eFUSE will empower your computer heal itself

Global IT giant IBM scored a coup of sorts a few days ago, when it revealed eFUSE, a breakthrough technology that enables harmed computer chips to heal themselves without direct or indirect involvement of their human masters. Since entire architecture of a computer is centered upon a microprocessor, or the chip, introduction of this revolutionary technology is bound to herald a new era in the world of computing, in which the machines will be only be used and governed by human beings. They, however, will not be dependent upon human intervention for their repair and upkeep. 

Doesn’t it remind us of Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘s ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day, in which the chip-controlled protagonist and his opponent both possesed capabilities of recovering from damages of the extreme kind inflicted by each other, on their own? Recent advancements in semi-conductor research and development show potential of converting this concept into a reality within a few years time. eFUSE or chip morphing technology is a major milestone in IBM’s ambitious technology road map and has been called by the IT major as ‘autonomic computing’ for being conceptually akin to the human autonomic nervous system. Not to be left behind in the race, IBM’s competitors Hewlett Packard, Sun Microsystems and Microsoft have also hurriedly followed suit with their own versions of self-healing systems. 

A beginning has already been made with the launch of IBM’s autonomic high-end server and software products and the trend is going to reflect in other facets of computing world sooner than later. Soon we could have intelligent desktop computer systems enriched with astonishing autonomic computing powers fitted with hard disks that can format or disinfect themselves; operating systems that can get automatically reinstalled and reconfigured; and a flawed audio card that may start working fine overnight.

Not entirely unexpected

IBM enjoys the reputation of being the largest patent holder in the US for more than a decade. The concept of self-healing, however, does not wholly belong to it. Artificial intelligence based systems have always been conceptualized to be having learning-by-experience and self-maintenance capabilities. Similarly, computers used in satellites are known to have some such competence, since they need to adjust and re-adjust their systems occasionally to suit the environment they operate within.

Even ordinary office users of Microsoft Internet Explorer must have noticed that the Browser, post its version 5.0, had the capability of repairing itself in the event of its crucial files getting corrupted. Some other instances of software being capable of repairing itself are also available, but not without some degree of human involvement. Importance of IBM’s initiative lies in the fact that it makes the processes of system configuration, maintenance, error detection and correction almost completely free from external physical support. Moreover, it is not limited to repairing just hardware or software elements alone. It addresses problems of both, by building a robust self-healing mechanism combining complex software algorithms and microscopic electric circuitry working in conjunction with each other.

Carrie Altieri, Director in IBM’s Systems & Technology Group, explained to the writer, “The eFUSE technology, when invoked, is able to bypass a problem in the circuitry using an alternative path of circuits to achieve a positive outcome.” To understand the concept better, we can compare the functionalities of a computer chip and the human heart. When an artery is blocked, surgeons employ heart-lung machine to take care of heart’s routine job before carrying out the operation to clear the blockage. If required, they also create an alternative route for the blood flow. Once the job is done, the machine is removed and the repaired organ starts functioning again. Similarly, in chip morphing technology, whenever a fault is detected in the system, the microprocessor is put on a ‘life support system’ pending corrective measures. In the meantime, alternative routes are employed for chip logic so that the ongoing tasks are not affected. In the entire scenario, communication with the user takes place only after the problem is resolved, and that too for the purpose of reporting the event. 

Self healing servers

Sun and IBM have already launched self-healing server products for Internet data centers, which are generally dogged by one technical problem or the other and where even a small downtime may cause a great loss of precious data, business and reputation. Since autonomic computing products are monitored from within, they might provide the ultimate solution to the age-old problem of data center downtime. This will save a huge amount of money that goes waste in manually identifying faults and repairing them. According to an estimate, more than two-thirds of the costs in a data center go towards labour and operational tools. This can be drastically reduced using autonomic systems. 

Sun Microsystems’s N1 Provisioning Server 3.0 Blades edition, currently limited to Solaris operating system, has some phenomenal self-configuration capabilities. Similarly, IBM’s Shark Enterprise Storage Server and new Power 5 chip based eServer Systems are capable of detecting failing components and reconfiguring the system before any data is lost. Similarly, self-healing software systems such as Tivoli Storage Manager 5.1, WebSphere Application Server 5.0, DB2 8.0 and IBM eCommerce Suite have all been equipped with self-healing capabilities. The company has also promised to launch Client rescue and recovery system, which will bring the autonomic revolution to the level of ordinary desktop PCs. Computers managed by computers themselves is perhaps going to be the natural culmination of the ongoing digital revolution.