method is provided for efficiently determining the source of problems in a complex system based on observable events. By splitting the problem identification process into two separate activities of (1) generating efficient codes for problem identification and (2) decoding the problems at runtime, the efficiency of the problem identification process is significantly increased. Various embodiments of the invention contemplate creating a causality matrix which relates observable symptoms to likely problems in the system, reducing the causality matrix into a minimal codebook by eliminating redundant or unnecessary information, monitoring the observable symptoms, and decoding problems by comparing the observable symptoms against the minimal codebook using various best-fit approaches. The minimal codebook also identifies those observable symptoms for which the greatest benefit will be gained if they were monitored as compared to others.By defining a distance measure between symptoms and codes in the codebook, the invention can tolerate a loss of symptoms or spurious symptoms without failure. Changing the radius of the codebook allows the ambiguity of problem identification to be adjusted easily. The invention also allows probabilistic and temporal correlations to be monitored. Due to the degree of data reduction prior to runtime, extremely large and complex systems involving many observable events can be efficiently monitored with much smaller computing resources than would otherwise be possible.

Methods and systems are disclosed that enhance the ability of a test generator to automatically deal with address translation in a processor design, and without need for creating specific code. A model of the address translation mechanism of a design-under-test is represented as a directed acyclic graph and then converted into a constraint satisfaction problem. The problem is solved by a CSP engine, and the solution used to generate test cases for execution. Using the model, testing knowledge can be propagated to models applicable to many different designs to produce extensive coverage of address translation mechanisms.

An expert diagnostic agent for use in diagnosing intermittent and / or difficult to reproduce software failures in computing devices is disclosed. The expert diagnostic agent gathers data about the operating system of a computing device and a plurality of software components coupled to the computer operating system; applies rules to the data to identify software failures; invokes tools as needed to attempt to correct the software failures; and reports information about software failures. The expert diagnostic agent may be invoked directly or activated by certain events in computer system.

A system for creating and editing checks for a knowledge automation engine to use in detecting product issues on products. A knowledge automation engine may evaluate a check against a fact to detect a product issue on a product and provide a user of the product remediation information. A check may contain a product issue description, a rule to evaluate against a fact in order to detect the product issue, and remediation information to help a user address the product issue if the product issue is detected on the product. Product issues may include product installation validation and known product bugs. Facts used by the knowledge automation engine may include product configuration facts. Checks may be created and edited using a standard interface.

Method and system are provided for processing a new diagnostics case relative to historical case data for a machine undergoing diagnostics. The method allows providing a database storing historical case data for the machine undergoing diagnostics. The method further allows calculating a degree of similarity between the new case and respective cases stored in the database. A list of neighboring cases is determined relative to the new case based on the calculated degree of similarity between the new case and the respective cases stored in the database. The list of neighboring cases is processed to determine a ranking for possible corrective actions for the new case. A corrective action is selected for the new case based on the ranking of the possible corrective actions for the new case.

A computer implemented method and apparatus for determining the source of at least one observed event occurring among a plurality of types of components is disclosed. The method, operable on a computer system, utilizes a data structure produced for determining the source of a problem by mapping a plurality of observed events and a plurality of known causing events, wherein the mapping represents a correlation between the observed events and the causing events, determines a distance measure based on mapped correlation values and determines at least one causing event based on a distance measure within a known tolerance above a minimum distance measure.