IP Library Granted Patent US 10,761,919
Granted Patent B2
US 10,761,919 · App. 15/903,844 · Granted Sep 1, 2020

System and method to control memory failure handling on double-data rate dual in-line memory modules

Inventors: René Franco (Round Rock, TX); Amit S. Shah (Austin, TX); Tuyet-Huong Thi Nguyen (Cedar Park, TX); Vijay B. Nijhawan (Austin, TX); Vadhiraj Sankaranarayanan (Austin, TX); Mark L. Farley (Austin, TX); Andrew Butcher (Cedar Park, TX)
Assignee: Dell Products, L.P.
G06F11/076G06F3/0619G06F3/0653G06F3/0673G06F11/0727G06F11/1048G11C16/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,761,919
App. No.
15/903,844
Granted
Sep 1, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

An information handling system includes a processor, a dual in-line memory module (DIMM), and a memory controller coupled to the DIMM. The memory controller provides interrupts to the processor each time a read transaction from the DIMM results in a correctable read error. The processor instantiates a failure predictor to receive the interrupts, accumulate a count of the interrupts, and provide a first error indication when the count exceeds a first error threshold. The failure predictor increments the count each time the predictor receives a particular interrupt and decrements the count in accordance with an error leak rate. The error leak rate has a first value when the DIMM is newer than a first age threshold and has a second value when the DIMM is older than the first age threshold.

Claims (43)

1. An information handling system, comprising:

a processor;

a dual in-line memory module (DIMM); and

a memory controller coupled to the DIMM, the memory controller configured to provide interrupts to the processor each time a read transaction from the DIMM results in a correctable read error;

wherein the processor is configured to instantiate a failure predictor, the failure predictor to receive the interrupts, to accumulate a count of the interrupts, and to provide a first error indication when the count exceeds a first error threshold, wherein in accumulating the count, the failure predictor increments the count each time the predictor receives a particular interrupt and decrements the count in accordance with an error leak rate, and wherein the error leak rate has a first value when the DIMM is newer than a first age threshold and has a second value when the DIMM is older than the first age threshold.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the DIMM includes a date code that provides a manufacture date of the DIMM.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 , wherein the failure predictor is further to read the date code from the DIMM, and to determine that the DIMM is newer or older than the first age threshold based upon the date code.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the memory controller includes an installation date for the DIMM.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 , wherein the failure predictor is further to read the installation date from the memory controller, and to determine that the DIMM is newer or older than the first age threshold based upon the installation date.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the failure predictor is further to provide a second error indication when the count exceeds a second error threshold, the second threshold higher than the first error threshold.

7. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the error leak rate further maintains the second value when the DIMM is newer than a second age threshold and has a third value when the DIMM is older than the second age threshold, wherein the second age threshold specifies an older age than the first age threshold.

8. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the first value of the error leak rate provides a faster leak rate than the second value of the leak rate.

9. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the failure predictor is included in an interrupt handler of the information handling system.

10. A method of controlling memory failure handling, the method comprising:

providing, by a memory controller of an information handling system, interrupts to a processor of the information handling system each time a read transaction between the memory controller and a dual in-line memory module (DIMM) of the information handling system results in a correctable read error;

receiving, by a failure predictor instantiated by the processor, the interrupts;

accumulating, by the failure predictor, a count of the interrupts; and

providing, by the failure predictor, a first error indication when the count exceeds a first error threshold;

wherein the accumulating further includes:

incrementing the count each time the predictor receives a particular interrupt; and

decrementing the count in accordance with an error leak rate, wherein the error leak rate has a first value when the DIMM is newer than a first age threshold and has a second value when the DIMM is older than the first age threshold.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the DIMM includes a date code that provides a manufacture date of the DIMM.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

reading, by the failure predictor, the date code from the DIMM; and

determining, by the failure predictor, that the DIMM is newer or older than the first age threshold based upon the date code.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the memory controller includes an installation date for the DIMM.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

reading, by the failure predictor, the installation date from the memory controller; and

determining, by the failure predictor, that the DIMM is newer or older than the first age threshold based upon the installation date.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

providing, by the failure predictor, a second error indication when the count exceeds a second error threshold, the second threshold higher than the first error threshold.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the error leak rate further maintains the second value when the DIMM is newer than a second age threshold and has a third value when the DIMM is older than the second age threshold, wherein the second age threshold specifies an older age than the first age threshold.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first value of the error leak rate provides a faster leak rate than the second value of the leak rate.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the failure predictor is included in an interrupt handler of the information handling system.

19. An information handling system, comprising:

a processor;

a hardware management engine;

a dual in-line memory module (DIMM); and

a memory controller coupled to the DIMM, the memory controller including a count of a number of times a read transaction from the DIMM resulted in a correctable read error;

wherein the hardware management engine is configured to instantiate a failure predictor to retrieve a first number of correctable read errors from the memory controller, to determine a difference between the first number of correctable read errors and a second number of correctable read errors retrieved by the failure predictor, to adjust the difference in accordance with an error leak rate, and to provide an interrupt to the processor when the adjusted difference exceeds an error threshold, wherein the error leak rate has a first value when the DIMM is newer than a first age threshold and has a second value when the DIMM is older than the first age threshold.

20. The information handling system of claim 19 , wherein:

the memory controller includes a read counter that provides a number of read operations the memory controller has performed on the DIMM; and

the failure predictor is further to read the read counter from the memory controller.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (046366/0014) Recorded May 20, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060450/0306 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 046286 FRAME 0653 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058298/0093 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (CREDIT) Recorded Jun 1, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046286/0653 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Jun 1, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046366/0014 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 16, 2018
From: FRANCO, RENE; SHAH, AMIT S.; NGUYEN, HUONG T.; NIJHAWAN, VIJAY B.; SANKARANARAYANAN, VADHIRAJ; FARLEY, MARK L.; BUTCHER, ANDREW
To: DELL PRODUCTS, LP
Reel/Frame 045553/0965 →
Continuity (1)
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