Patent ID: 7774659

Claim:
A method for monitoring the proper operating condition of a computer comprising a digital core executing in time-share mode a number of separate and independent application programs partitioned into tasks, under the control of an operating system allocating memory partitions, time windows (MAF) for executing application programs and time subwindows (MIF) for executing tasks organized in frames, the method comprising the steps of: associating with the digital computer core a hardwired monitoring state machine operating independently of the digital computer core, on initialization of the operating system of the computer, transmitting by the digital computer core to the monitoring state machine a definition of the time window and subwindow frames (MAF, MIF) and of the memory partition allocations, signaling by the digital computer core to the monitoring state machine each change of time window (MAF), communicating by the digital computer core to the monitoring state machine, on each change of memory partition allocation, the identity of the memory partition that has been left, the start and end times of the allocation of the memory partition that has been left and the order number, within a time window (MAF), of the time subwindow (MIF) in which the allocation of the memory partition that has been left occurred, based on change of memory partition allocation indications delivered by the digital computer core, monitoring by the monitoring state machine the compliance of the computer with the frames of the time windows (MAF) for executing application programs and time subwindows (MIF) for executing tasks, and with the memory partition allocations that it supplied on initialization of the operating system, and transmitting by the monitoring state machine a malfunction alarm on each inconsistency detected between the indications from the digital computer core and the definitions of the frame of the time windows and subwindows (MAF, MIF) for executing application programs and tasks, and of the memory partition allocations received on initialization of the operating system.