System and adapter card for remote console emulation

• US 6,732,067 B1
• Filed: 05/12/1999
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Powderly, Terrence V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Broda, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thangavelu, Kandasamy
• Application Number:
  US09/310,542
• Time in Patent Office: 1,819 Days
• Field of Search: 703/23, 703/24, 703/25, 345/740, 345/532, 345/719, 375/222, 710/260
• US Class Current: 703/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/105 where the programme performs an input/output emulation function

Abstract

A system for providing, via a network, emulation of a console of a first computer system on a second, remotely located computer system on the network comprises an adapter card installed in the first computer system and a client program executing on the remotely located computer system. The adapter card comprises a local bus that interfaces to an input/output bus of the first computer system when the adapter card is connected to the first computer system, a graphics controller coupled to the local bus that interacts with the first computer system to generate a representation of a console screen of the first computer system, a network interface controller coupled to the local bus that provides a connection to the network, and a processor coupled to the local bus that determines changes in the representation of the console screen of the first computer system and that transmits information about the changes to the remotely located computer system via the network interface controller.

Claims

1. An adapter card (18) for providing, via network (12), emulation of a console of a first computer system (14) at a second, remotely located computer system (16) on the network, the adapter card comprising:

a local bus (28) that interfaces to an input/output bus (20) of the first computer system when the adapter card is connected to the first computer system;

a graphics controller (22) coupled to said local bus that interacts with the first computer system to generate a representation of a console screen of the first computer system;

a network interface controller (24) coupled to said local bus and providing a connection to the network; and

a processor (26) coupled to said local bus that determines changes in the representation of the console screen of the first computer system and that transmits information about the changes to the remotely located computer system via said network interface controller and

a first-in, first-out (FIFO) buffer (43) coupled to an output of said graphics controller for capturing data representing the console screen of said first computer system, and wherein said processor determines changes in the representation of the console screen by processing the data in said FIFO buffer.

2. The adapter card recited in claim 1, wherein said FIFO is contained in a memory (42) interfaced to said graphics controller in which the graphics controller stores data representing the console screen of the first computer system, and wherein said processor determines changes in the representation of the console screen by processing the data in said memory.

3. The adapter card recited in claim 2, further comprising a second memory (40) interfaced to said local bus, and wherein the data representing the console screen of the first computer system that is stored in said memory interfaced to said graphics controller is periodically transferred to said second memory for processing by said processor to determine the changes in the representation of the console screen of the flirt computer system.

4. The adapter card recited in claim 3, further comprising a memory controller (36) coupled to said local bus that controls the transfer of the data representing the console screen of the first computer system from said memory interfaced to said graphics controller to said second memory.

5. The adapter card recited in claim 1, wherein said network interface controller is indirectly coupled to said local bus by a bridge (32, 34), such that communication between said processor and said network interface controller occurs across a separate bus segment (28a, 28b), isolated from said local bus (28).

6. The adapter card recited in claim 1, wherein said network interface controller implements an Ethernet protocol.

7. The adapter card recited in claim 1, wherein the information about the changes in the representation of the console screen of the first computer is transmitted to the remote computer system using a TCP/IP protocol.

8. The adapter card recited in claim 1, further comprising a peripheral device interface (48) coupled to said local bus that can be controlled selectively by one of the first computer system and said processor, wherein when the peripheral device interface is controlled by said processor, a device connected to said peripheral device interface can be controlled by a user using client software on the remote computer system via said network interface controller and said processor.

9. The adapter card recited in claim 8, wherein when said processor is selected to control said peripheral device interface, said processor causes a modified BIOS for the peripheral device interface to be loaded by the first computer system that halts the first computer system in order to allow said processor to take control of said peripheral device interface.

10. The adapter card recited in claim 9, wherein said processor is selected to control said peripheral dice interface by setting a flag variable stored on said adapter card, said processor examining said flag variable to determine whether to cause said modified BIOS to be loaded by the first computer system.

11. The adapter card recited in claim 8, wherein the device attached to said peripheral device interface comprises a store medium, and wherein control of the storage medium by the remote computer system can be accomplished via client software on said remote computer system, said adapter card thus enabled responsively to messages received at said adapter card from said client software to provide control over said first computer system exercising at least one of the following functions:

partitioning the storage medium;

formatting the storage medium; and

installing software to the storage medium.

12. The adapter card recited in claim 8, wherein said peripheral device interface comprises a Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) controller.

13. The adapter card recited in claim 1, wherein said local bus comprises a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

14. The adapter card recited in claim 1, wherein said processor functions, in part, as a Web server (80) that serves HTML pages to the remote computer system to enable a user at the remote computer system to configure adapter card.

15. A system for providing, via a network (12), emulation of a console of a first Computer system (14) on a second remotely located computer system (16) on the network said system comprising:

an adapter card (18) comprising;

a local bus (28) that interfaces to an input/output bus (20) of the first computer system when the adapter card is connected to the first computer system

a graphics controller (22) coupled to said local bus that interacts with the first computer system to generate a representation of a console screen of the first computer system;

a network interface controller (24) coupled to said local bus and providing a connection to the network;

a processor (26) coupled to said local bus that determines changes in the representation of the console screen of the first computer system and that transmits information about the changes to the remotely located computer system via said network interface controller;

a client program (96, 98) executing on the remote computer system (16) that receives the information transmitted from the adapter card and reproduces therefrom the representation of the console screen of the first computer screen on a display device of the remote computer system; and

a first-in, first-out (FIFO) buffer (43) coupled to an output of said graphics controller for capturing data representing the console screen of said first computer system, and wherein said processor determines changes in the representation of the console screen by processing the data in said FIFO buffer.

16. The system recited in claim 15, further comprising a memory (42) interface to said graphics controller in which the graphics controller stores data representing the console screen of the first computer system, and wherein said processor determines changes in the representation of the console screen by processing the data in said memory.

17. The system recited in claim 16, further comprising a second memory (40) interface to said local bus and wherein the data representing the console screen of the first computer system that is stored in said memory interfaced to said graphics controller is periodically transferred to said second memory for processing by said processor to determine the changes in the representation of the console screen of the first computer system.

18. The system recited in claim 17, further comprising a memory controller (36) coupled to said local bus that controls the transfer of the data representing the console screen of the first computer system from said memory interfaced to said graphics controller to said second memory.

19. The system recited in claim 15, wherein said network interface controller is indirectly coupled to said local bus by a bridge (32, 34), such that communication between said processor and said network interface controller occurs across a separate bus segment (28a, 28b), isolated from said local bus.

20. The system recited in claim 15, wherein said network interface controller implements an Ethernet protocol.

21. The system recited in claim 15, wherein the information about the changes in the representation of the console screen of the first computer is transmitted to the remote computer system using a TCP/IP protocol.

22. The system recited in claim 15, further comprising a peripheral device interface (48) coupled to said local bus that can be controlled selectively by one of the first computer system and said processor, wherein when the peripheral device interface is controlled by said processor, a device connected to said peripheral device interface can be controlled by a user using client software on the remote computer system via said network interface controller and said processor.

23. The system recited in claim 22, wherein when said processor is selected to control said peripheral device interface, said processor causes a modified BIOS for the peripheral device interface to be loaded by the first computer system that halts the first computer system in order to allow said processor to take control of said peripheral device interface.

24. The system recited in claim 23, wherein said processor is selected to control said peripheral device interface by setting a flag variable stored on said adapter card, said processor examining said flag variable to determine whether to cause said modified BIOS to be loaded by the first computer system.

25. The system recited in claim 22, wherein the device attached to said peripheral device interface comprises a store medium, and wherein control of the storage medium by the remote computer system can be accomplished via client software on said remote computer system, said adapter card thus enabled responsively to messages received at said adapter card from said client software to provide control over said first computer system exercising at least one of the following functions:

partitioning the storage medium;

formatting the storage medium; and

installing software to the storage medium.

26. The system recited in claim 22, wherein said peripheral device interface comprises a Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) controller.

27. The system recited in claim 15, wherein said local bus comprises a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

28. The system recited in claim 15, wherein said processor functions, in part, as a Web server (80) that serves HTML pages to the remote computer system to enable a user at the remote computer system to configure the adapter card.

29. The system recited in claim 28, wherein said client program comprises a Web browser (96) that displays HTML pages served to the remote computer system by said processor.

30. The system recited in claim 29, wherein said client program further comprises a browser add-in (98) that receives the information transmitted from the adapter card and reproduces therefrom the representation of the console screen of the first computer screen on the display device of the remote computer system.

31. The system of claim 15, wherein said system permits a plurality of instances of said client program to function in identical manner, each said instance having a unique identifier recognizable by said computer system.