Data management system for adding or exchanging components on a running

Abstract

A data management system supports hot plug operations on a computer by defining, organizing, and maintaining hot plug variables, stored on a computer readable medium, which identify components of a computer that may be involved in hot plug operations, and which also identify capabilities and operational states of those components as well as control their operation and interface to the computer. The hot plug variables identify a component as well as represent states and capabilities of a component, and thus the hot plug variables advantageously operate as commands to predetermined components of a computer which support hot plug operations on the computer. The system generally comprises a plurality of variables to support adding a component to or exchanging components of a computer while the computer runs, as well as hot plug variable data stored in a computer readable medium, the hot plug variable data representing capabilities, characteristics or states of components of the computer, the hot plug variable data related to the plurality of variables. In one embodiment, the system comprises management software running on a client computer, the management software generating requests such as a suspend device driver request, a power off request, a power on request, and a resume device driver request, and sending the requests over a network. In the embodiment, the system further comprises agent software running on a server computer, the agent software responsively recognizing the respective requests to suspend a device driver running on the server computer, to stop power to a component of the server computer, to start power to the server computer, and to resume the device driver.