System and method for operating a system with redundant peripheral bus controllers
US6708283B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 13, 2000 |
| Grant date | Mar 16, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 13, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/2005
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The inventive system essentially hides redundant paths to the peripheral devices from the operating system, by reporting a single “virtual” path to the peripheral busses over PCI bus 0. The virtual path includes at least a virtual peripheral bus controller and a virtual video controller. The system also tells the operating system that the real controllers are on another PCI bus on an opposite side of a PCI-to-PCI bridge connected also to PCI bus 0. An I/O system manager selects one of the actual paths, which may, but need not, be connected to PCI bus 0, to handle communications with the peripheral devices. The I/O system manager maintains the controllers on the unselected path in an off-line or standby mode, in case of a failure of one or more of the controllers on the selected path. If a failure occurs, the I/O system manager performs a fail-over operation to change the selection of controllers, and the peripheral devices continue to operate in the same manner on the peripheral busses. The operating system does not respond to the controller failure by declaring a system failure, however, because the operating system continues to look to the virtual path, with its virtu…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.