Hardware resource management within a data processing system

Apparatus for processing data under control of a plurality of programs, said apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of hardware resource means with a predetermined sequence such that each of said plurality of hardware resource means has a predetermined position within said sequence;
• boundary indicating means for storing a boundary value indicating a boundary position within said sequence, said boundary position dividing said sequence into a first portion on a first side of said boundary position within said sequence and a second portion on a second side of said boundary position within said sequence;
• program instruction execution means for executing program instructions;
• resource control means coupled to said boundary indicating means for:
• when said program execution means is executing a first program, responding to one or more program instructions querying how many of said plurality of hardware resource means are present within said apparatus to return a first value;
• and
• when said program execution means is executing a second program, responding to one or more program instructions querying how many of said plurality of hardware resources are present within said apparatus to return a value corresponding to those hardware resource means within said second portion.

A method of processing data under control of a plurality of programs with an apparatus having a plurality of hardware resources with a predetermined sequence such that each of said plurality of hardware resources has a predetermined position within said sequence, said method comprising the steps of:

• storing, by a boundary indicating circuitry, a boundary value indicating a boundary position within said sequence, said boundary position dividing said sequence into a first portion on a first side of said boundary position within said sequence and a second portion on a second side of said boundary position within said sequence;
• when said program execution circuitry is executing a first program, responding, by a resource control circuitry, to one or more program instructions querying how many of said plurality of hardware resources are present within said apparatus to return a first value;
• and
• when said program execution circuitry is executing a second program, responding, by the resource control circuitry, to one or more program instructions querying how many of said plurality of hardware resources are present within said apparatus to return a value corresponding to those hardware resources within said second portion.