Method, computer, recording medium, and transmission medium for controlling expansion unit

• US 20010016905A1
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Published: 08/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kawano, Seiichi, Kasamatsu, Eitaroh
• Granted Patent: US 6,704,808 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0676 Magnetic disk device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

An expansion unit control method for use with an expansion control unit containing at least one device, includes allocating a predetermined input/output (I/O) resource, ensured not to be used in processing, to the at least one device as an I/O resource used for sending and receiving information, performing a predetermined process for the at least one device by sending and receiving information to and from the at least one device through the predetermined I/O resource, and deallocating the predetermined I/O resource allocated to the at least one device.

Claims

1. An expansion unit control method for use with an expansion control unit containing at least one device, comprising:

allocating a predetermined input/output (I/O) resource, ensured not to be used in processing, to said at least one device as an I/O resource used for sending and receiving information;

performing a predetermined process for said at least one device by sending and receiving information to and from said at least one device through said predetermined I/O resource; and

deallocating said predetermined I/O resource allocated to said at least one device.

2. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising:

one of detecting that a computer main unit is physically attached to the expansion unit, and notifying that the computer main unit is to be detached from the expansion unit while an operating system is running on the computer main unit to which the expansion unit containing said at least one device can be attached.

3. The expansion unit control method according to

claim 2

, wherein said predetermined I/O resource comprises I/O space allocated to a device which is connected to an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus of said computer main unit and is specific to said computer main unit.

4. The expansion unit control method according to

claim 2

, wherein said predetermined process comprises:

if a device, the use of which is locked by a password, is installed in said expansion unit physically attached to said computer main unit, releasing said lock by sending the password to said device.

5. The expansion unit control method according to

claim 4

, wherein the password for releasing said lock is obtained by prompting a user to enter the password.

6. The expansion unit control method according to

claim 2

, wherein said device comprises an Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) device and said predetermined process is performed by using an AT Attachment (ATA) command.

7. The expansion unit control method according to

claim 6

, wherein, if a size of the I/O space as said predetermined I/O resource is smaller than a size of a group of registers provided in said expansion unit correspondingly to said device for sending and receiving information, said method comprises further:

allocating said I/O space to a command accepting register in said group of registers to perform said predetermined process in programmed input/output (PIO) mode;

or

allocating said I/O space to the command accepting register in said group of registers and sending an ATA command to the command accepting register, allocating said I/O space to a status notification register of said device in said group of registers and determining that said device received the ATA command to perform said predetermined process.

8. The expansion unit control method of

claim 2

, wherein said predetermined process comprises a process for any of programming a data transfer rate, programming a timer value for switching a device to a sleep status after the device is idle for a predetermined period, and deactivating a device installed in the expansion unit to be detached from the computer main unit.

9. A computer, comprising:

an allocation unit for allocating a predetermined I/O resource ensured not to be used in processing to a device as an I/O resource used for sending and receiving information when it is detected that a computer main unit is physically attached to an expansion unit, or it is notified that the computer main unit is to be detached from the expansion unit, while an operating system is running on the computer main unit to which the expansion unit containing at least one device can be attached;

a processing unit for performing a predetermined process for said at least one device by sending and receiving information to and from said at least one device through said predetermined I/O resource; and

a deallocation unit for deallocating said predetermined I/O resource allocated to said at least one device.

10. The system according to

claim 9

, wherein said predetermined I/O resource comprises I/O space allocated to a device which is connected to an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus of said computer main unit and is specific to said computer main unit.

11. The system according to

claim 9

, further comprising:

means for releasing said lock by sending a password to a device if said device, the use of which is locked by the password, is installed in said expansion unit physically attached to said computer main unit.

12. The system according to

claim 9

, wherein the password for releasing said lock is obtained by prompting a user to enter the password.

13. The system according to

claim 9

, wherein said device comprises an Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) device and said predetermined process is performed by using an AT Attachment (ATA) command.

14. The system according to

claim 13

, further comprising:

means for determining whether a size of the I/O space as said predetermined I/O resource is smaller than a size of a group of registers provided in said expansion unit correspondingly to said device for sending and receiving information; and

one of means for allocating said I/O space to a command accepting register in said group of registers to perform said predetermined process in programmed input/output (PIO) mode, and

means for allocating said I/O space to the command accepting register in said group of registers and sending an ATA command to the command accepting register, allocating said I/O space to a status notification register of said device in said group of registers and determining that said device received the ATA command to perform said predetermined process.

15. The system of

claim 9

, wherein said predetermined process comprises a process for any of programming a data transfer rate, programming a timer value for switching a device to a sleep status after the device is idle for a predetermined period, and deactivating a device installed in the expansion unit to be detached from the computer main unit.

16. A recording medium containing a program for causing a computer to perform a process when it is detected that a computer main unit is physically attached to an expansion unit or it is notified that the computer main unit is to be detached from the expansion unit while an operating system is running on the computer main unit to which the expansion unit containing at least one device can be attached, said process comprising:

a first step of allocating a predetermined input/output (I/O) resource, ensured not to be used in processing, to said at least one device as an I/O resource used for sending and receiving information;

a second step of performing a predetermined process for said at least one device by sending and receiving information to and from said at least one device through said predetermined I/O resource; and

a third step of deallocating said predetermined I/O resource allocated to said at least one device.

17. The recording medium according to

claim 16

, wherein said predetermined I/O resource comprises I/O space allocated to a device which is connected to an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus of said computer main unit and is specific to said computer main unit.

18. The method recording medium to

claim 16

, wherein said predetermined process comprises:

if a device the use of which is locked by a password is installed in said expansion unit physically attached to said computer main unit, releasing said lock by sending the password to said device.

19. The recording medium according to

claim 18

, wherein the password for releasing said lock is obtained by prompting a user to enter the password.

20. The recording medium according to

claim 16

, wherein said device comprises an Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) device and said predetermined process is performed by using an AT Attachment (ATA) command.

21. The recording medium according to

claim 20

, wherein, if a size of the I/O space as said predetermined I/O resource is smaller than a size of a group of registers provided in said expansion unit correspondingly to said device for sending and receiving information, said method comprises further:

allocating said I/O space to a command accepting register in said group of registers to perform said predetermined process in programmed input/output (PIO) mode;

or

allocating said I/O space to the command accepting register in said group of registers and sending an ATA command to the command accepting register, allocating said I/O space to a status notification register of said device in said group of registers and determining that said device received the ATA command to perform said predetermined process.

22. A transmission medium for transmitting a program to cause a computer to perform a process when it is detected that a computer main unit is physically attached to an expansion unit or it is notified that the computer main unit is to be detached from the expansion unit, while an operating system is running on the computer main unit to which the expansion unit containing at least one device can be attached, said process comprising:

a first step of allocating a predetermined I/O resource, ensured not to be used in processing, to said at least one device as an I/O resource used for sending and receiving information;

a second step of performing a predetermined process for said at least one device by sending and receiving information to and from said at least one device through said predetermined I/O resource; and

a third step of deallocating said predetermined I/O resource allocated to said at least one device.

23. The transmission medium according to

claim 22

, wherein said predetermined I/O resource comprises I/O space allocated to a device which is connected to an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus of said computer main unit and is specific to said computer main unit.

24. The transmission medium according to

claim 22

, wherein said predetermined process comprises:

if a device the use of which is locked by a password is installed in said expansion unit physically attached to said computer main unit, releasing said lock by sending the password to said device.

25. The transmission medium according to

claim 24

, wherein the password for releasing said lock is obtained by prompting a user to enter the password.

26. The transmission medium according to

claim 22

, wherein said device comprises an Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) device and said predetermined process is performed by using an AT Attachment (ATA) command.

27. The transmission medium according to

claim 26

, wherein, if a size of the I/O space as said predetermined I/O resource is smaller than a size of a group of registers provided in said expansion unit correspondingly to said device for sending and receiving information, said method comprises further:

allocating said I/O space to a command accepting register in said group of registers to perform said predetermined process in programmed input/output (PIO) mode;

or

allocating said I/O space to the command accepting register in said group of registers and sending an ATA command to the command accepting register, allocating said I/O space to a status notification register of said device in said group of registers and determining that said device received the ATA command to perform said predetermined process.

28. A method of attaching a computer with a docking station, comprising:

performing a predetermined process for an expansion unit attached to a personal computer (PC) while an operating system is running on the PC;

when an attachment of the PC with an docking station is detected and a BIOS is activated, disabling an I/O space allocation to a gate array connected to an ISA bus, the I/O space being specified in the I/O window of a PCI-PCI bridge in the docking station, and the I/O space being allocated to a command block register of a PCI IDE controller;

sending an ATA command to the register to perform a process including any of a process for initializing a device installed in the docking station, programming a data transfer rate, and clearing a password, such that the I/O space allocation is deallocated; and

notifying an operating system of completion of the attachment of the PC with the docking station.

29. A method for controlling an expansion unit, comprising:

when a computer main unit is physically attached to or detached from an expansion unit while an operating system is running on the computer main unit, allocating a predetermined I/O resource, ensured not to be used during processing, to a device installed in the expansion unit;

sending and receiving information through the I/O resource to perform the predetermined process, and deallocating the I/O resource allocated to the device, thereby allowing the predetermined process to be performed for the expansion unit that is attached to the computer main unit, or to be detached from the computer main unit while an operating system is running on the computer main unit.