Patent ID: 6199176
Filing Date: 2001-03-06
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A computer system comprising:a. one or more central processing units;b. real storage linked to said one or more central processing units, said real storage comprising two or more reconfigurable storage entities, each of said two or more reconfigurable storage entities comprising one or more addressable entities, each of said one or more addressable entities having a first associated indicator indicating one of two associated status states, a first state or a second state, said first state being ""non-preferred"", designating that the associated addressable entity should not contain fixed data, and said second state being ""preferred"", designating that the associated addressable entity may contain fixed data;c. reconfiguration processing means for reconfiguring one of said two or more reconfigurable storage entities off-line, said reconfiguration processing means comprising means for copying contents of said one of said two or more reconfigurable storage entities to a second of said two or more reconfigurable storage entities; andd. reconfiguration enhancement means for increasing the likelihood of successful reconfiguration of said one of said two or more reconfigurable storage entities by said reconfiguration processing means, said reconfiguration enhancement means comprising identification means for identifying a damaged one of said addressable entities and a selected one of said addressable entities having a relation to said damaged one of said addressable entities, said damaged one and said selected one of said addressable entities residing in different reconfigurable storage entities; indicator means for indicating when ""on"" that said selected one of said one or more addressable entities be in said first, ""non-preferred"" state; and indicator adjustment means for turning ""on"" said indicator means in response to said identifying of said damaged one of said addressable entities by said identification means because of said relation between said damaged one of said addressable entities and said selected one of said addressable entities, wherein turning ""on"" said indicator means enhances probability of future successful reconfiguration of said one of said two or more reconfigurable storage entities by said reconfiguration processing means if said one of said two or more reconfigurable storage entities and said second of said two or more reconfigurable storage entities contain said damaged one of said addressable entities and said selected one of said addressable entities.