Automatically determining and indicating system positions of devices in a hierarchical bus networked system

• US 9,965,371 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Hearn, Jonathan W., Jiang, Feng, Croom, Ryan C., Tongen, Jason D.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABAD, FARLEY J
• Application Number:
  US14/861,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20170031796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/006 Identification G06F11/2289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3027 where the computing system component is a bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3041 where the computing system component is an input/output interface interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units G06F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3051 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/324 Display of status information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence

Abstract

System and method for determining and conveying connectivity of cabled computer peripherals to a user. Characteristic information regarding each of multiple devices connected to a computer system in a system hierarchy of a bus networked system may be stored, including a device hierarchy associated with each device that identifies respective hardware nodes included in the device, and one or more visual attributes of the device. Respective system positions may be automatically determined for at least some of the devices based on the device hierarchy. A respective point of reference of at least one device may be determined based on the characteristic information of one or more of the devices. The computer system may generate information that indicates the respective system position of the at least one device relative to the respective point of reference of the device, which is useable to visually identify the device in the bus networked system.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable memory medium that stores program instructions executable by at least one processor of a computer system to:

store characteristic information regarding each respective device of a plurality of devices connected to the computer system in a system hierarchy of a bus networked system,

wherein the characteristic information for each respective device comprises;

a device hierarchy associated with the respective device, wherein the device hierarchy identifies a respective set of hardware nodes comprised in the respective device,

wherein the respective set of hardware nodes comprises at least one port, wherein the at least one port connects to a connected port of the computer system or of a second device; and

one or more visual attributes of the respective device;

automatically determine a respective system position of each respective device of the plurality of devices based on the respective device hierarchy of the plurality of devices;

for each respective device of the plurality of devices, automatically determine a respective point of reference of one device of the plurality of devices, wherein the respective point of reference is one of the plurality of devices and is determined based on the characteristic information of one or more of the plurality of devices, wherein for each respective device of at least a subset of the plurality of devices, the respective point of reference is another one of the plurality of devices;

generate, for each respective device of the plurality of devices,

information that indicates the respective system position of the device relative to the respective point of reference of the device; and

output the information that indicates the respective system position of each respective device of the plurality of devices relative to the respective point of reference of each respective device, wherein the information is useable to visually identify each respective device of the plurality of devices in the bus networked system.

2. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the information that indicates the respective system position comprises a standard name format that indicates a connection path between the respective device and the respective point of reference of the respective device.

3. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the characteristic information for each respective device of the plurality of devices further comprises at least one of:

one or more physical dimensions of the respective device;

a number of like-kind instances of the respective device;

a technical limitation regarding determining the respective system position of the respective device;

a number of expansion ports on the respective device;

or

whether the respective system position of the respective device is visually ambiguous.

4. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 3, wherein the technical limitation includes an inability of the respective device to be queried.

5. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 4, wherein said automatically determining the respective point of reference is based on a classification scheme that uses one or more items of the characteristic information for each respective device.

6. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the respective point of reference is determined based on the one or more visual attributes of the respective point of reference.

7. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the respective device comprises a first peripheral device and wherein the respective point of reference comprises a chassis to which the first peripheral device is communicatively coupled.

8. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices comprises at least one chassis and at least one peripheral device connected to the at least one chassis.

9. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein at least two devices of the plurality of devices have a common respective point of reference.

10. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the information that indicates the respective system position of the respective device includes at least one of the one or more visual attributes of the respective device.

11. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more visual attributes of the respective device include a relative size of the respective device as compared to others of the plurality of devices.

12. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 11, wherein the respective point of reference of the respective device is determined based at least in part on the relative size of the respective device as compared to others of the plurality of devices.

13. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the information that indicates the respective system position includes a graphical representation of a layout of the respective device relative to the plurality of devices.

14. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the information that indicates the respective system position includes at least one of:

a natural language sentence;

a model name of the respective device;

a model name of the respective point of reference;

or a graphical representation of a layout of the respective device relative to the respective point of reference of the respective device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the information that indicates the respective system position comprises a standard name format, wherein the standard name format is usable by a driver application programming interface to issue commands to the respective device.

16. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the characteristic information of one or more of the plurality of devices is entered by a user.

17. The non-transitory computer readable memory medium of claim 1, wherein the respective set of hardware nodes for each device are a subset of hardware nodes of a system bus hierarchy, wherein the system bus hierarchy comprises a collection of hardware nodes corresponding to the plurality of devices, and wherein the subset of hardware nodes includes a plurality of intra-device hardware nodes comprised in the device.

18. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the memory has stored thereon instructions executable by the at least one processor to;

store characteristic information regarding each of a plurality of devices connected to the system in a system hierarchy of a bus networked system, wherein the characteristic information for each device comprises;

a device hierarchy associated with the device, wherein the device hierarchy identifies a respective set of hardware nodes comprised in the device,

wherein the respective set of hardware nodes comprises at least one port,

wherein the at least one port connects to a connected port of the computer system or of a second device; and

one or more visual attributes of the device;

automatically determine a respective system position of a subset of the plurality of devices based on the respective device hierarchy of the subset of the plurality of devices;

automatically determine a respective point of reference of at least one device of the plurality of devices, wherein the respective point of reference is one of the plurality of devices and is determined based on the characteristic information of one or more of the plurality of devices, wherein for at least a subset of the at least one device, the respective point of reference is another one of the plurality of devices;

generate, for the at least one device of the plurality of devices, information that indicates the respective system position of the at least one device relative to the respective point of reference of the at least one device; and

output the information that indicates the respective system position of the at least one device, wherein the information is useable to visually identify the at least one device in the bus networked system.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the information that indicates the respective system position comprises a standard name format that indicates a connection path between the at least one device and the respective point of reference of the at least one device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the characteristic information regarding each of the plurality of devices comprises at least one of:

one or more physical dimensions of the device;

a number of like-kind instances of the device;

a technical limitation regarding determining the respective system position of the device;

a number of expansion ports on the device;

or whether the respective system position of the device is visually ambiguous.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one device comprises a first peripheral device and wherein the respective point of reference comprises a chassis to which the first peripheral device is communicatively coupled.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the information that indicates the respective system position includes at least one of:

a standard name format;

a natural language sentence;

a model name of the at least one device;

a model name of the respective point of reference;

or a graphical representation of a layout of the at least one device relative to the respective point of reference of the at least one device.

23. A method comprising:

performing, by a computer system;

store characteristic information regarding each of a plurality of devices connected to the computer system in a system hierarchy of a bus networked system, wherein the characteristic information for each device comprises;

a device hierarchy associated with the device, wherein the device hierarchy identifies a respective set of hardware nodes comprised in the device, wherein the respective set of hardware nodes comprises at least one port, wherein the at least one port connects to a connected port of the computer system or of a second device; and

one or more visual attributes of the device;

automatically determine a respective system position of a subset of the plurality of devices based on the respective device hierarchy of the subset of the plurality of devices;

automatically determine a respective point of reference of at least one device of the plurality of devices, wherein the respective point of reference is one of the plurality of devices and is determined based on the characteristic information of one or more of the plurality of devices, wherein for at least a subset of the at least one device, the respective point of reference is another one of the plurality of devices;

generate, for the at least one device of the plurality of devices, information that indicates the respective system position of the at least one device relative to the respective point of reference of the at least one device; and

output the information that indicates the respective system position of the at least one device, wherein the information is useable to visually identify the at least one device in the bus networked system.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the information that indicates the respective system position comprises a standard name format that indicates a connection path between the at least one device and the respective point of reference of the at least one device.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one device comprises a first peripheral device and wherein the respective point of reference comprises a chassis to which the first peripheral device is communicatively coupled.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the information that indicates the respective system position includes at least one of:

a standard name format;

a natural language sentence;

a model name of the at least one device;

a model name of the respective point of reference;

or

a graphical representation of a layout of the at least one device relative to the respective point of reference of the at least one device.