Management Controller Isolation of Faulty Peripheral Reboots

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing data processing systems experience system downtime and disruptions due to errors in peripheral devices, which can affect other systems in a deployment environment, and require rebooting the entire system for error remediation.

Innovation Solution

A management controller with a separate communication channel and computing resources manages and recovers peripheral devices independently, allowing selective rebooting of faulty devices without restarting the entire system, using a peripheral device map for error detection and recovery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the entire system is rebooted to recover from peripheral device errors, then the error can be remediated, but system downtime increases and other systems in the deployment environment are disrupted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerror remediationVSAvoidsystem downtime

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system is segmented into a management controller and peripheral devices with independent communication channels. The management controller can independently manage and reboot peripheral devices without affecting the main system, allowing error remediation without full system downtime.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A management controller acts as an intermediary between the CPU and peripheral devices. It provides a separate communication channel that enables independent management of peripheral devices, allowing selective rebooting without disrupting other systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the entire system is rebooted to recover from peripheral device errors, then the error can be remediated, but disruptions to other systems in the deployment environment occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerror remediationVSAvoiddisruptions to other systems

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system is segmented into a management controller and peripheral devices with independent communication channels. The management controller can independently manage and reboot peripheral devices without affecting the main system, allowing error remediation without full system downtime.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A management controller acts as an intermediary between the CPU and peripheral devices. It provides a separate communication channel that enables independent management of peripheral devices, allowing selective rebooting without disrupting other systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Extent of automation

If the management controller uses separate communication channels for peripheral device management, then independent recovery is enabled, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveindependent recoveryVSAvoidcommunication channels

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The management controller serves multiple functions: it manages system power, monitors peripheral device status, detects errors, and coordinates recovery operations. This multi-functionality consolidates complexity into a single controller rather than distributing it across multiple components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20260030091A1Data processing system peripheral device management and recovery

Publication Date: 2026.01.29 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

Methods and systems for managing a data processing system are disclosed. Uncorrected errors of a data processing system may be resolved by a management controller of the data processing system. The management controller may independently identify one or more peripheral devices of the data processing system associated with the uncorrected errors and cause the identified ones of the peripheral devices to be rebooted without rebooting an entirety of the data processing system.