Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!mucs!mshute
From: mshute@cs.man.ac.uk (Malcolm Shute)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Fault-Tolerant Systems
Message-ID: <2755@m1.cs.man.ac.uk>
Date: 21 Jun 91 09:07:23 GMT
References: <1991Jun19.172757.20852@mips2.ma30.bull.com>
Sender: news@cs.man.ac.uk
Reply-To: mshute@cs.man.ac.uk (Malcolm Shute)
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester UK
Lines: 17

In article <1991Jun19.172757.20852@mips2.ma30.bull.com> dowlati@mips2.ma30.bull.com (Saadat Dowlati) writes:
>I like to know, for example:
>	- What are the symptoms of a failing CPU, i.e., fault types?
>	- How soon a failing/failed CPU can be detected?
>	- What are the techniques used in detecting a failing/failed CPU?
>  	  (I know about processor-pair technique)
>	- What are the techniques used to report a failed CPU to the OS?

I know it is not quite what you were asking for... but it might be slightly relevant,
but for ULSI/WSI in CMOS, many types of fault cause the affected processor to draw
enormous amounts of current (for many possible different reasons... eg. short ccts
between signal wires and/or power rails; pull-up and pull-down transistors on
simultaneously).  Consequently, this can be quite a good initial thermometer of
a processor's health.
--

Malcolm SHUTE.         (The AM Mollusc:   v_@_ )        Disclaimer: all