Configuration management system for hot adding and hot replacing devices

• US 6,243,773 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1997
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micro Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Mahalingam, Mallikarjunan
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoleil, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TIM T
• Application Number:
  US08/942,408
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 395/283-284, 395/309, 395/500, 395/182.04, 395/182.05, 395/651, 711/114, 361/685
• US Class Current: 710/302
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A configuration management system and method for adding or replacing devices in a bus in a computer system. The configuration system creates and maintains a memory structure having bus and device configuration information. The system includes a configuration manager which creates a memory structure containing configuration information for a bus and devices located on the bus within the computer system in which it operates. When a device on the bus is replaced, the configuration manager retrieves the configuration information for the replacement device from the memory structure and uses that information to configure the replacement device. In another aspect of the invention, when a device is added on the bus in the computer system, the configuration manager retrieves selected configuration information for the added device from the memory structure and uses that information to configure the added device.

Claims

1. A configuration management system for operation in a computer system to facilitate hot swapping a device with a replacement device on a bus within the computer system, the configuration management system comprising:

a computer;

memory means for storing configuration information of a bus and of devices located on the bus including the vendor identification and the device identification of each device on the bus;

means operating in said computer for creating a memory structure having configuration information of a bus within the computer system and of devices located on the bus;

means operating in said computer for receiving input from a user identifying a device on the bus to be hot swapped;

means for querying the replacement device to obtain the vendor identification and the device identification of the replacement device;

means for providing configuration information previously utilized by the device, based upon the configuration information stored in the memory means, to the replacement device on the bus.

2. The configuration management system of claim 1, further including means for reading the configuration information for each device on the bus and storing the read configuration information in the memory means.

3. The configuration management system of claim 1, wherein the means for creating includes means for determining the start and end of the total memory allocated for the bus for all of the devices on the bus.

4. The configuration management system of claim 2, wherein the means for providing further includes means for retrieving the configuration information for the replacement device from the memory means and for writing the retrieved configuration information to the replacement device.

5. The configuration management system of claim 2, wherein the means for creating includes means for determining the start and end of the total memory allocated for the bus for input/output (I/O) for all of the devices on the bus.

6. A configuration management system for operation in a computer system to facilitate hot swapping of devices on a bus within the computer system, the configuration management system comprising:

a memory structure having configuration information for a bus within the computer system and for devices located on the bus including the vendor identification and the device identification of each device on the bus;

a host computer; and

a configuration manager operating within the host computer, configured to read configuration information from devices on the bus, create the memory structure, receive input from a user identifying a device on the bus to be hot swapped, and provide configuration information to hot swapped devices based upon information in the memory structure.

7. A configuration management system for operation in a computer system to facilitate hot adding of devices on a bus within the computer system, the configuration management system comprising:

a central processing unit;

a bus coupled to said central processing unit;

a memory structure having configuration information for a bus within the computer system and for devices located on the bus; and

a configuration manager operating within the central processing unit, which creates the memory structure, provides configuration information to added devices on the bus based upon information in the memory structure and updates the memory structure when new devices are hot added.

8. A configuration management system for operation in a computer system to facilitate adding and hot swapping of devices on a bus within the computer system, the configuration management system comprising:

a memory structure having configuration information for a bus within the computer system including the last memory assignment for a device on the bus and having configuration information for devices located on the bus including the vendor identification and the device identification of each device on the bus;

a central processing unit; and

a configuration manager operating within the central processing unit, which reads configuration information from devices on the bus, creates the memory structure and provides configuration information to hot swapped devices based upon information in the memory structure, provides configuration information to devices added on the bus based upon information in the memory structure and updates the memory structure when new devices are hot added and queries a replacement device to obtain the vendor identification and the device identification of the replacement device.

9. A configuration management system for operation in a computer system to facilitate hot adding of devices on a bus within the computer system, the configuration management system comprising:

means for creating a memory structure containing configuration information for a bus and devices located on the bus including means for reading the configuration information for each device on the bus and storing the read configuration information and means for determining the start and end of the total memory allocated for the devices on the bus;

means for retrieving configuration information from the memory structure for a device hot added on the bus including;

means for determining memory and input/output allocations for the hot added device based upon the hot added device and information in the memory structure;

means for writing the retrieved configuration information to the hot added device; and

means for redetermining the start and end of the total memory allocated for all of the devices on the bus after memory has been allocated for the hot added device.