US 6,321,174 B1Granted

Apparatus and method for testing add-on device of a computer system

AssigneeWinbond Electronics Corp.

InventorsJao-Ching Chen, Shu-Yi Yen, Peter Chang

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Abstract

An apparatus is provided to test a device, i.e. an interface card to a computer system or an IC chip. The apparatus communicates with the computer system via a first bus and communicates with the device via a second bus. The first and second buses are standard bus such as ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, and AGP bus, etc. In the apparatus, three switch circuits respectively making connection of data/address lines, power lines and a reset line of the first bus to the second bus are provided. A test program executed in the computer generates a plurality of control signal to the apparatus. A control circuit, responsive to the plurality of control signals, controls individually and selectively the turn-on of three switch circuits. By test program running in the computer system, the function test of the device can be accomplished automatically without time-consuming power-off and re-initialization of the computer system.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An apparatus for selectively isolating a device from a computer system which is always powered-on, said apparatus communicating with the computer system via a first bus, the computer system being external to and separate from the apparatus, the computer system having a slot for connecting with said first bus, the first bus comprising a multiple of data/address lines, power lines, and a reset line, and said apparatus communicating with said device via a second bus, the computer system comprising an output port, and a control program being executed in said computer system to generate a plurality of control signals to said output port, said apparatus comprising:

a connection device for making connection of the second bus to said apparatus;
a first switch circuit for making connection of the data/address lines of the first bus to the second bus while the first switch circuit being switched on;
a second switch circuit for making connection of the power lines of the first bus to the second bus while the second switch circuit being switched on;
a third switch circuit for making connection of the reset line of the first bus to the second bus while the third switch circuit being switched on;
and
a register electrically connected to said output port for storing and outputting the plurality of control signals;
a control circuit, responsive to the plurality of control signals, for individually and selectively switching on said first, second and third switch circuits.

4 more elements

A method for selectively isolating a device from a computer system which connects to a control apparatus, the control apparatus communicating with the computer system via a first bus, the computer system being external to and separate from the apparatus, the computer system being always powered-on and having a slot for connecting with said first bus, the first bus comprising a multiple of data/address lines, power lines, and a reset line, and the control apparatus communicating with said device via a second bus, the computer system comprising an output port, a control program being executed in said computer system generating a plurality of control signals to said output port, said control apparatus comprising a connection device for making connection of the second bus to said control apparatus;

a first switch circuit for making connection of the data/address lines of the first bus to the second bus while the first switch circuit being switched on;
a second switch circuit for making connection of the power lines of the first bus to the second bus while the second switch circuit being switched on;
a third switch circuit for making connection of the reset line of the first bus to the second bus while the third switch circuit being switched on;
a register electrically connected to said output port for storing and outputting the plurality of control signals;
and a control circuit, responsive to the plurality of control signals, for individually and selectively switching on said first, second and third switch circuit, the method comprising the following steps:
accepting a first user command removing the power supplies from the device;
reading a configuration data of the device from the data/address lines of the second bus;
saving the configuration data of the device into the computer system;
de-activating a first control signal of the plurality control signals for isolating the data/address lines of the first bus from the second bus;
de-activating a second control signal of the plurality control signals to switch off the second switch circuit such that the power supplies of the first bus are not applied to the second bus.

7 more elements

A method for replacing a first device being tested by a computer system connecting to a control apparatus with a second device to be tested, the control apparatus communicating with the computer system via a first bus, the computer system being external to and separate from the control apparatus, the computer system being always powered-on and having a slot for connecting with said first bus, the first bus comprising a multiple of data/address lines, power lines, and a reset line, and the control apparatus communicating with said first device via a second bus, the computer system comprising an output port, a control program being executed in said computer system generating a plurality of control signals to said output port, said control apparatus comprising a connection device for making connection of the second bus to said control apparatus;

a first switch circuit for making connection of the data/address lines of the first bus to the second bus while the first switch circuit being switched on;
a second switch circuit for making connection of the power lines of the first bus to the second bus while the second switch circuit being switched on;
a third switch circuit for making connection of the reset line of the first bus to the second bus while the third switch circuit being switched on;
a register electrically connected to said output port for storing and outputting the plurality of control signals;
and a control circuit, responsive to the plurality of control signals, for individually and selectively switching on said first, second and third switch circuits, the method comprising the steps of:
removing power supplies from the first device connected to the control apparatus;
removing the first device from the control apparatus;
inserting the second device into the control apparatus;
adding power supplies to the second device;
initializing the second device.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.