Method and apparatus for adding and removing components without powering down computer system

• US 6,363,452 B1
• Filed: 03/29/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Lach, Jorge E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoleil, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TIM T
• Application Number:
  US09/280,784
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 710/101, 710/102, 710/103, 710/300, 710/301, 710/302, 710/303, 710/304, 710/313, 710/315, 710/316
• US Class Current: 710/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004

Abstract

A hot plugging system has a first mechanism for selectively connecting, responsive to a first control signal, each of a plurality of slots with a primary bus, e.g.,a PCI bus connected to a system bus of a computer system; and a second mechanism for connecting, responsive to a second control signal, at least one of the slots with a secondary bus, e.g., a dedicated PCI bus, or other connection interface, used for testing purposes during hot-plug insertion of an adapter card. In another aspect, a hot plug controller makes the connection of the at least one slot to the primary bus in response to a BUS_IDLE signal from the host bridge that indicates when the PCI bus is idle. The BUS_IDLE signal can be generated from the FRAME and IRDY signals for the primary bus by combinational logic in the host bridge. In this way, the hot plug controller need not be connected to and load the shared lines, e.g., the FRAME and IRDY lines, of that bus.

Claims

1. A bus arrangement for a computer system adapted for off-line testing of electrical operation of electronic components connectable to a first bus, the bus arrangement comprising:

A) a first and a second bus;

B) a plurality of slots, each said slot having a connector for making electrical connection with an electronic component receivable by the slot;

C) a bridge for connecting the first bus to the second bus; and

D) an isolation device, responsive to a control signal, for selectively (i) connecting at least one of the slots with the first bus during operation of the electronic component connected therewith, and (ii) disconnecting the one slot from the first bus and connecting the one slot with the second bus during testing of the electronic component therewith.

2. The bus arrangement in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a test controller for generating the control signal to cause at least one of the slots to be connected to the second bus for testing of the electronic component connected therewith, and to cause the at least one slot to be connected with the first bus after testing of the electronic component.

3. The bus arrangement in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a host bridge for connecting a system bus of the computer system to the first bus.

4. The bus arrangement in accordance with claim 2, wherein the isolation device comprises a plurality of switches.

5. The bus arrangement in accordance with claim 4, wherein a first of the switches can connect a first line of a first of the slots to a corresponding line of either the first or the second bus.

6. The bus arrangement in accordance with claim 4, wherein a first of the switches can connect a first line of more than one of the slots to either the first or second bus.

7. The bus arrangement in accordance with claim 4, wherein the first bus comprises an input/output bus.

8. The bus arrangement in accordance with claim 7, wherein the first and second buses each comprise a PCI bus.

9. A method for off-line testing of electrical operation of electronic components connectable to a first bus of a computer system, the first bus including a plurality of slots, each said slot having a connector for making electrical connection with an electronic component receivable with the slot, the method comprising:

A) selectively connecting, responsive to a first control signal, at least one of the slots with the first bus during operation of the electronic component connected therewith; and

B) selectively disconnecting, responsive to a second control signal, the one slot from the first bust bus and connecting, responsive to the second control signal, the one slot with a second bus during testing of the electronic component connected therewith.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9, further comprising applying the control signals so as to cause at least one of the slots to be connected to the second bus for testing of the electronic component connected therewith, and to cause the at least one slot to be connected with the first bus after testing of the electronic component.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising a host bridge connecting a system bus of the computer system to the first bus, and a controller controlling the connection of the slots and the first and second buses, the controller being connected with the host bridge and the slots for applying the control signals to the slots in response to the host bridge.

12. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the first bus comprises an inpuvoutput bus.

13. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the first and second buses each comprise a PCI bus.

14. The method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising switching a plurality of switches connected to the slots and the first and second buses so as to selectively connect at least one of the slots to one of the first and second buses.

15. The method in accordance with claim 14, further comprising a first of the switches connecting a first line of a first of the slots to a corresponding line of either the first or the second bus.

16. The method in accordance with claim 14, further comprising a first of the switches connecting a first line of more than one of the slots to either the first or second bus.

17. A method for off-line testing of electrical operation of electronic components connectable to a first bus of a computer system, the first bus including a plurality of slots, each said slot having a connector for making electrical connection with an electronic component receivable with the slot, the method comprising:

A) selectively connecting, responsive to a control signal, at least one of the slots with the first bus during operation of the electronic component connected therewith;

B) selectively connecting, responsive to a control signal, at least one of the slots with a second bus during testing of the electronic component connected therewith;

C) applying the control signals so as to cause at least one of the slots to be connected to the second bus for testing of the electronic component connected therewith, and to cause the at least one slot to be connected with the first bus after testing of the electronic component;

D) connecting a system bus of the computer system to the first bus with a host bridge and controlling the connection of the slots and the first and second buses with a controller, the controller being connected with the host bridge and the slots for applying the control signals to the slots in response to the host bridge; and

E) ascertaining whether the first bus is idle prior to connecting a slot thereto, the controller gaining control of the first bus, the host bridge providing the controller with a signal so as to indicate when the first bus is idle, and the controller causing the at least one slot to be connected to the first bus in response to the signal.

18. A computersystem comprising:

A) a system bus;

B) a plurality of system components, including a central processing unit and a memory, electrically connected to the system bus;

C) a primary peripheral bus and a secondary peripheral bus;

D) a host bridge for electrically connecting the system bus to the primary peripheral bus for passing data between the system bus and the primary peripheral bus;

E) a number of multi-way switches;

F) a number of adapter card slots each having a connector for electrically connecting an adapter card to the multi-way switches; and

G) a hot plug controller for electrically connecting the primary peripheral bus to the secondary peripheral bus for passing data between the primary and secondary buses, and for controlling the operation of the multi-way switches so as to selectively connect an individual adapter card via a connector to the primary peripheral bus during operation of the adapter card and to disconnect the adapter card from the primary peripheral bus and to connect the adapter card to the secondary peripheral during testing of the adapter card.