International Business Machines Corporation

Robert Sachsenmaier

Richard Alan Dayan

Richard Bealkowski

John W Blackledge, Jr

Kevin M Zyvoloski

Doyle S Cronk

Matthew S Palka, Jr

Scott G Kinnear

George D Kovach

Barry Alan Feigenbaum

Douglas R Geisler

Kenneth D Smeltzer

Matthew T Mittelstedt

Lisa R Arnold

John D Paul

Peter A Woytovech

Jay H Neer

Andrew B McNeill

Jerry D Dixon

Edward I Wachtel

Dennis D Gibbs

Simon Y Yen

William A Doster

James W Skowbo

An apparatus and method for loading BIOS from a diskette drive into a personal computer system normally connected to a hardfile, such as a fixed disk. The personal computer system further includes a system processor, a random access main memory, a read only memory and a switching means. The switching means generates a signal to indicate a mode for whether BIOS loads from either diskette or disk. In a priority mode, BIOS loads immediately from diskette. In a recovery mode, BIOS loads from diskette after testing the disk subsystem.

Apparatus and method for loading BIOS from a diskette in a personal

An apparatus for loading BIOS stored on a direct access storage device in a personal computer system, the system comprising direct access storage device, and a processor card removably mounted to a planar board. The processor card comprises a system processor and ROM memory, while the planar board includes a main memory. A master boot record is stored on the direct access storage device. The master boot record contains a data segment and an executable code segment, the data segment representing the hardware configuration of the personal computer system. A first portion of BIOS included in the ROM memory initializes the system and causes loading of the master boot record into main memory. This first portion of BIOS further compares the hardware configuration data of the master boot record with the hardware configuration data in the ROM memory to verify compatibility with the system processor. Once compatibility of the master boot record with the system processor is verified, the first portion of BIOS transfers control to an executable code segment of the master boot record to effect loading of the remaining portion of BIOS into main memory, and the first portion of BIOS is discarded.

Bios load for a personal computer system having a removable processor

This invention relates to personal computer systems and in particular to an apparatus and method for loading BIOS into a personal computer system from a remote storage location. More particularly, this invention provides a personal computer adapted for use as an economical workstation in a local area network environment (a 'LAN station') with provision for loading BIOS into the LAN station from a remote memory storage where the BIOS code is maintained apart from the LAN station.

Apparatus and method for loading BIOS into a computer system from a

A personal computer system according to the present invention comprises a system processor, a random access memory, a read only memory, and at least one direct access storage device. A direct access storage device controller coupled between the system processor and direct access storage device includes a protection mechanism for protecting a region of the storage device. The protected region of the storage device includes a master boot record, a BIOS image and a system reference diskette image. The BIOS image includes a section known as Power on Self Test (POST). POST is used to test and initialize a system. Upon detecting any configuration error, system utilities from the system reference diskette image, such as set configuration programs, diagnostic programs and utility programs can be automatically activated from the direct access storage device.

Apparatus and method for loading a system reference diskette image from

An apparatus and method for loading BIOS stored on a direct access storage device into a personal computer system. The personal computer system comprises a system processor, a system planar, a random access main memory, a read only memory, and at least one direct access storage device. The first portion of BIOS initializes the system and the direct access storage device to read in a master boot record into the system from the direct access storage device. The master boot record includes a data segment and an executable code segment. The first BIOS portion vectors the system processor to execute the executable code segment of the master boot record. The executable code segment loads in the remaining BIOS portion from the direct access storage device into random access memory.

Initial BIOS load for a personal computer system

An apparatus and method for decreasing the memory requirements of BIOS in a personal computer system includes storing a first portion of BIOS in memory and a second portion on a direct storage access device. The personal computer system comprises a system processor, a random access main memory, a read only memory, and at least one direct access storage device. The first portion of BIOS only includes routines for initializing the system and the direct access storage device to read in a master boot record into the system from the direct access storage device. The master boot record includes a data segment and an executable code segment. The first BIOS portion vectors the system processor to execute the executable code segment of the master boot record. The executable code segment loads in the remaining BIOS portion from the direct access storage device into random access memory superseding the first BIOS portion.

Apparatus and method for decreasing the memory requirements for BIOS in

An apparatus and method for protecting BIOS stored on a direct access storage device into a personnal computer system. The personal computer system comprises a system processor, a system planar, a random access main memory, a read only memory, a protection means and at least one direct access storage device. The read only memory includes a first portion of BIOS and data representing the type of system processor and system planar I/O configuration. The first portion of BIOS initializes the system and the direct access storage device, and resets the protection means in order to read in a master boot record into the random access memory from a protectable partition on the direct access storage device.

Apparatus and method for preventing unauthorized access to BIOS in a

Computer systems linked to nodes in a communication network communicate directly with each other to establish name associations for entities (e.g. programs, storage files, etc.) susceptible of being shared across the network, and thereafter communicate further by names (rather than addresses) to establish sessions (i.e. logical connections over the network) between entities. Each system maintains a table of names assigned to locally accessible entities. The name and session establishment processes are architected to avoid dependence on any 'central' or 'master' system, and to allow for extension of communications relating to these processes across devices linking portions of the network associated with different communication media or channels.

Distributed control of alias name usage in networks

For facilitating data communication between entities in a local area network (storage files, programs, devices, human operators, etc.), a method is disclosed for addressing such communications to logical names adopted for the entities; rather than to discrete physical locations in the network. The subject method allows for extension of name-directed communications across bridges (between separate communication media or between discrete frequency channels on one medium). Extensions of such communications across bridges are conditioned on the handling of respective communications within the channel or medium leading to respective bridges. If a named entity is reachable within a channel or medium leading to a bridge, the communication will be acknowledged by the processing facility at the node serving that entity, and the communication will not be extended. With the present method, a program running on a processor at one node of the network may call for retrieval of a data set by name, where the location of the data set need not be known or specifiable by either the program or the processor and the respective data set may be retrieved through a process of communication which is entirely transparent to the program and processor, and also not ambiguous or burdensome when the network path to the named data set contains bridges and/or gateways.

Name usage support through distributed processing networks linked by

In a communication system wherein stored data file record entities are designatable by common names unrelated to their storage locations in the system, names are adopted selectively as unique or non-unique. As a check on uniqueness, requests to entities bearing unique names require a response by each system station at which entities so named are stored. More than one response is treated as a system error. By present conventions, requests to entities with non-unique names do not require responses. Applications made possible by non-unique names of this type are described in the present disclosure.

Growing community of inventors

Boca Raton, FL, United States of America

Robert Sachsenmaier