Apparatus and methods for managing the display of SMBIOS data relating to the configuration and components of a computing system
First Claim
1. A system management apparatus for retrieving and displaying SMBIOS data relating to the configuration and components of a computing system to a user via a display terminal comprising:
- a database of SMBIOS structures stored on a computer-readable medium containing data related to the configuration of the computing system and components of the computing system;
a utility stored on a computer-readable medium, which in response to commands from a user, retrieves data from said database and displays the data on the display terminal; and
a template file stored on a computer-readable medium separate from said utility, containing information for interpreting and displaying the SMBIOS data retrieved by said utility from said database, wherein said template file eliminates the requirement that the information for interpreting and displaying the data stored in said database be contained in the utility. wherein said template file includes a data descriptor key for defining multiple groups of bits within a bit field representing a setting of the computing system and components, and wherein a group of bits in the bit field has N bits and can define 2n values, where less than 2n values are defined, and wherein said template file further includes a data descriptor key indicating to said utility a last defined value for each group of bits such that said template file does not include and said utility does not search for undefined bit field group values.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides apparatus and methods for managing the display of data stored in a SMBIOS database. The apparatus and methods provide a template file intermediate between a SMBIOS utility program and a SMBIOS database. The template file includes all information required for interpreting and displaying the data structures stored in the SMBIOS database. The information in the template file is in the form of structure definitions including descriptor keys for describing the structure of the data and text to be displayed and control keys used by the utility program to navigate the template file. In operation, when commanded, the utility program retrieves data from the SMBIOS database, and using the Type and offset associated with the data, accesses information corresponding to Type and offset from the template file. Using the information from the template file, the utility program properly interprets and the displays to a user the requested information.
20 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system management apparatus for retrieving and displaying SMBIOS data relating to the configuration and components of a computing system to a user via a display terminal comprising:
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a database of SMBIOS structures stored on a computer-readable medium containing data related to the configuration of the computing system and components of the computing system;
a utility stored on a computer-readable medium, which in response to commands from a user, retrieves data from said database and displays the data on the display terminal; and
a template file stored on a computer-readable medium separate from said utility, containing information for interpreting and displaying the SMBIOS data retrieved by said utility from said database, wherein said template file eliminates the requirement that the information for interpreting and displaying the data stored in said database be contained in the utility. wherein said template file includes a data descriptor key for defining multiple groups of bits within a bit field representing a setting of the computing system and components, and wherein a group of bits in the bit field has N bits and can define 2n values, where less than 2n values are defined, and wherein said template file further includes a data descriptor key indicating to said utility a last defined value for each group of bits such that said template file does not include and said utility does not search for undefined bit field group values. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for creating a template file for use in interpreting and displaying SMBIOS data relating to the configuration and components of a computing system to a user via a display terminal comprising:
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providing a database of SMBIOS structures stored on a computer-readable medium containing data related to the configuration of the computing system and components of the computing system;
providing a utility stored on a computer-readable medium, which in response to commands from a user, retrieves data from the database and displays the data on the display terminal; and
creating a template file stored on a computer-readable medium separate from the utility, containing information for interpreting and displaying the data retrieved by the utility from the database, wherein the template file eliminates the requirement that the information for interpreting and displaying the data stored in the database be contained in the utility, wherein said creating step creates a template file that includes a data descriptor key for defining multiple groups of bits within a bit field representing a setting of the computing system and components, and wherein a group of bits in the bit field has N bits and can define 2N values, where less than 2N values are defined, and wherein said creating step creates a template file that further includes a data descriptor key indicating to the utility the last defined value for each group of bits such that said template file does not include and said utility does not search for the undefined bit field group values. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification