Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Ronald E Gilbert, Jr

Paul Bouchier

Guy Lowell Kuntz

Christine Koerber

Robert Alan Hasty

Janis Delmonte

The inventive multiple partition computer system allows the reconfiguration of the installed hardware, possibly while the various partitions continue normal operations. This aspect includes adding and removing process cell boards and I/O from partitions which may or may not continue to run. The invention also allows changes to the association between cells, I/O and partitions. The partitions may be able to stay running, or may have to be shut down from the resulting changes. In the invention, multiple copies of the OS are running independently of each other, each in a partition that has its own cell boards with processors and memory and connected I/O. This provides isolation between different applications. Consequently, a fatal error in one partition would not affect the other partitions. A network of micro-controllers connected to a service processor, via a communications link, provides the service processor with information on each of the different cells, as well as a pathway to receive requests for configuration changes, and a pathway to command changes in the different cells or I/O. The combination of the service processor and the micro-controllers support dynamic changes to the partition configuration.

Managing a computer system having a plurality of partitions using a service processor

In one embodiment, the system includes a host processor and a plurality of devices connected to the host processor via a USB interface. Each of the devices includes at least a processor and USB controller hardware. The host processor includes message handling logic and each of the devices also include message handling logic that is configured to cooperate with the device to prepend a communication protocol header to a message that one of the devices desires to send to the host or to another of the devices. The host processor and each of the devices are peers with respect to each other. A router located in the host processor analyzes the communication protocol header to determine whether the message is destined for the host processor or for one of the other devices.

Method and system for using a universal serial bus (USB) as a peer-to-peer network

System and method for managing a computer system having a plurality of partitions

The inventive multiple partition computer system allows the reconfiguration of the installed hardware, possibly while the various partitions continue normal operations. This aspect includes adding and removing process cell boards and I/O from partitions which may or may not continue to run. The invention also allows changes to the association between cells, I/O and partitions. The partitions may be able to stay running, or may have to be shut down from the resulting changes. In the invention, multiple copies of the OS are running independently of each other, each in a partition that has its own cell boards with processors and memory and connected I/O. This provides isolation between different applications. Consequently, a fatal error in one partition would not affect the other partitions. A network of micro-controllers connected to a service processor, via a communications link, provides the service processor with information on each of the different cells, as well as a pathway to receive requests for configuration changes, and a pathway to command changes in the different cells or I/O. The invention allows system control features such as power on/off, status display, etc. for multiple cabinets under control of the service processor.

Growing community of inventors

Plano, TX, United States of America

Ronald E Gilbert, Jr