Charles Daniel Hopkins

US Patent:

6574753, Jun 3, 2003

Filed:

Jan 10, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/479488

Inventors:

Michael D. Haynes - Raleigh NC
Charles H. Hopkins - Upton MA

Assignee:

EMC Corporation - Hopkinton MA

International Classification:

G06F 1100

US Classification:

714 43, 714 4, 714 9, 714 11, 714 13

Abstract:

Default isolation method assists in correction of a fault in a peer-to-peer communication link between two storage processors. Each processor is associated with a fault indicator which is activated according to the method to guide a technician in replacing the storage processors one at a time to determine the fault with the peer-to-peer communication link. Upon detection of a fault, one of the processors is suspended so that a technician may replace it with a new storage processor. The surviving storage processor detects whether a new storage processor has been replaced. If the peer-to-peer communication link still fails, the surviving processor instructs the peer processor to boot up and then suspends itself. Communications outside of the peer-to-peer communication link can take place between the processors by leaving a message in at least one of the disk drives which is periodically checked by the processors.