×

Method and apparatus for virtual resource handling in a multi-processor computer system

  • US 6,633,916 B2
  • Filed: 06/10/1998
  • Issued: 10/14/2003
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A computer system having a plurality of system resources including processors, memory and I/O circuitry, the computer system comprising:

  • an interconnection mechanism for electrically interconnecting the processors, memory and I/O circuitry so that each processor has electrical access to all of the memory and at least some of the I/O circuitry;

    a software mechanism for dividing the system resources into a plurality of partitions;

    at least one operating system instance running in each of a plurality of the partitions; and

    a processor designation storage device that stores designations for each of a plurality of processors to define the association of each processor with one of said plurality of instances;

    wherein each of the sets for a given instance including a plurality of designations indicating whether a corresponding plurality of said processors has a particular operational status represented by that set, said operational statuses including;

    a potential status in which the processor are of a type compatible for operation with the given instance;

    a configure status which indicates whether the processors are under the control of the given instance; and

    an active status which indicates whether the processors are available for symmetric multiprocessing operation with the given instance.

View all claims
  • 4 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×