International Business Machines Corporation

Jean Gallian

Denis Chevalier

Guy Platel

Michel Geneste

Patrick Massi

A communication controller CCP includes line adapters (104-i) each having a storage which is loaded with a general application program during an initialization phase. The line adapters allow the attachment and the communication of different telecommunication entities, e.g. a LAN, a teleprocessing line etc. . . The CCP is connected by means of a control adapter to a local control terminal (100) which is associated with a storage for storing the different general application programs which are likely to be required by the different line adapters. A storage contains an access key comprising data relative to the types and the number of line adapters of any type which are authorized to be loaded with the general application program stored in the storage controlled by the control terminal. The CCP also has logic for checking whether a loading request received from one adapter complies with the contents of the stored access key in order to prevent the loading of an unauthorized line adapter. A method is disclosed for performing the loading of a line adapter card which is attached to a communication controller product CCP, the line adapter card being loadable with a general application program during an initialization phase. The method includes the steps of receiving a request from a determined line adapter to be loaded with the corresponding general application program which is loaded in its said storage, and of checking whether the requesting line adapter is included in a list of line adapters which are authorized to be loaded with their corresponding general program application. The method further includes checking whether the number of already defined line adapters which are of the same type as the one which requests the loading operations does not exceed a predetermined value, and of eventually preventing the loading of the requesting line adapter in the case when one of the preceding conditions is not satisfied.

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Cagnes sur mer, France

Jean Gallian