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Dive into the research topics where Timothy J. Dell is active.

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Featured researches published by Timothy J. Dell.


Ibm Journal of Research and Development | 2008

System RAS implications of DRAM soft errors

Timothy J. Dell

While attention in the realm of computer design has shifted away from the classic DRAM soft-error rate (SER) and focused instead on SRAM and microprocessor latch sensitivities as sources of potential errors, DRAM SER nonetheless remains a challenging problem. This is true even though both cosmic ray-induced and alpha-particle-induced DRAM soft errors have been well modeled and, to a certain degree, well understood. However, the often-overlooked alignment of a DRAM hard error and a random soft error can have major reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) implications for systems that require an extremely long mean time between failures. The net of this effect is that what appears to be a well-behaved, single-bit soft error ends up overwhelming a seemingly state-of-the-art mitigation technique. This paper describes some of the history of DRAM soft-error discovery and the subsequent development of mitigation strategies. It then examines some architectural considerations that can exacerbate the effect of DRAM soft errors and may have system-level implications for todays standard fault-tolerance schemes.


Ibm Journal of Research and Development | 2009

IBM system z10 design for RAS

William J. Clarke; Luiz C. Alves; Timothy J. Dell; Herwig Elfering; Jeffrey P. Kubala; Chung-Ching Lin; Michael Mueller; Klaus Werner

The IBM System z10™ server reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) design continues to reduce the sources of server outages through innovative RAS architecture and techniques. The z10™ server introduced functional improvements that challenged the RAS design. Increases were made in the performance of each processor, the total number of processors, the total size of the memory, the amount of cache, the bandwidth of the I/O, the thermal density, and the exposure to soft errors. These changes demanded stronger RAS functions to prevent unscheduled outages. Significant improvements were made to the IBM e-business on demand® functions (concurrent, customer-requested upgrades) that enable customers to better manage capacity without having to take planned outages. The hypervisor simplified configuration changes, such as adding cryptography or channel subsystems to logical partitions, by eliminating the need for preplanning. Single-core checkstopping and single transparent CPU (central processing unit) sparing were added. The RAS functions reduced the number of scheduled outages. Product improvements were complemented by improvements in RAS modeling. This paper describes these RAS improvements and how they provide value to the customer.


international test conference | 1994

ECC-on-SIMM test challenges

Timothy J. Dell

The typical personal computer of today is used more and more to perform functions and run application programs that are critical to a businesss success. One of the biggest problems that inhibits productivity in this environment Is the effect of a lock-up, crash or parity error caused by cosmic-ray radiation-induced soft errors in the DRAM chips. IBM has announced a family of plug-compatible, retrofittable SIMMs with built-in ECC to provide a solution to this problem. This paper addresses the challenges associated with the full functional test of a SIMM with on-board ECC using a very test-unfriendly industry-standard memory module interface.


Archive | 1994

Synchronous memory packaged in single/dual in-line memory module and method of fabrication

Timothy J. Dell; Lina S. Farah; George Cheng-Cwo Feng; Mark W. Kellogg


Archive | 2000

Dynamic configuration of memory module using presence detect data

Timothy J. Dell; Mark W. Kellogg


Archive | 2004

System, method and storage medium for providing segment level sparing

Timothy J. Dell; Frank D. Ferraiolo; Kevin C. Gower; Kevin W. Kark; Mark W. Kellogg; Warren E. Maule


Archive | 1998

Stackable memory card

Timothy J. Dell; Marc R. Faucher; Bruce G. Hazelzet; Dale E. Pontius


Archive | 1998

SIMM/DIMM memory module

Timothy J. Dell; Mark W. Kellogg; Bruce G. Hazelzet


Archive | 1998

Dynamic configuration of memory module using modified presence detect data

Timothy J. Dell; Mark W. Kellogg


Archive | 1997

Error correcting code retrofit method and apparatus for multiple memory configurations

Chin-Long Chen; Timothy J. Dell; Wayne C. Kwan

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