Patent ID: 6587966
Filing Date: 2003-07-01
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for detecting an operating system hang condition within a computer system, the computer system operated in accordance with an operating system having an operating system kernel, the method comprising the steps of:setting a status flag to a first value; generating an operating system interrupt intended for an operating system interrupt handler within the operating system kernel, the operating system interrupt handler configured to reset the status flag to a second value; executing the operating system interrupt handler if the operating system kernel is responding to the generated operating system interrupt; periodically generating a system BIOS interrupt which is independent of and transparent to the operating system; executing a system BIOS interrupt handler in response to the generated system BIOS interrupt, the system BIOS interrupt handler configured to perform a step of measuring a time interval in which the status flag is set to the first value without being reset to the second value; comparing the measured time interval to a threshold time interval; and determining that the operating system hang condition has occurred in response to the measured time interval exceeding the threshold time interval.