System and method for connecting devices having variable form factors to data processing systems
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorsTIMOTHY M. LAMBERT, COREY DEAN HARTMAN, JEFFREY LEIGHTON KENNEDY, WILLIAM ANDREW SMITH
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems for managing operation of data processing systems are disclosed. The data processing systems may include a limited number of hardware components. To increase the usable number or types of hardware components, an add-in card or other device may be attached to the data processing system. To facilitate connection of a variety of types of devices having varying form factors, an interposer may be used. The data processing system may modify a communication topology based on whether a device or the interposer is connected to it to establish communication channels.
Claims20
A method for managing operation of a data processing system, the method comprising:
- identifying an occurrence of an attachment of a device to a riser of the data processing system;
- in response to the occurrence:
- performing a discovery process for the device to obtain a data package;
- making a determination, based on the data package, regarding whether the device is an interposer;
- in an instance of the determination where the device is the interposer:
- reconfiguring a bus between a processor of the data processing system and the interposer to exclude a first controller of the riser to obtain an updated bus, the updated bus operably connecting the processor and a second controller of the interposer;
- exchanging communications between the processor and a second device connected to the interposer using the updated bus;
- and
- providing computer implemented services using the communications.
A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for managing operation of a data processing system, the operations comprising:
- identifying an occurrence of an attachment of a device to a riser of the data processing system;
- in response to the occurrence:
- performing a discovery process for the device to obtain a data package;
- making a determination, based on the data package, regarding whether the device is an interposer;
- in an instance of the determination where the device is the interposer:
- reconfiguring a bus between a processor of the data processing system and the interposer to exclude a first controller of the riser to obtain an updated bus, the updated bus operably connecting the processor and a second controller of the interposer;
- exchanging communications between the processor and a second device connected to the interposer using the updated bus;
- and
- providing computer implemented services using the communications.
A data processing system, comprising:
- a management controller adapted to:
- identify an occurrence of an attachment of a device to a riser of the data processing system,
- in response to the occurrence:
- perform a discovery process for the device to obtain a data package,
- make a determination, based on the data package, regarding whether the device is an interposer,
- in an instance of the determination where the device is the interposer:
- reconfigure a bus between a processor of the data processing system and the interposer to exclude a first controller of the riser to obtain an updated bus, the updated bus operably connecting the processor and a second controller of the interposer;
- and
- the processor adapted to:
- exchange communications between the processor and a second device connected to the interposer using the updated bus, and
- provide computer implemented services using the communications.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.