Abstract:
A monitor method of computer system is provided, applying within an interrupt service routine. According to the application of interrupt service, when the interrupt controller sends an interrupt signal to the CPU, the CPU executes a corresponding interrupt service routine based on the interrupt signal, in the meantime, the daemon program generates an entrant code. Before the interrupt service routine stops, the daemon program generates an exit code and saves both the entrant code and the exit code in a storage device. It is benefit for solving the problems occurred in the debugging process according to the entrant code and the exit code of the storage device, and speeding up the process of testing and researching steps.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a method for monitoring a computer system, and more particularly to a method of applying an interrupt service routine by a daemon monitor program for detecting and analyzing detailed debugging information. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In current computer systems, the system designer typically encounters problems in designing and developing both hardware and software. Designers often use debugging engines such as logic analyzers (LA) or in-circuit emulators (ICE) to analyze or debug command processes of the hardware and other parts of a computer system. 
     However, implementation of hardware tools such as LA or ICE is very complicated. For example, the difficulty of using the logic analyzing apparatus and ICE is determined by a trigger condition. In other words, the debugger must determine a proper condition to trigger the debugging engines based on the particular problem to be solved. Under general conditions, users usually obtain the result of the problem but are not able to set a proper trigger condition. In the meantime, it is necessary to constantly monitor the computer system in order to determine the cause of the particular error. The need for human intervention can obviously lead to errors associated with incorrect observations of the debugging process. 
     Although there are presently rapid improvements occurring in chip and CPU technology, which will aid in replacing LA and ICE, the cost of using these tools is still expensive, which in turn can result in expensive testing and debugging. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved automatic method of monitoring debugging processes in computer systems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a new monitor method for computer systems in order to solve the problems associated with reading detailed information in the debugging process. 
     In order to achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention provides a monitor method for computer systems, comprising the steps of: receiving a request signal; transmitting an interrupt signal; executing an interrupt service routine and generating a entrant code; saving said entrant code; terminating said interrupt service routine and generating a exit code; and saving said exit code. 
     Moreover, the present invention provides an automatic monitoring method for a computer system, wherein the computer system comprises a CPU, a main controller, a data storage device, and a plurality of peripheral devices; said main controller comprising an interrupt controller. The monitor method comprises the steps of: providing at least one interrupt service routine, wherein each interrupt service routine comprises a daemon monitoring program; generating an interrupt signal by the interrupt controller after receiving an interrupt request signal and then transmitting the interrupt signal to the CPU; executing a corresponding interrupt service routine according to the interrupt signal when the CPU receives the interrupt signal; and generating an entrant code by the daemon monitoring program when the interrupt service routine starts, and generating an exit code before the interrupt service routine stops; saving the entrant code and exit code into the data storage device; monitoring the operating condition of computer system according to the entrant code and exit code of the data storage device. 
     Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a simple computer system. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of saving status of the entrant code and exit code of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The prior art employed by the present invention will be summarily mentioned to help the presentation of present invention. Diagrams accompanying the descriptions below are not drawn by actual proportions, but mean to illustrate the structural features of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a connection diagram of primary elements of a computer system. As shown in the figure, the primary elements of a computer system comprises at least a central processing unit (CPU)  11 , a main controller  13 , a memory  15  and a plurality of peripheral devices  17 . 
     The main controller  13  comprises an interrupt controller  131 , and the main controller  13  is electrically connected respectively to the central processing unit  11 , the memory  15  and the peripheral devices  17 . It operates in conjunction with a daemon program in order to achieve the purpose of debugging for the peripheral devices  17 , software and whole computer system. 
     In general, a main controller  13  is used for the connection and communication between the peripheral devices  17  and the CPU  11  in a computer system. The main controller  13  can be a south bridge, a north bridge, or an integrated chip with a south bridge and a north bridge together. 
     When the first peripheral device  171  needs the CPU  11  for processing data, the first peripheral device  171  generates an interrupt request (IRQ) signal and transmits the IRQ signal to the interrupt controller  131  of the main controller  13 . The interrupt controller  131  generates a corresponding interrupt signal after receiving the IRQ signal and transmits the interrupt signal to the CPU  11 . 
     After receiving the interrupt signal, the CPU  11  suspends all other processes and saves the related data. Then the CPU  11  will search one of the interrupt service routines in the interrupt vector table according to the interrupt signal and executes the interrupt service routine. In this way, the command from the first peripheral device  171  is executed by the CPU  11 . The commands from the second peripheral device  173 , the third peripheral device  175  or other software and firmware can also be executed by the CPU  11  in the same manner. 
       FIG. 2  shows a flow chart illustrating the steps of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the present invention, a daemon monitor program is provided within each interrupt service routine. Once an interrupt service routine is executed, the daemon monitor program in the interrupt service routine initially generates an entrant code; saves the entrant code into a data storage device; generates an exit code before the interrupt service routine stops; and saves the exit code into the data storage device. Therefore, users can determine if execution of interrupt service routines produced errors, by tracing and examining the detailed information of the entrant code and exit code saved in the data storage device, and thereby achieve the purpose of system testing and debugging. 
     The method of the present invention comprises the following steps. First, provide interrupt service routines comprising the daemon monitor program. When a peripheral device  17 , software or firmware of the computer system needs the CPU  11  for processing data or command execution, it will generate an IRQ signal and transmit the IRQ signal to the interrupt controller  131  of the main controller  13 , as shown in step  21 . 
     When the interrupt controller  131  of the main controller  13  receives an IRQ signal it will generate a corresponding interrupt signal and transmit the interrupt signal to the CPU  11 , as shown in step  23 . 
     The CPU  11  suspends the processing commands or processes after receiving the interrupt signal from the interrupt controller  131 , and saves the related data. Then, the CPU  11  starts searching the interrupt vector table and to finds an interrupt service routine corresponding to the interrupt signal and then executes the interrupt service routine, as shown in step  25 . For example, if the IRQ signal is generated by the first peripheral device  171 , the CPU  11  will find and execute the corresponding interrupt service routine from the interrupt vector table. Thus, it is able to achieve the purpose of using the CPU  11  to execute the command or request from the first peripheral device  171 . 
     When the CPU  11  executes the interrupt service routine, the daemon monitor program will generate a corresponding entrant code and saves the entrant code into the data storage device, for example, a hard disk, a flash disk, an optical storage media or a memory  15 , as shown in step  27 . 
     When the interrupt service routine completes the daemon monitor program will also similarly generate and save a corresponding exit code, in the data storage device, as shown in step  29 . After processing a series of testing commands or calculations, a plurality of entrant codes and exit codes may be saved in the data storage device, as shown in step  31 . 
     Each entrant code and exit code comprises identification codes corresponding to the interrupt service routine which generated the entrant code or exit code. Moreover, the entrant and exit codes also comprise the execution start and stop times of the interrupt service routine, respectively. 
     According to the monitor method mentioned above, it is possible to monitor and save execution start/stop times and the data of the interrupt service routine. The users can further beneficially understand the process of debugging and testing. For example, if an interrupt service routine is executed but not stopped, there would be only a corresponding entrant code but no exit code in the data storage device. Therefore, users could clearly understand that problems occurred in the execution process of the interrupt service routine and find out the corresponding interrupt signal. In addition, users could determine which peripheral, software, or firmware device generated the corresponding interrupt request signal and produced an error. 
     Users can also discern other abnormally occurring conditions by analyzing different sets of entrant and exit codes generated by the daemon monitor program of the interrupt service routine corresponding to the same peripheral device, software or firmware. For example, when the CPU  11  executes the interrupt service routine corresponding to the interrupt request signal from the second peripheral device  173  for the first time, it generates a first entrant code and a first exit code. When the CPU  11  executes the same interrupt service routine for the second time, it generates a second entrant code and a second exit code. By analyzing differences between first and second entrant/exit codes, users can gain further insight into the nature of the errors and conditions associated with execution of the interrupt service routine corresponding to the interrupt request signal from the second peripheral device  173 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a block diagram of the saving status of the entrant code and the exit code of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The entrant code  41  comprises a record area  411  and a status area  413 ; the exit code  43  also comprises a record area  431  and a status area  433 . The record areas  411 ,  431  are used for saving detailed information of the interrupt service routine. The detailed information comprises, for example, the peripheral device corresponding to the interrupt service routine or the identification code of the peripheral device and the execution start and stop time of the interrupt service routine. 
     Status areas  413 ,  433  are used to label the status of entrant and exit codes. For example, if the status area  413  records a signal data defined as “0”, it means that the recorded information is an entrant code  41 . On the contrary, if the status area records a signal data “1”, it means that the recorded information is an exit code  43 . 
     According to the description above, the present invention relates to a monitor method for a computer system, and more particularly to a monitor method applying an interrupt service routine by a daemon monitor program for detecting, and analyzing detailed debugging information. 
     Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.