Automatic device configuration for dockable portable computers

• US 5,265,238 A
• Filed: 01/25/1991
• Issued: 11/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Horton, Robert L., Katz, Neil A., Canova, Francis J. Jr., Astarabadi, Shaun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Treat, William M.
• Application Number:
  US07/646,138
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 395/500, 395/800, 395/700, 395/325, 364/708, 364/709.09
• US Class Current: 713/1
• 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

Apparatus and a method for automatically configuring communication port assignments in dockable portable computer systems wherein a portable computer unit is operable both on a stand-alone basis and attached (docked) to a generally stationary expansion (docking) unit providing extended connectivity and power sourcing facilities. The portable computer unit may contain integral connectors (RS232, telephone jacks, parallel port connectors, etc.) and internal circuit devices operating through the connectors (modems, circuits supporting RS232 signalling, etc.). The docking unit may also have such connectors and associated circuits. The computer user may assign internal logical communication paths com x (x=1, 2, . . . ) to these connectors and their associated circuits. When the portable unit is in a docked mode, care must be taken that duplicate paths are not concurrently active in the portable and docking units leading to potentially conflicting signal processes in the units. The present invention provides an automatic initialization process whereby the system is automatically configured to operate without path conflicts when it is docked and to make full use of all internal paths in the portable unit when the base portable unit is not docked; all transparent to system users.

Claims

1. An arrangement for facilitating use of a dockable portable computer system containing a portable base unit and a stationary docking unit, each unit having plural physical ports, for attachment of devices to the respective unit, each port requiring a logical port assignment which said system provides on the basis of programmed information stored in said system;

said system provided assignments being potentially conflicting in the sense that devices attached to both units may be given identical logical port assignments;

wherein said base unit is operable either on a stand-alone basis or connected with said docking unit, and contains;

a CPU, a non-volatile memory containing key initial configuration data on said system, a memory containing a boot program for initializing the system when it is powered up, connectors for attaching external devices directly to said base unit, specifically addressable internal control devices for controlling communications between said CPU and said connectors, and a system bus;

said internal devices having predetermined logical port assignments in said system;

said bus connecting with external circuits and devices in said docking unit, when said base and docking units are connected;

said external devices including devices given logical port assignments in said system which may be the same as logical port assignments given to said internal devices;

said arrangement operating automatically to resolve such conflicting assignments at system start-up without intervention of any human user of said system;

said arrangement comprising;

first means in said base unit for operating automatically each time said base unit is powered up, without intervention of any said system user, to disable said internal communication controlling devices and to attempt to transfer signals, via said bus, to specifically addressable external devices in said docking unit;

said signals including address information extracted from said non-volatile memory for establishing programmably originated logical communication port assignments for said external devices in said docking unit;

second means in said base unit, operating automatically, after said attempted signal transfers by said first means, for direction I/O reading operations to said specifically addressable external communication devices in said docking unit for reading information from said devices, including information identifying the logical ports assigned to respective devices in said attempted signal transfers;

evaluating means in said base unit for identifying, from the response received by said second means to said reading operation, if any external devices currently coupled to said base unit have logical port assignments conflicting with respective logical port assignments of any of said internal devices; and

enabling means in said base unit, operating in response to determinations made by said evaluating means, for selectively enabling only those internal communication devices in said base unit which have logical port assignments that are not in conflict with the logical ports currently assigned to said external devices.

2. A use facilitating arrangement in accordance with claim 1, wherein said portable base unit comprises:

a housing supporting a plurality of connectors through which plural different types of devices can attached directly to said base unit, while said base unit is separated from said docking unit; and

circuits responsive to signals from said enabling means for completing otherwise incomplete signal conduction paths between individual said connectors on said housing and said bus.

3. A use facilitating arrangement in accordance with claim 2, wherein said connectors supported on said base unit housing include at least one RS232 connector and at least one telephone jack connector, and wherein said circuits for bus conduction paths to said connectors include an internal modem connected in said base unit between said bus and said telephone jack connector.

4. A use facilitating arrangement in accordance with claim 3 wherein said base unit telephone jack connector is so positioned on said base unit housing as not to be obstructed when said base and docking units are coupled;

whereby said internal modem is capable of actively serving an external network coupled to said telephone jack connector on said housing, while said base and docking units are attached to each other;

provided that the logical port assigned to said modem for data communication does not conflict with a logical port currently assigned to said docking unit.

5. A method of automatically configuring logical communication port assignments in a dockable portable computer system containing a portable base unit and a stationary docking unit;

wherein said base unit is operable either on a stand-alone basis or connected with said docking unit, and is characterized in that it contains a CPU, a non-volatile memory containing key initial configuration data on said system, a memory containing a boot program for initializing the system when it is powered up, connectors for attaching external devices directly to said base unit, specifically addressable internal devices, each requiring a logical communication port assignment from said system, for controlling communications between said CPU and external devices attached to said connectors, and a system bus connecting with said docking unit when said base and docking units are connected;

said docking unit having physical connectors therein for connecting external devices to said system via said bus and logical ports assignable by said system;

said method comprising performing the following of operations, in succession, during each power up activation of said system;

disabling said internal devices;

with said internal devices disabled, attempting to write said key configuration data to specific external I/O addresses associated with said docking unit;

said key data including data for establishing predetermined logical communication port assignments for external devices currently attached to said docking unit which need not be distant from logical ports currently assigned to said internal devices;

with said internal devices still disabled, performing reading operations relative to said external I/O addresses for receiving from said docking unit information which would identify logical port assignments received by said external devices attached to said docking unit if said base unit and docking unit are currently inter-connected;

determining from responses to said reading operations which internal devices in said base unit have logical communication port assignments not conflicting with port assignments currently established in said docking unit; and

on the basis of said determining step, selectively activating only those internal devices which have non-conflicting logical communication port assignments.