Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Digital Equipment Corporation

Intel Corporation

Robert T Short

David William Voth

Mark R Enstrom

Ralph A Lipe

Pierre-Yves Santerre

Thomas E Lennon

Moshe Lichtman

David N Cutler

H Bruce Butts, Jr

Darryl Steven Richman

Peter C Schnorr

Ajay V Bhatt

John D Vert

Michael T Massa

Rod N Gamache

Sudarshan Bala Cadambi

Philip W Martin

Narendar Bahadur Sahgal

John M Parchem

Ralph L Lipe

A system for configuring a network adapter of a computer without user intervention. Device information for the devices of the computer, including each network adapter, is collected to uniquely identify the devices and to describe the device characteristics associated with the operation of those devices with the computer. Computer resources, which support the functions of the devices within the computer, are allocated based upon this device information. This allocation process prevents a potential conflicting use of computer resources by the installed devices. A device driver, which enables communications between a corresponding device and the computer, is also identified and loaded for each of the devices in response to the allocation of computer resources. In response to loading the driver for each network adapter, each network configuration routine or layer for a particular interface of the corresponding network adapter is identified. In response to the identification of these layers, each identified layer for the particular interface is loaded. In turn, layers are identified and loaded for each of the remaining interfaces of the corresponding network adapter.

Method for automatically configuring devices including a network adapter without manual intervention and without prior configuration information

A method and system for selecting a set of systems (nodes) for a server cluster from at least two non-communicating sets of systems. A persistent storage device with cluster configuration information therein is provided as a quorum resource. Using an arbitration process, only one system exclusively reserves the quorum resource. The set with the system therein having the exclusive reservation of the quorum device is selected as the cluster. The arbitration process provides a challenge-defense protocol whereby a system can obtain the reservation of the quorum device when the system that has the reservation fails.

Method and system for quorum resource arbitration in a server cluster

A method and system in a server cluster for monitoring and controlling a resource object, such as a physical device or application. A cluster service connects to a resource monitoring component to control and monitor the health of one or more resource objects. The resource component includes a plurality of methods, common to all such resource components, for calling by the resource monitor to control and monitor operation of the resource object therethrough. The common methods enable the cluster server to treat all resources similarly without regard to the type of resource.

Method and system for resource monitoring of disparate resources in a server cluster

System for automatically configuring a network adapter without manual

A method and apparatus for automatically configuring circuit cards used in a computer system. The present invention includes a method and apparatus that enables the circuit cards to be automatically configured during system boot up without any user intervention. The present invention also includes a method for the computer system software to detect resources requested by the circuit cards in order to resolve any system resource conflicts.

Method and apparatus for automatically configuring circuit cards in a

A system for managing the assignment of device drivers to devices of a computer system. The computer system can maintain device-related information for a primary device and for devices that are 'compatible' with the primary device. This device information supplies an indication of whether a device driver intended for primary use with a device is maintained by the computer system. Moreover, the device information provides an indication of whether one or more device drivers compatible with the primary device are maintained by the computer system. During assignment of device drivers to devices of the computer system, the device information is examined to determine whether the intended device driver for the primary device is available to support the operations of that device. If not, the device information is examined to determine whether a device driver for a device that is compatible with the primary device is available for supporting computer operations of the primary device. In this event, if the device information lists more than one device that is compatible with the primary device, then the compatible device having the highest priority or ranking can be selected and the device driver for the selected device is used to support the operations of the primary device.

Method for managing the assignment of device drivers in a computer system

A system for managing the configuration of devices of a computer system. Device information is obtained to uniquely identify each device and to describe the device characteristics associated with device operation. To obtain device information, a particular device is detected on a selected system bus and thereafter assigned an identification code that uniquely identifies the detected device. A system bus code, which uniquely identifies the selected system bus, is appended to the identification code, thereby forming a device identification code associated with the particular device. Logical configuration data, which supplies configuration requirements for device operation, is also obtained for the detected device. This data collection process is repeated until device information is obtained for each of the devices connected to the selected system bus. Resources are allocated to each device based on the device identification code and the logical configuration data. This resource allocation process prevents a potential conflicting use of the resources by the devices. A device driver, which enables communications between the corresponding device and the computer system, is identified and loaded for each of the devices in response to the device information. If the computer system contains more than one system bus, then the tasks of collecting device information, allocating resources, and identifying and loading device drivers are completed for each of the remaining system buses.

System for managing the configuration of a computer system

A system for allocating resources for use by devices of a computer system. A possible configuration of elements of a resource is obtained. This possible configuration defines the resource elements that are appropriate for operating the devices within the computer system. For a selected device, a determination is made whether a particular resource element is available for use by this device. If not, another possible configuration is obtained and the process begins anew. In contrast, if the particular resource element is available, then this resource element is assigned for use by the selected device. This resource allocation process continues until resource elements have been assigned to the remaining devices.

System for allocating the resources of a computer system

A system for configuring devices of a computer system without user intervention. Device information for each of the devices is collected to uniquely identify the devices and to describe the device characteristics associated with the operation of devices with the computer. Computer resources, which support the functions of the devices within the computer, are allocated based upon the device information. This allocation process prevents a potential conflicting use of the resources by the devices. A device driver, which enables communications between the corresponding device and the computer system, is also identified for each of the devices in response to the device information. In response to the allocation of resources, the identified device drivers are loaded and the devices are activated for operation with the computer.

System for configuring devices for a computer system

A peripheral device interrupt controller maintains a count of pending interrupt events for a peripheral device up to a preset limit and times a preset delay interval from a first pending interrupt event or last interrupt servicing before asserting an interrupt request. When the interrupt request is asserted, the then pending interrupt events can be serviced as a group by a central processing unit of a computer. The overhead of processing a separate interrupt request for each interrupt event is thus avoided. The preset limit and preset delay interval can be set under software control to control the rate at which interrupt requests can be asserted by the peripheral device.

Method and apparatus for reducing the rate of interrupts by generating a

Method for automatically configuring devices including a network adapter

A central processing unit for a digital computer. In one embodiment, the central processing unit comprises a plurality of pointer registers that may be used during instruction execution to directly address other registers. In a second embodiment, the central processing unit comprises a size register that is loaded during the decode of an operation code with a size code indicating the data path width for that operation code. During instruction execution, the size code may be used at various times to determine data path width.

Central processing unit for a digital computer

A central processing unit for a digital computer has a central memory unit connected to a system bus. A data path unit decodes variable length microinstructions that are stored in the central memory unit and that include an operation code and one or more operand specifiers, issuing a microaddress of one of a set of microinstructions stored in a control store. The microinstructions have a data path control field, a condition/size field and a next address control field. A microinstruction logic control is responsive to the microinstructions, and a memory control unit that includes a data cache memory array operates asynchronously with respect to the data path unit, translating virtual memory addresses to access data from the data cache memory array or from the central memory unit.

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Kirkland, WA, United States of America

Robert T Short