Hot removable and insertion of attachments on fully initialized computer systems
First Claim
1. A computer system, having a main housing with one or more slots for connection of peripheral device adapters, and comprising one or more adapters insertable into said slots, said system also containing means for storing configuration information enabling said system to cooperate with said adapters when they are attached to said one or more slots, an arrangement for dynamically reconfiguring said computer system when an adapter is inserted into an empty one of said one or more slots, or when an adapter is removed from one of said slots, while the system is fully powered and initialized for running application programs, said arrangement comprising:
- means interactive with users of said computer system and coupled to said slots for controllably permitting removal of a said adapter from any one of said slots containing an adapter, while said system is actively powered and fully initialized and without requiring rebooting or reinitialization of said system;
said interactive means including means operative during removal of a said adapter from said any one slot for adjusting said stored configuration information to reflect removal of said adapter from the respective slot;
means coupled to said slots for detecting insertion of a said adapter into a formerly empty one of said slots; and
means cooperative with said insertion detecting means for altering said stored configuration information to conform to the presence of said inserted adapter in said formerly empty one of said slots.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A computer having slots for attachment of expansion adapters contains means enabling the system formed by the computer and attached adapters to reconfigure automatically, when an adapter is either inserted into an empty slot or removed from an occupied slot, while the system is fully powered and in an application running state. Insertion of an adapter into an empty slot is detected by an adapter detection mechanism. The mechanism signals a programmed resource manager element in the computer, via an interrupt or the like, and the resource manager then sequences the computer and inserted adapter through a series of mechanical and electrical reconfiguring operations. In these operations, the adapter is physically locked into place relative to the slot, supplied with power from a source in the computer, and signal conduction paths through the slot are activated. Thereafter, attribute information stored by the adapter is read out to the computer and the computer conducts a setup process to modify its configuration information to establish proper communication levels and addresses for the adapter commensurate with then active resources of the system. To remove an installed adapter, a user issues an adapter removal request to the resource manager, via an adapter removal button. In response to such request, the resource manager checks the running state of the adapter. If a data transfer is being conducted relative to the adapter, further operation in response to the request is delayed until the transfer is completed. When the request can be handled, the resource manager electrically isolates and mechanically releases the adapter, allowing the user to remove it.
443 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A computer system, having a main housing with one or more slots for connection of peripheral device adapters, and comprising one or more adapters insertable into said slots, said system also containing means for storing configuration information enabling said system to cooperate with said adapters when they are attached to said one or more slots, an arrangement for dynamically reconfiguring said computer system when an adapter is inserted into an empty one of said one or more slots, or when an adapter is removed from one of said slots, while the system is fully powered and initialized for running application programs, said arrangement comprising:
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means interactive with users of said computer system and coupled to said slots for controllably permitting removal of a said adapter from any one of said slots containing an adapter, while said system is actively powered and fully initialized and without requiring rebooting or reinitialization of said system;
said interactive means including means operative during removal of a said adapter from said any one slot for adjusting said stored configuration information to reflect removal of said adapter from the respective slot;means coupled to said slots for detecting insertion of a said adapter into a formerly empty one of said slots; and means cooperative with said insertion detecting means for altering said stored configuration information to conform to the presence of said inserted adapter in said formerly empty one of said slots. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A computer having one or more slots for holding one or more expansion adapters, comprising:
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means for detecting insertion of a said adapter into a said slot, means for mechanically locking a said inserted adapter into said slot in response to a detection signal from said means for detecting insertion, means for supplying power to said adapter in response to a detection signal from said means for detecting insertion, means for connecting said inserted adapter and said slot for interchanging information signals in response to a detection signal from said means for detecting insertion, means for exchanging predetermined information signals with said inserted adapter in response to a detection signal from said means for detecting insertion, means for modifying configuration information of said computer to prepare said computer and adapter for cooperating as a system, means for requesting removal of a said inserted adapter from a said slot, means responsive to said request for removal for exchanging predetermined information with the respective said inserted adapter, said information being useful to modify said system configuration information to conform said system to the removal of said respective adapter, means for shutting down signal communication between said respective adapter and said slot in response to said request, means for disconnecting power from said respective adapter in response to said request, and means for releasing mechanical locking of said respective adapter to said slot in response to said request so as to free said adapter for removal from said slot. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. An expansion adapter for insertion into an expansion slot of a computer system, said adapter comprising:
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means for performing a function to be expanded, storage means for storing attribute information characteristic of the respective adapter that is necessary for enabling said computer to reconfigure automatically in conformance to said respective adapter when said respective adapter is inserted into said expansion slot, and a connector with plural conductors for making electrical contact with said computer system via said expansion slot;
said connector conductors including;an insertion indicating conductor for enabling said computer to detect insertion of said respective adapter into said expansion slot, a power supply conductor for supplying power from said computer to said expansion adapter via said expansion slot, and signal transfer conductors for conveying signals between said respective adapter and said computer via said expansion slot; said conductors being designed to contact corresponding conductors of said computer system in said expansion slot, and also being of different lengths such that, during insertion of said adapter into said expansion slot, said insertion indicating conductors make contact with corresponding conductors in said expansion slot before either said power supply conductor or said signal transfer conductors contact their respective corresponding conductors; and
said power supply conductor makes contact with a corresponding conductor before any of said signal conductors make contact with their corresponding conductors. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus for system reconfiguration of a computer that has one or more slots for holding one or more expansion adapters, comprising:
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means for detecting insertion of said expansion adapter into said slot, means for mechanically locking said expansion adapter in said slot in response to a detection signal from said detecting means, means for supplying power to said adapter in response to a detection signal from said detecting means, means for connecting said expansion adapter and said slot on a signal level in response to a detection signal from said detecting means, means for exchanging predetermined information with said expansion adapter in response to a detection signal from said detecting means, and for modifying system configuration information of said computer based on said attribute information stored on said expansion adapter, means for requesting removal of said expansion adapter from said slot, means responsive to each said removal request for exchanging predetermined information with said expansion adapter to modify system configuration information of said computer, means for blocking signal communication paths between said expansion adapter and said computer, via said slot, in response to said request, means for shutting down power supply to said expansion adapter in response to said request, and means for releasing mechanical locking of said expansion adapter relative to said slot in response to said request.
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17. A method for system reconfiguration of a computer that has one or more slots for holding one or more expansion adapters, comprising steps of:
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detecting insertion of said expansion adapter into said slot, mechanically locking said inserted adapter in said slot in response to detecting said insertion, supplying power to said expansion adapter in response to detecting said insertion, connecting said expansion adapter and said slot for interchange of information signals in response to detecting said insertion, exchanging predetermined information between said inserted adapter and said computer, via said slot, in response to detecting said insertion, and modifying system configuration information of said computer based on attribute information stored in said expansion adapter and transferred to said computer in said exchanging step, requesting removal of an inserted said adapter from a said slot, exchanging predetermined information with said adapter in response to said request, modifying system configuration information of said computer in response to said exchanged information, blocking signal communication between said expansion adapter and said computer via said slot, in response to said request, shutting down power supply to said expansion adapter in response to said request, and releasing mechanical locking of said expansion adapter relative to said slot in response to said request.
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18. A program driven arrangement for controlling dynamic reconfiguration of a computer system having one or more expansion slots for holding one or more expansion adapters, said arrangement comprising:
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means integral to said computer system, and operable at any time, while said system is powered up and in use, for invoking and interpreting a configuration controlling program in response to actions occurring during insertion and removal of expansion adapters at any said expansion slot; and configuration means invocable and interpretable by said integral means;
said configuration means containing said configuration controlling program;
said configuration controlling program, when interpreted by said integral means, directing said computer system to perform a predetermined sequence of reconfiguring functions relative to the system formed by the computer system and expansion adapters of various types attached to said expansion slots, said configuration means including means for directing an exchange of predetermined information between said computer and an adapter in response to insertion of the adapter into a said expansion slot, or in response to a signal from a user of the respective computer system indicating intent to remove an adapter from a said expansion slot, said predetermined information including attribute information, defining attributes of the adapter being inserted or removed, which is needed by said integral means to locate and/or modify configuration information stored in said computer system in association with the respective said expansion slot into which a said adapter is being inserted or containing a said adapter intended to be removed. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification