When the hardware needs to perform a disruptive hardware action, such as a stop of one or more central processors, the hardware provides advance notification to all affected operating systems. The advance notification includes the time that the proposed disruptive action is intended to be initiated and...http://www.google.de/patents/US5553292?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5553292 - Method and system for minimizing the effects of disruptive hardware actions in a data processing system
