Software Sensor for Storage Error Code Standardization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Storage systems with components from different vendors face challenges in managing errors due to the use of vendor-specific error codes, which can complicate diagnostics and handling across diverse hardware and firmware components.
Innovation Solution
A common software-defined discrete sensor is employed to convert vendor-specific error codes into a standard error code, enabling a uniform error-handling scheme by mapping vendor-specific codes to common error codes and executing diagnostic processes for corrective actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If vendor-specific error codes are used for different components, then each vendor can report errors according to their own specifications, but the system complexity increases and uniform error handling becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mapping mechanism that translates vendor-specific error codes into a common error code framework. This intermediary layer allows vendor components to maintain their own error code specifications while the host system can uniformly manage and diagnose errors through standardized common error codes, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal error code mapping system that can handle multiple vendor-specific error code schemes through a single common error code framework. This universal approach enables the host diagnostics software to manage errors from different vendors using the same diagnostic processes, reducing system complexity while maintaining compatibility with diverse vendor components.
2Reliability
If separate component resources are defined for each vendor component, then vendor-unique error handling can be implemented, but the number of component resources increases and diagnostics software complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an intermediary mapping layer that translates vendor-specific error codes to common error codes, allowing the diagnostics software to use uniform diagnostic processes for all vendors. This intermediary approach maintains error handling accuracy by preserving vendor-specific error information while simplifying the diagnostics software structure through standardized error code representation.
3Reliability
If vendor-unique error handling is implemented, then each vendor's specific error conditions can be addressed, but the uniformity of error management across different vendors is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mapping mechanism that serves as an intermediary between vendor-specific error codes and common error codes. This intermediary layer enables the system to detect and handle vendor-specific error conditions accurately while presenting a uniform error management interface to the host system, thereby maintaining both reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms vendor-specific error code parameters into a standardized common error code parameter set through mapping relationships. This parameter transformation allows the system to maintain vendor-specific error detection capabilities while operating with uniform error management parameters, improving ease of operation without sacrificing reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Operations include addressing a component error. An error management system obtains a vendor-specific error code from a hardware storage expander. The vendor-specific error code corresponds to an error state of a hardware component. Based on a mapping between a vendor-specific error code and a common error code, the system converts the vendor-specific error code to a common error code. Next, the system executes a diagnostic process for determining an operation for handling any errors corresponding to the common error code. Based on the operation determined by the diagnostic process, the system determines a vendor-specific instruction code. The system transmits the vendor-specific instruction code to the hardware storage expander for addressing the error state of the hardware component of the hardware storage expander.