Method of dynamically changing the lowest sleeping state in ACPI

• US 6,499,102 B1
• Filed: 12/29/1999
• Issued: 12/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Ewertz, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Heckler, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US09/474,219
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/300, 713/320, 713/323
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake

Abstract

A computer system'"'"'s BIOS (basic input/output system) POST (power-on self test) sets a bit or bits in an ISA (industry standard architecture) I/O (input/output) port, in a memory, or in a scratch pad register accessed via an ISA I/O port (indexed or non-indexed), that an AML (ACPI control method machine language) in the DSDT or other ACPI tables can access. These bit(s) will be set depending upon SETUP program selections or different hardware configurations detected by the BIOS during POST. The AML, which is the compiled result of ASL (ACPI control method Source Language) code, returns back different values for the lowest system sleep state depending upon the bit value(s) read from the ISA I/O port, the memory or the scratch pad register accessed via the ISA I/O port. In addition, an ASL code allows an external agent, e.g., an application program, to modify the ISA I/O port, the memory or the scratch pad register accessed via the ISA I/O port. In this configuration, the ASL code conditionally prevents the external agent from dictating a power system'"'"'s sleeping state which the hardware could not support.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically setting the lowest sleeping state of a computer system operating in ACPI mode comprising:

setting a value of a bit in one of an I/O port, a scratch pad register accessed via said I/O port, and a memory, by means of said computer system'"'"'s BIOS POST, as a function of one of a SETUP selection and selected hardware configurations of said computer system;

reading said bit value of one of said I/O port, said scratch pad register accessed via said I/O port, and said memory; and

selecting one of a plurality of sleeping states as a function of said bit value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said reading of said bit value is achieved by a first set of ASL instructions.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said selecting of said one of a plurality of sleeping states is achieved by a second set of ASL instructions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said selected hardware configurations comprise I/O normal, PCI-configuration space and memory.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said SETUP selection comprises one of enabling a sleeping state, disabling a sleeping state and designating a lowest sleeping state supported by the computer system.

6. A method of dynamically setting the lowest sleeping state of a computer system operating in ACPI mode comprising:

setting a value of a bit in one of an I/O port, a scratch pad register accessed via said I/O port, and a memory, by means of an external application;

reading said bit value of one of said I/O port, said scratch pad register accessed via said I/O port, and said memory; and

selecting one of a plurality of sleeping states as a function of said bit value.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said reading of said bit value is achieved by a first set of ASL instructions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said setting of said bit value by means of said external application comprises setting one of said bit and a software variable corresponding to said bit.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said selecting of one of a plurality of sleeping states as a function of said bit value is achieved by a second set of ASL instructions.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said setting of said bit value is achieved by a third set of ASL instructions.

11. A computer-readable medium for storing a plurality of instruction sets for causing a computer system operating in ACPI mode to dynamically set the lowest sleeping state of said computer system by performing the following:

setting a value of a bit in one of an I/O port, a scratch pad register accessed via said I/O port, and a memory, by means of said computer system'"'"'s BIOS POST, as a function of one of a SETUP selection and selected hardware configurations of said computer system;

reading said bit value of one of said I/O port, said scratch pad register accessed via said I/O port, and said memory; and

selecting one of a plurality of sleeping states as a function of said bit value.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein said reading of said bit value and said selecting of one of a plurality of sleeping states are achieved by a set of ASL instructions.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein said SETUP selection comprises one of enabling a sleeping state, disabling a sleeping state and designating a lowest sleeping state supported by the computer system.

14. A computer-readable medium for storing a plurality of instruction sets for causing a computer system operating in ACPI mode to dynamically set the lowest sleeping state of said computer system by performing the following:

setting a value of a bit in one of an I/O port, a scratch pad register accessed via said I/O port, and a memory;

reading said bit value of one of said I/O port, said scratch pad register accessed via said I/O port, and said memory; and

selecting one of a plurality of sleeping states as a function of said bit value.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein said reading said bit value and said selecting one of a plurality of sleeping states are achieved by a set of ASL instructions.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein setting said bit value comprises setting one of said bit and a software variable corresponding to said bit.

17. A system for dynamically setting the lowest sleeping state of a computer system operating in ACPI mode comprising:

a processor for executing processing logic;

a first memory device coupled to said processor and storing a BIOS for setting a bit value in one of an I/O port, a scratch pad register accessed via said I/O port, and a memory location, as a function of one of a SETUP selection and selected hardware configurations of said computer system; and

a second memory device coupled to said processor and storing instruction sets for reading said bit value of one of said I/O port, said scratch pad register accessed via said I/O port, and said memory location, and selecting one of a plurality of sleeping states as a function of said bit value.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said reading of said bit value and said selecting of one of a plurality of sleeping states as a function of said bit value are achieved by a set of ASL instructions.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said setting of said bit value comprises setting one of said bit and a software variable corresponding to said bit.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said SETUP selection comprises one of enabling a sleeping state, disabling a sleeping state and designating a lowest sleeping state supported by the computer system.