Electrical computers and digital processing systems: processing – Processing architecture – Microprocessor or multichip or multimodule processor having...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-26
2003-07-08
Kim, Kenneth S. (Department: 2183)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: processing
Processing architecture
Microprocessor or multichip or multimodule processor having...
C700S003000, C700S019000, C709S241000, C710S008000, C710S015000, C710S104000, C713S001000, C713S002000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06591358
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to computer architecture, hardware and method and in particular, to computer architecture, hardware and method that eliminates the need for an operating system.
2. Background of the Invention
FIG. 1
illustrates a conventional computer system architecture
100
comprising a hardware platform layer
200
, a firmware layer
300
, an operating system layer
400
and an application programs layer
102
. The hardware platform layer
200
is the physical layer of the computer system that performs the actual operations of the computer system. The firmware layer
300
performs, among others, the interface between the hardware platform layer
200
and the operating system layer
400
. The operating system layer
400
is a software layer that performs the management of the computer resources such as processor resource management, memory allocation management, device resources management, and data file management. The operating system is also the base upon which application programs are built. The application programs layer
102
comprises computer programs that provide instruction sets that manipulate and/or process data in accordance with a desired result. Examples are word processor, database, spread sheet and web browser programs.
FIG. 2
illustrates a conventional hardware platform layer, also commonly referred to as a “computer”)
200
of a computer system comprising a central processing unit (CPU)
202
, a read only memory (ROM)
204
and a main memory
206
coupled together through a system bus
208
. The illustrated configuration is representative of a bus architecture type computer system that is commonly used and includes Personal Computer Interface (PCI), Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Extended ISA (ESIA) and other bus standards. The computer
200
need not be limited to a bus architecture and may use a different architecture. The computer
200
further comprises various controllers such as a memory controller
212
, a direct memory access (DMA) controller
214
, an interrupt controller
216
, an input/output (I/O) controller
218
, an integrated drive electronics/floppy drive controller (IDE/FDC) controller
222
and a video controller
224
, among others. Various devices are coupled to the controllers so that the computer
200
can interact with a user or with the outside world. For instance, a video monitor
226
is coupled to the video controller
224
to display various information, a keyboard
228
and a pointing device
232
is coupled to the I/O controller
218
via a serial port to input data and commands to the computer
200
, a printer
234
is also coupled to the I/O controller
218
via a parallel port to generate hard copies of data requested by the user. The IDE/FDC controller
222
controls various disk drives such as a diskette drive
236
, a hard-disk drive
238
, a compact disc (CD) ROM drive
242
and a digital video disc (DVD) ROM drive
244
and a modem
246
provides communication to the outside world such as the Internet. Typically, the hardware has one or more expansion slots
248
to receive various expansion cards that enhance or add features of the hardware platform, thus a modem card
246
may be inserted into the expansion slot
248
to provide a communications feature.
The firmware layer such as a Basic Input Output Operating System (BIOS)
300
may be located in the ROM
204
and is generally specific to the hardware platform of the computer that it supports. The BIOS routines include various setup procedures and Power On Self Test (POST). The various setup procedures include the configuration of the various controllers in which the BIOS acts as an uniform interface between the controllers and the operating system, thus allows the operating system to access the hardware platform
200
. The BIOS supports the interchange of data that uses the various controllers, devices such as keyboard, mouse, video monitor, disk drives, printer and so forth. Other setup procedures include preliminary memory setup for the operating system, fault handling, clock and timers for various circuits, for example, the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) refresh circuit that refreshes the DRAMs that comprise the main memory. The POST performs various self-test on the memory and controllers and if a fault is find during the self-test, an error message in a form of an audio beep and/or a error message is displayed.
FIG. 3
is a flow chart of an exemplary power-up sequence using the BIOS that may conform to Compaq Computer Corporation, Phoenix Technologies Ltd. and Intel Corporation,
Plug and Play BIOS Specification,
Version 1.0a, May 5, 1994, which is incorporated herein by reference. The BIOS may also conform to Intel Corporation and Microsoft Corporation, Plug and Play ISA Specification, Version 1.0a, May 5, 1994, which is incorporated herein by reference. Plug & Play (PnP) specification allows for a computer operated configuration of devices attached to the computer without manual manipulation by a user. The user can add a new device, such as a sound card, and the computer will automatically detect the device and provide a device driver to operate the card (which may include requesting the user to insert a disk or a CD that contains the device driver if the computer does not already have the driver internally). A PnP conforming device usually has the characteristics of being able to uniquely identify itself; indicate the services it provides and the resources it requires; identify the device driver that supports it; and an operating system to control the device. These features are important to the operating system in that they allow the operating system to establish a working configuration for all devices connected to the computer and to load appropriate device drivers into memory.
Device drivers are software modules comprising logic for controlling the low level or specific components of a device, thus allowing the operating system to control the device. For example, a device driver may be used for controlling a magnetic disk drive coupled to the computer. In this example, the device driver will control various hardware specific registers, latches, signals or other components of the magnetic disk drive device. A device driver is usually specifically configured to communicate with a particular device.
Referring now to
FIG. 3
, according to one power-up sequence, at stage
302
, the computer is powered on or a reset signal is received in which the computer forces the components within the computer including accessible devices to a reset logic state. At reset logic state, the computer does not “know” its actual configuration including what devices including those on the expansion cards are attached to the computer. After a predefined period of time has passed in which the power supply has stabilized, at stage
304
, the CPU starts at a starter address that points to the ROM in which the BIOS is located. The POST routine of the BIOS is initiated and it tests the dynamic random access memories (DRAMS) that make up the main memory along with certain devices and components of the system to determine their operability. During the testing process, a copy of the BIOS is retrieved from the ROM and is shadowed into the main memory. The BIOS has a set of instruction routines that prepares the computer system to receive the operating system from an initial load device (IPL) which may be a disk drive. At stage
306
, the BIOS attempts turn off all the devices to determine which devices (i.e. IPLs) may be used to find and launch the operating system. IPLs are detected at this stage because IPLs cannot be turned off. At stage
308
, the BIOS turns on the devices and places non-IPLS in wait state to be initialized by the operating system. At stage
310
, the BIOS executes a bootstrap routine that causes the kernel of the operating system (usually contained in the hard-disk drive) to load into the main memory. At this stage, the hardware control by the firmware (i.e., the BIOS) is passed to the softwa
Kim Kenneth S.
Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo P.C.
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