Method and apparatus for directly booting a RAID volume as the primary operating system memory
AssigneeLSI Logic Corporation
InventorHarold L. Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A computer system operating system (OS) is booted from a storage media formed from a redundant array of independent disks (RAID). An interface adapter is connected to a system bus, and the interface adapter includes a nonvolatile option ROM memory which has RAID I/O algorithmic instructions recorded therein. When a basic input output system (BIOS) is executed during booting, a BIOS hardware detect instruction set of the BIOS scans the system bus and causes the RAID I/O algorithmic instructions to be read from the option ROM memory for use by a BIOS I/O instruction set, and the BIOS I/O instruction set uses the RAID I/O algorithmic instructions obtained from the option ROM memory to read the OS from the RAID storage media.
Claims30
A method of booting an operating system (OS) recorded in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage media in a computer system having a processor, a nonvolatile system memory and an interface adapter connected to a bus, the interface adapter including a nonvolatile option ROM memory, the interface adapter connected to the RAID storage media, the nonvolatile system memory storing basic input output system (BIOS) instructions including a BIOS hardware detect instruction set and a BIOS input output (I/O) instruction set, the method comprising the steps of:
- recording RAID I/O algorithmic instructions in the option ROM memory;
- executing the BIOS hardware detect instruction set to read the RAID I/O algorithmic instructions recorded in the option ROM memory;
- and
- executing the BIOS I/O instruction set utilizing the RAID I/O algorithmic instructions read from the option ROM memory to read the OS from the RAID storage media.
A method of directly establishing and executing operating system (OS) input/output (I/O) instructions with a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage media in an OS of a computer system which also includes a nonvolatile memory and a basic input output system (BIOS) recorded in the nonvolatile memory, comprising the steps of:
- recording in the nonvolatile memory, RAID I/O algorithmic instructions for use by the OS in performing OS I/O operations on the RAID storage media;
- reading the RAID I/O algorithmic instructions from the nonvolatile memory when booting the OS while executing the BIOS during booting;
- and
- using the RAID I/O algorithmic instructions to execute OS I/O operations after the OS has booted.
A computer system having a processor and a system memory connected by a system bus, the system memory including a nonvolatile system memory which includes code that defines a basic input output system (BIOS), the system BIOS including a BIOS hardware detection instruction set and a BIOS input output (I/O) instruction set, an interface adapter also connected to the system bus and which includes a nonvolatile option ROM memory, and a plurality of independent storage devices organized into a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) storage media which is connected to the interface adapter, and improvements in combination therewith wherein:
- the RAID storage media has the OS recorded therein in a RAID configuration on a plurality of at least some of the independent storage devices;
- and
- the option ROM memory has RAID I/O algorithmic instructions recorded therein which cause the BIOS hardware detect instruction set to read the RAID I/O algorithmic instructions from the option ROM memory and record the RAID I/O algorithmic instructions in the system memory during booting of the OS;
- and
- the RAID I/O algorithmic instructions execute in conjunction with the BIOS I/O instruction set to read the OS recorded on the RAID storage media during booting of the OS.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.