Test Method for verifying installation validity of a PCI device on an electronic device

• US 20080091859A1
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Li, Yue, Qiu, Li-Chuan, Wu, Yu-Hao, Chai, Qing-Long, Xu, Ru-Da, Chan, Hoi
• Granted Patent: US 7,694,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2289 by configuration test

Abstract

A test method for verifying installation validity of a peripheral component interconnected (PCI) devices on an electronic device having a test module, comprises the steps of: (a) storing information of onboard devices and slots on motherboards of different electronic devices and information of PCI devices added in the slots of the motherboards in a first data storing device; (b) storing a bill of material (BOM) showing all possible configurations of the different computers in a second data storing device; (c) generating a configuration file according to the BOM and information of the motherboards and PCI devices; (d) the test module in the computer checking actual hardware configuration of the computer and comparing the actual configuration with the corresponding information recorded in the configuration file; (e) outputting a test result.

Claims

1. A test system for verifying installation validity of peripheral component interconnected (PCI) devices on an electronic device, comprising:

a first data storing device configured for recording information of motherboards and PCI devices added on the motherboards of different electronic devices;

a second data storage device configured for recording a Bill of Material (BOM) showing all possible configurations of the different electronic devices;

a file generator connected to the first and second data storing device and configured for generating a configuration file according to the information and BOM of the data storing device; and

at least one electronic device having a test module connected to the file generator, the test module being configured for checking actual configuration of the computer and comparing the actual configuration with the corresponding information in the configuration file.

2. A test method for verifying installation validity of Peripheral Component Interconnected (PCI) devices on an electronic device having a test module, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing information of onboard devices and slots on motherboards of different electronic devices and information of PCI devices added in the slots in a first data storing device;

(b) storing a Bill of Material (BOM) showing all possible configurations of the different electronic devices in a second data storing device;

(c) generating a configuration file according to the BOM and information of the motherboards and PCI devices;

(d) checking actual hardware configuration of the electronic device and comparing the actual configuration with the corresponding information in the configuration file, for verifying installation validity of the PCI/PCI Express device on the electronic device; and

(e) outputting a test result.

3. The test method for verifying installation validity of PCI devices on a electronic device as described in claim 2, wherein the step (d) further comprises steps of:

accessing a PCI device tree for getting and recording the information of the PCI devices on the computer using the test module, and dynamically amending a corresponding unfixed bus number of the PCI device in the configuration file according to the actual bus number;

checking the actual information of onboard devices and comparing with the corresponding information recorded in the configuration file;

checking the actual information of all PCI devices added in the slots of the motherboard and comparing with the corresponding information recorded in the configuration file; and

checking the computer to search any PCI/PCI device not recorded in the configuration file.

4. The test method for verifying installation validity of PCI devices on an electronic device as described in claim 3, wherein the step of accessing the PCI device tree further comprises the steps of:

finding the device number and function number of a PCI Bridge on a primary bus using the test module;

getting a bus number of a secondary bus connected to the PCI bridge according to the device number and function number of the PCI Bridge; and

repeating the aforesaid steps until all PCI devices on the tree are found.

5. The test method for verifying installation validity of PCI devices on an electronic device as described in claim 3, wherein the configuration file comprises absolute paths for showing mounting positions of the PCI/PCI Express devices, each path is represented by a combination of a path of a slot on the motherboard and a relative path of the PCI/PCI Express device added in the slot.

6. The test method for verifying installation validity of PCI devices on an electronic device as described in claim 5, wherein the relative path of the PCI/PCI Express device is represented by a combination of a path of a PCI Bridge, and a device number and function number of the PCI/PCI Express device connected to the PCI Bridge.

7. The test method for verifying installation validity of PCI devices on an electronic device as described in claim 2, wherein the configuration file are generated by a file generator connected to the first and second data storing device.

8. The test method for verifying installation validity of PCI devices on an electronic device as described in claim 2, wherein the information of onboard devices and slots on the motherboard and PCI devices is stored in the data storing device in an extensible markup language form.