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Abstract

Method and apparatus for operating a multiprocessor data processing system (10) of the symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) type so as to continue the execution of a process running on a failed CPU (CPU-F). In response to a failure of one of the CPUs a first method performs the steps of: detecting that one of the CPUs has failed during the execution of a first process; extracting an internal processing state from the CPU-F; inserting the extracted processing state into a second, recovery CPU (CPU-R); and completing the execution of the first process with the CPU-R. During the time that the CPU-R executes the first process the CPU-R assumes the identity of the CPU-F, and furthermore assumes the ownership of any spinlocks that may have been owned by CPU-F. If selected from an active set of CPUs the operation of the CPU-R may be timeshared between the first process and a process that is running in the CPU-R. Timesharing involves periodically unloading one processing state and loading another into CPU-R; the loading and unloading of states being accomplished by a service processor unit (SPU 12) over a serial scan bus or a parallel diagnostic bus. Loading and unloading may also be accomplished in a high speed manner through a microcode-assisted process run by CPU-R.

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