Patent ID: 7861106

Claim:
Apparatus for correcting errors, said errors being in a computing system that has plural modules, and said modules having a structural computing-module hierarchy; and said apparatus comprising: an error-correcting system having a structural error-correcting hierarchy that is based upon and generally parallels the structural computing-module hierarchy; at least two receiving connections, for reception by the hierarchical error-correcting system of error messages from hierarchically corresponding plural modules of the computing system, respectively; and at least two sending connections, for return by the hierarchical error-correcting system of corrective responses to hierarchically corresponding plural modules of the computing system, respectively; and wherein: the error-correcting system waits for error messages from the computing system; and each of the corrective responses initiates correction entirely automatically; wherein the hierarchical error-correcting system comprises at least two first-level errors/corrections caches, each one holding: a listing of error messages which respective modules of the computing system can send via one of the at-least-two receiving connections, and a listing of respective corrective responses which respective modules of the computing system can receive via one of the at-least-two sending connections; and each first-level errors/corrections cache comprises preprogrammed means for responding to receipt of any of the listed error messages from its respective module or modules by returning a respective corrective response; wherein the hierarchical system further comprises at least two second-level errors/corrections caches, each one having: at least two receiving connections for receiving error messages from said at least two first-level errors/corrections caches, respectively, and at least two sending connections for returning corrective responses to said at least two first-level errors/corrections caches, respectively; and said apparatus further comprising at least one third-level errors/corrections cache having: at least two receiving connections for receiving error messages from said at least two second-level errors/corrections caches, respectively, and at least two sending connections for returning corrective responses to said at least two second-level errors/corrections caches, respectively.