System and methods of managing and recognizing PCI devices in an active system
AssigneeStratus Technologies Ireland Ltd.
InventorLei Cao
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Abstract
In part, in one aspect, the disclosure relates to a method of enumerating a device relative to a computer system. The method may include sending, using a platform driver of an operating system (OS), a PCI memory range to self-enumeration (SE) firmware once it detects a new PCIe module; establishing a communication channel between the platform driver and SE firmware; detecting, using the platform driver, the new PCIe module via the PCI hotplug capability of the OS; and configuring a communication device, using the platform driver, on the PCIe module to establish a communication channel to the SE firmware. In some embodiments, the communication device is a synthetic device on the PCIe switch that allows low bandwidth bi-directional communication.
Claims25
A method of recognizing Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) devices in an active system, the method comprising:
- inserting a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) module in a first computer system running a first operating system, wherein the first operating system lacks support for hot plug insertion of a PCI device,
- establishing a first communication channel between the first operating system and the PCIe module;
- transmitting a memory range from the first operating system to the PCIe module, the memory range comprising a range of memory addresses of a first PCI bridge, wherein the PCIe module is in communication with the first PCI bridge;
- setting up a PCI hierarchy for the PCIe module, wherein the PCI hierarchy comprises the first PCI bridge, one or more PCI bridges, and one or more PCI devices, wherein the one or more PCI devices are each connected to at least one of the first PCI bridge and the one or more PCI bridges;
- resetting connection between the first operating system and the PCIe module;
- and
- establishing a second communication channel between the first operating system and the PCIe module, the first operating system recognizing the PCI hierarchy in response to establishing a link to the PCIe module.
A method of enumerating a device relative to a computer system, the method comprising:
- inserting a new Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) module in a first computer system running a first operating system (OS), wherein the OS requires preconfiguring of a PCIe device to support hot plug insertion of the PCIe device;
- sending, using a platform driver of the OS, a PCI memory range to self-enumeration (SE) firmware once it detects the new PCIe module, wherein the platform driver is a kernel mode driver;
- establishing a communication channel between the platform driver and SE firmware, wherein the PCIe module comprises the self-enumeration (SE) firmware;
- detecting, using the platform driver, the new PCIe module;
- and
- configuring a communication device, using the platform driver, on the PCIe module to establish a communication channel to the SE firmware.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.