Chipset feature detection and configuration by an I/O device
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorsWilliam Futral, Kenneth Creta, Sujoy Sen, Gregory Cummings, Sivakumar Radhakrishnan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for a first device to query a second device for the availability of a hardware feature within the second device, and for the second to receive and analyze the query to determine whether or not to respond, depending on the version of hardware feature sought, a code identifying a vendor, etc., and responding with a reply providing an indication of availability of the hardware feature and/or an address at which the hardware feature may be accessed, if the determination is made to reply.
Claims35
An integrated circuit comprising:
- an interface to a bus;
- and
- configuration logic to transmit a query message through the bus and directed at another integrated circuit to query for availability of a hardware feature within the other integrated circuit, and to access the hardware feature within the other integrated circuit if a reply message is received from the other integrated circuit providing an indication of availability of the hardware feature within the other integrated circuit.
An integrated circuit comprising:
- an interface to a bus;
- a hardware feature to interact within another integrated circuit across the bus;
- and
- configuration logic to receive a query message through the bus and directed at the integrated circuit to query for availability of the hardware feature, and to selectively reply to the query message by transmitting with a reply message providing an indication of availability of the hardware feature.
An electronic device comprising:
- a bus;
- a device coupled to the bus having a first configuration logic to carry out a query transaction on the bus to query for the availability of a hardware feature;
- a system logic having the hardware feature, and having a second configuration logic to receive the query transaction and to selectively respond with an indication of availability of the hardware feature;
- and
- a processor coupled to the system logic.
A method comprising:
- transmitting a query message by logic within a first device across a bus to a second device to query for the availability of a hardware feature within the second device;
- receiving the query message by logic within the second device;
- and
- selectively responding by the logic within the second device to the query message by transmitting a reply message providing an indication of availability of the hardware feature within the second device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.