Hardware configuration information system, method, and computer program product

• US 7,895,376 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Prahl, Paul Henry Jr., Warne, Thomas Joseph, Knipfer, Diane Lacey, Nordstrom, Gregory Michael, Boecker, Douglas Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Stiglic; Ryan M
• Application Number:
  US12/324,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 710/104
• US Class Current: 710/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/423 with synchronous protocol

Abstract

A method for determining configuration information to be reported comprises accessing a table corresponding to a configuration resource associated with the configuration information, wherein the table comprises an entry for each hardware configuration definition to be built for the configuration resource, identifying a seed value in the table corresponding to the configuration resource, and modifying the seed value based on a result of processing each entry indicated by the table.

Claims

1. A method for determining configuration information for a computer system, the method comprising:

determining the configuration information to be reported;

accessing a table corresponding to a configuration resource associated with the configuration information, wherein the table comprises an entry for each hardware configuration definition to be built for the configuration resource;

identifying a seed value in the table corresponding to the configuration resource; and

modifying the seed value based on a result of processing each entry indicated by the table.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising combining the seed value with configuration indicators from the table to build the configuration information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the seed value comprising values identifying non-variable resources with values identifying variable resources associated with the computer system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting a binary data pattern representing the configuration information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising interpreting a signal from a configuration indicator to determine the configuration information to be reported.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising inverting a value associated with a configuration indicator based on a polarity indicator identified in the table.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a bit value in the seed value to reflect the configuration information for a configuration indicator based on a reporting position indicator associated with the configuration indicator.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the configuration information during initialization of the computer system.

9. A hardware configuration information system, comprising:

a processor unit; and

a hardware configuration information module executable by the processor unit to determine the configuration information to be reported, access a table corresponding to a configuration resource associated with the configuration information, wherein the table comprises an entry for each hardware configuration definition to be built for the configuration resource, and build the configuration information based on a result of processing each entry indicated by the table by modifying a seed value corresponding to the configuration resource.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the hardware configuration information module combines the seed value with configuration indicators from the table to build the configuration information.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the hardware configuration information module processes the seed value comprising values identifying non-variable resources with values identifying variable resources associated with the computer system.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the hardware configuration information module outputs a binary data pattern representing the configuration information.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the hardware configuration information module interprets a signal from a configuration indicator to determine the configuration information to be reported.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the hardware configuration information inverts a value associated with a configuration indicator based on a polarity indicator identified in the table.

15. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable storage medium including computer usable program code for determining hardware configuration information for a computer system, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for determining the configuration information to be reported;

computer usable program code for accessing a table corresponding to a configuration resource associated with the configuration information, wherein the table comprises an entry for each hardware configuration definition to be built for the configuration resource; and

computer usable program code for modifying a seed value in the table corresponding to the configuration resource based on a result of processing each entry indicated by the table.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, comprising computer usable program code for combining the seed value with configuration indicators from the table to build the configuration information.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, comprising computer usable program code for processing the seed value comprising values identifying non-variable resources with values identifying variable resources associated with the computer system.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, comprising computer usable program code for outputting a binary data pattern representing the configuration information.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, comprising computer usable program code for interpreting a signal from a configuration indicator to determine the configuration information to be reported.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, comprising computer usable program code for inverting a value associated with a configuration indicator based on a polarity indicator identified in the table.