Methods and apparatus for providing automatic hardware device identification in computer systems that include multi-card adapters and/or multi-card planar complexes
US5530887A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 28, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jun 25, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 28, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F15/177
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Data processing apparatus performs automatic hardware device identification and system setup in computer systems that have a Programmable Option Select (POS) feature, where the system includes multi-card adapters (adapters with attached daughter card(s)), and/or multi-card planar complexes (system boards with pluggable processor complexes and/or I/O risers). In particular, the apparatus uniquely identifies the aforementioned multi-card devices utilizing unique "combination type" POS IDs, where a combination type POS ID is a POS ID specifically preassigned to a combination of cards rather than to a single type of card. According to the invention, the unique combination type POS ID is partitioned across the combination of cards (for example, hardwired into each card). When the cards are combined, the partitioned ID is synthesized and becomes available to the system. The combination type ID may be used by the system to automatically identify and configure the multi-card device combination, perform diagnostics, etc., in the same manner that card type IDs are utilized to identify and configure individual feature cards in conventional systems supporting a POS type feature.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.