Automatic generation of ACPI source language for peripheral resource configuration

• US 6,185,677 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1998
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kinglite Holdings Inc.
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Technologies Limited (Pharaoh Acquisition LLC)
• Inventors: Nijhawan, Vijay Bharat
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEUNG, MARY DA ZHI WANG
• Application Number:
  US09/163,358
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 713/2, 713/1, 713/100, 713/320, 713/323, 713/324, 713/330, 717/1, 717/2, 717/3, 717/7, 717/11
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A method and article of manufacture for the automatic generation of Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (“ACPI”) Source Language (“ASL”) code in a Basic Input-Output System (“BIOS”) of a computer system having an ACPI compliant BIOS. The method scans all device node structures in the BIOS to find the device node structures corresponding to static and MCD devices. ASL code is generated corresponding to the device node structure by extracting the PnP Id of the devices and generating the required control methods.

Claims

1. A method for the automated generation of Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (“

ACPI”

) Source Language (“

AML”

) code for incorporation into a Basic Input-Output System (“

BIOS”

) of a computer system having an ACPI compliant BIOS, comprising the steps of;

scanning device node structures in the BIOS defined by non-ACPI-compliant BIOS code;

finding a device node structure based on a specified criteria; and

generating ASL code corresponding to the device node structure found based on the specified criteria.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the device node structure corresponds to a static device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating ASL code includes getting a Plug-n-Play (PnP) Id of a device from the device node structure and writing the PnP Id to an output file.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of generating the ASL further includes creating a _CRS control method for the device.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of finding a device node structure based upon a specified criteria includes following a device node table pointer to the static device node table and reading the static device node structures which are contained in one or more files that are generated during a BIOS build process.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified criteria includes determining if the device node structure corresponds a Motherboard Configurable Device (“

MCD”

).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of generating the ASL code includes getting a Plug-n-Play (“

PnP”

) Id of a device from the device node structure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of generating the ASL code further includes generating a secondary Id to differentiate between two devices that have the same PnP Id.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of generating the ASL code includes

reading MCD macros; and

generating ASL package code that encodes the information contained in the MCD macros.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of generating the ASL code includes generating the _CRS control method, and optionally generating the _PRS, _SRS, _DIS, _STA control method.

11. An article of manufacture usable in a computer system having an Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (“

ACPI”

) compliant Basic Input-Output System (“

BIOS”

), the article comprising;

a computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein for automatic generation of ACPI Source Language (“

ASL”

) code in the computer system, the computer readable program code including

a first computer readable code for scanning the device node structures in non-ACPI-compliant BIOS code portions and finding a device node structure according to a specified criteria, and

a second computer readable code that modifies the ASL code corresponding to the found object based on the specified criteria.

12. The article according to claim 11, wherein the device node structure corresponds to a static device.

13. The article according to claim 11, wherein the first computer readable code includes code that extracts a Plug-n-Play (“

PnP”

) Id from the device node structure and writes the PnP Id to an output file.

14. The article according to claim 13, wherein the second computer readable code includes code that creates a _CRS control method for the device.

15. The article according to claim 12, wherein the first computer readable code includes code that reads the BCG.ROM, ROMEXEC.ROM, and BUILD. MAP files that are generated during the BIOS build process.

16. The article according to claim 11, wherein first computer readable code includes code that determines if the device node structure corresponds to a Motherboard Configurable Device (“

MCD”

).

17. The article according to claim 16, wherein the second computer readable code includes code that extracts a PnP Id of a device from a device node structure.

18. The article according to claim 17, wherein the second computer readable code includes code that generates a secondary Id to differentiate between devices that have the same PnP Id.

19. The article according to claim 16, wherein the second computer readable code includes code that reads MCD macros and generates ASL package code that encodes the information contained in the MDC macros.

20. The article according to claim 19, wherein the second computer readable code further includes code that generate the _CRS control method, and optionally generates the _PRS, _SRS, _DIS, _STA control methods.