System for allocating resources in a computer system

For a computer having at least one resource, a method for allocating elements of the resource for use by devices of the computer, the devices including boot devices that are activated during the power-up of the computer and basic devices that are activated after the power-up of the computer, the method comprising the steps of:

• obtaining a list of boot device configurations based on logical configuration data obtained from the boot devices, said logical configuration data defining resource elements for the operation of a corresponding boot device, each boot device configuration defining a requirement for one of the resource elements to support the operation of a corresponding one of the boot devices with the computer;
• determining whether resource elements are available to satisfy the resource element requirements for each of the boot device configurations;
• if so, then allocating the available resource elements to the boot device configurations, otherwise declaring configuration failure;
• obtaining a list of basic device configurations based on resource requirement information or resource dependency information obtained from the basic devices, each basic device configuration defining a requirement for one of the resource elements to support the operation of a corresponding one of the basic devices with the computer;
• and determining whether resource elements are available to satisfy the resource element requirements for each of the basic device configurations;
• if so, then allocating the available resource elements to the basic device configurations;
• otherwise declaring configuration failure.

In a computer having a plurality of resources, an apparatus for allocating elements of the resources for use by devices of the computer, comprising:

• a central processing unit (CPU) for executing instructions to support the operations of the computer;
• a memory connected to the CPU;
• and
• a program module, stored in the memory, for generating a set of the instructions, the program module including:
• a configuration manager that develops a list of device configurations based on logical configuration data obtained from the devices, said logical configuration data defining resource elements for the operation of a corresponding device and each device configuration defining a requirement for one of the resource elements to support the operation of a corresponding one of the devices with the computer, the resource elements including nonreserved resource elements and reserved resource elements;
• and
• an arbitrator for each of the resources, responsive to the list of device configurations, that determines whether the resource elements are available to satisfy the resource element requirements defined by the device configurations, wherein the arbitrator allocates the available resource elements in the event that the arbitrator determines that resource elements are available to satisfy the resource element requirements defined by the device configurations, and wherein the arbitrator sends to the configuration manager an error message representing configuration failure in the event that the arbitrator fails to determine that resource elements are available to satisfy the resource element requirements defined by the device configurations.