Error Detection

Error detection must be built into the system to avoid several commonly occurring conditions:

• A dead SIB causing all its clients to time out.
• An SIB being powered off and then back on, thereby losing synchrony with the software.
• A bad communications path causing excessive parity or other errors.
• Any other built-in tests that can be devised.

There are diagnostic registers built into each SIB that can be read by the host software. These registers should be used to provide a check on the health of the SIB and the links between them. The registers should be read and saved in the internal state of the MCB software. The MCB Software should be equipped with some routines for analyzing these errors, and generating messages when pre-determined performance parameters are exceeded.