Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Compaq Computer Coporation

Kenneth W Hester

John Denardo

Garyl L Hester

Cindy R McGee

Loren S Dunn

Tami J Gibbons

Bradley J Staff

A computer system and new method of generating peripheral device configurations in a computer system having multiple types of system resources is disclosed. The method defines a resource priority list for the system resources and configures a device a resource type at a time based on the resource type priority list. The resource priority list is a function of the number of resource items for each system resource and the available resources in the computer system. The method thus serves to minimize the number of testing or checking iterations in configuring a device, whereby significant improving device configuring and conflict resolution in a computer system.

Resource type prioritization in generating a device configuration

A method for performing 16 Bit BIOS interrupt calls under a 32 Bit protected mode application. This has been impossible to-date and has forced BIOS development teams to add support into the BIOS for 32 bit function calls from 32 bit applications.

16 bit bios interrupt calls under 32 bit protected mode application

A method for configuring devices in a computer system using pattern matching is disclosed. The method constructs the initial configuration pattern by retrieving and storing a working device configuration in the configuration pattern. For each resource item of a supported resource type of a device, the method generates a resource combination matching a configuration pattern, which is updated after each testing iteration, to check in a deterministic order for a configuration conflict until a non-conflicting resource is found. If a conflicting resource is found, the method has the option of moving the conflicting resource to a non-conflicting resource. The process recursively repeats itself for each supported resource type of a device to produce a device configuration matching the configuration pattern. Each next potential device configuration is deterministically generated using a configuration index and the configuration pattern. The method thus eliminates the need to continuously store device configurations and the need to check the configurations of every device in a computer system before configuring a device.

System for configuring computer devices according to configuration

The present invention resolves conflicts in the computer system with one or more devices and one or more system resources and where each of the devices has an existing configuration and one or more acceptable configurations. The devices are represented as one or more objects corresponding to each of the devices. Each object has a move procedure and a fit procedure. The move procedure requests objects representative of other devices to move from their existing configurations, while the fit procedure attempts to fit an acceptable configuration of the object into the system resources. The objects are linked together using a tree structure. When a new or unconfigured device is to be added to the system, the apparatus provides a new or unconfigured object representative of the new or unconfigured device. The new or unconfigured object calls the fit procedure to attempt to fit itself into said system resources and, if a non-conflicting configuration is available from the acceptable configurations for the new or unconfigured device, to set the configuration of the new or unconfigured device to the non-conflicting configuration. Otherwise, the object communicates with the remaining objects to request remaining devices to select another configuration from their acceptable configurations until a non-conflicting configuration is available for said first device.

Resolution of resource conflicts by reduction of systems to solve

An apparatus and a method resolve conflicts arising from the addition of a new or unconfigured device to a computer system having one or more system resources. The computer system has one or more existing devices, wherein each of existing devices has an existing configuration. Additionally, each of existing or new/unconfigured devices has one or more acceptable configurations. The apparatus resolves conflict by attempting to fit the new/unconfigured device into the system resources and if a non-conflicting configuration is available from the acceptable configurations for the new/unconfigured device, setting the configuration of the new/unconfigured device to the non-conflicting configuration. However, in the event that a non-conflicting configuration cannot be located, the apparatus requests one of the existing devices to select another configuration from its acceptable configurations until a non-conflicting configuration is available for the first device. If the apparatus cannot adjust the configuration of existing devices to fit the new device, a failure occurs. Otherwise, the devices communicate amongst themselves to automatically arrive at an acceptable configuration for all devices.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Kenneth W Hester