Communicating to system management in a data processing system
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorWilliam Gabriel Pagan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A data processing system in which standard communication resource facilities are used to enable direct communication to a system management facility. In one implementation, the management adapter shares a communication resource, such as a serial port, with the host system. An arrangement of multiplexers is capable of connecting the local system to the shared resource, the management adapter to the shared resource, or the host system to directly to the management adapter. The host system includes a device driver for the shared resource. The shared resource device driver is leveraged to communicate to the management adapter using a standardized serial protocol (in the case of a shared serial port) when the multiplexers connect the system to the management adapter.
Claims15
A data processing system, comprising:
- at lean one processor;
- a communication port controller, connected to the processor via at least one peripheral bus;
- a system management device accessible to the processor, wherein the system management device and the communication port controller share access to a communication port;
- device driver means for the communication port;
- and
- multiplexing circuitry enabled to connect the communication port controller to the system management device enabling the processor to communicate with the system management device by communicating to the communication port controller using the communication port device driver means;
- wherein the multiplexing circuitry is further enabled to connect the system management device to the communication port.
A data processing system, comprising:
- a processor;
- a communication port accessible to the processor and suitable for communicating data with an external device, the communication port being supported by a communication port device driver;
- a system management device coupled to the processor;
- a communication port controller coupled to the processor;
- controllable means for allocating the communication port to either the system management device or to the communication port controller;
- and
- wherein the means for allocating the communication port are further configured for connecting the communication port controller to the system management device enabling the processor to communicate to the system management device by communicating to the communication port controller using the communication port device driver;
- wherein the controllable means comprises multiplexing circuitry enabled to connect the communication port to the communication port controller, and the system management device to the communication port, the multiplexing circuitry is further enabled to connect the system management device to the communication port controller.
An I/O assembly for use in a data processing system comprising:
- a processor;
- a communication port controller accessible to the processor connected to at least one peripheral bus;
- a system management device accessible to the processor, wherein the system management device and the communication port controller share access to a communication port;
- device driver means for the communication port;
- and
- multiplexing circuitry enabled to connect the communication device controller to the system management device enabling the processor to communicate with the system management device by communicating to the communication device controller using the device driver means;
- wherein the multiplexing circuitry is further enabled to connect the communication port controller and the system management device to the communication port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.