Patent · US Expired

Microcode loading with continued program execution

US5613133A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
4References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 9, 1994
Grant dateMar 18, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 9, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/24
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Microcode is loaded into, for example, a processor or I/O module within a computer system without manually halting and restarting the computer system. In other words, microcode can be loaded into the computer system dynamically while data processing continues from the processor or I/O module states just prior to the microcode load with no major interruption to the user. A microcode image is loaded into a processor which is already executing one or more tasks. A request to load microcode into the processor is received. The processor is signalled to suspend task execution. After the microcode image is transferred into the processor, the processor is signalled to resume task execution.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.