Patent ID: 6629270
Filing Date: 2003-09-30
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A system for initializing a distributed computer system, said system comprising:a plurality of fail silent computer nodes, coupled to a communication media; the plurality of fail silent computer nodes being adapted to exchange data frames via the communication media; wherein each fail silent computer node comprising: a real time timing unit, for providing timing signals within the fail silent computer node; an I/O interface, coupled to the communication media; a control unit, coupled to the I/O interface and to the real time timing unit; a memory module, coupled to the control unit and to the real time timing unit, for storing a plurality of instructions I(j,i); wherein the control unit is adapted to execute the plurality of instructions I(j,i) and access the communication media; wherein a fail silent computer node is adapted to initialize other fail silent computer nodes, by sending an initialization word IW(i), for synchronizing the timing signals provided by the real time timing units of the plurality of fail silent computer nodes, the initialization word IW(i) is sent if the fail silent computer node did not receive an initialization word from another fail silent computer node, and when either one of the following conditions is fulfilled: (a) the fail silent computer node did not receive non-valid data frames and did not receive noise from the communication media during a timeout period of TO(i); and (b) the fail silent computer node received noise from the communication media during a second predetermined period of PP(i).