Preliminary polling for identification and location of removable/replaceable computer components prior to power-up

• US 5,121,500 A
• Filed: 05/13/1991
• Issued: 06/09/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Hehching H., Radcliffe, Jerry K., Arlington, David L., Morris, Jacqueline K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Michael R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUN, DEBRA
• Application Number:
  US07/701,308
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 371/11.1, 371/11.3, 371/14, 371/66
• US Class Current: 713/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

An apparatus and method for polling a plurality of components in a data processing system includes a sensor for determining when a request for power up has been made, a series of parallel circuits extending between a power sequence monitor/power control device and individual computer system components, a configuration bus connected between the system components and the power sequence monitor/power control device and comparison circuitry connected to the configuration bus for comparing a signal sent from the power sequence monitor/power control device, through the configuration bus and system components, and returned to the power sequence monitor/power control device, with a predetermined code for identifying and locating the system components.

Claims

1. A method for applying power to electronic components located in electronic component locations in a central electronic complex including a support processor and a power supply means for selectively providing power to the electronic component locations, the method including the steps of:

issuing a power on request signal from the support processor to the power supply means;

in response to the power on signal and prior to delivery of power to the component locations, sending a sequence of read select signals from the power supply means to the electronic component locations, each read select signal being provided to a respective component location;

in response to the sequence of read select signals, sending from each electronic component location of a plurality of component locations to the power supply means a sequence of identification signals which identify an electronic component at the electronic component location; and

in response to each sequence of identification signals, providing from the power supply means a power signal to the electric component location from which the sequence of identification signals was received.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

programming the power supply means with a plurality if configuration signals, each of the configuration signals identifying a respective type of electronic component;

and wherein the step of providing a power signal includes;

in response to a sequence of identification signals received from a component location, identifying an electronic component at the component location by comparing the sequence of idenfication signals with the plurality of configuration signals; and

in response to the identification of the electronic component, setting the current level of the power signal provided to the component location to a predetermined level based on the electronic component type.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a power signal includes providing a plurality of power signals, each power signal being provided to a respective component location from which a sequence of identification signals was received;

and

in response to the plurality of power signals, initially setting the central electronic complex to a reset state.

4. In a central electronic complex including a plurality of electronic component locations and a support processor means for initiating the delivery of power to the complex, a power delivery system comprising:

sensing means connected to the support processor for receiving a power up signal;

configuration bus means for conducting a sequence of signals from each component location;

read select bus means for conducting a read select signal to each component location;

means responsive to the power up signal for providing a sequence of read select signals on the read select bus means;

means in an electronic component at a component location for generating a sequence of identification signals on the configuration bus in response to a read select signal;

power level means for generating a power level signal in response to the sequence of identification signals, the power level signal being conditioned to represent a power current level for a type of electronic component corresponding to the electronic component; and

power supply means responsive to the power level signal for providing power at the power current level to the component location.