Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Intrasystem connection – Bus access regulation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-15
2001-04-10
Ray, Gopal C. (Department: 2181)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Intrasystem connection
Bus access regulation
C713S100000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216186
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to computer systems comprising pluggable modules and to such pluggable modules.
Computer systems typically include a number of pluggable modules, that is modules or components which may be plugged into a system to provide specific functionality. The use of pluggable modules is convenient in order to provide for a versatile configuration and for long term repair requirements.
Particularly, but not exclusively, in reliable systems, it is important to be able to establish that the modules plugged in actually are compatible. By this is meant that a module which may be inserted in a modular system needs to tested before it is fully integrated into the system and before the system relies on that module. The testing is typically done after the module is physically inserted into the system, but before the module is fully integrated functionally. The module could be a hardware or a software module.
Over the years, the capabilities of a module may change as different versions are released. For example, initially a disk module may be made of two 1 Gbyte drives. Later, it may be made with one 2 Gbyte drive. This change may be of no consequence in some systems, but may be important in others.
When mixing modules of different manufacture dates in the field, information on some capabilities may be needed, even if those capabilities were not even thought of when a module was built.
An aim of the present invention is to address the problem of providing information on and resolving such compatibility issues between interacting modules.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Particular and preferred aspects of the invention are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims. Combinations of features from the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims as appropriate and not merely as explicitly set out in the claims.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a module for a modular system. The module comprises requirement indicators defining features of a component required for the module to operate. It also comprises capability indicators defining features provided by the module. It further comprises ability indicators defining features of the component acceptable to the module.
An ability indicator effectively defines the ability to accept inverted capabilities. It should be noted that the capabilities mentioned above could be referred to as first capabilities, with the abilities being referred to as second capabilities. It should be understood that these alternative designations would be equivalent.
The combination of the requirement, capability and ability indicators provides a very flexible structure for indicating and testing requirements, capabilities and abilities in that it permits the designation of requirements, capabilities and the ability to accept inverted capabilities. This effectively permits logical relationships between individual requirements and capabilities to be expressed and examined.
In a modular system the interconnecting modules each comprises an appropriate set of indicators and compatibility verification logic is provided for evaluating relationships between the requirement, capability and ability indicators.
Preferably, the number of number of the requirement, capability and ability indicators can be varied from module to module. This is of value where a new requirement is developed after a first version of a module is shipped. In later modules, therefore, another set of requirement, capability and ability indicators may be provided without impacting the operation of the computability keying system.
A length indicator may be provided which is representative of the number of at least one of the requirement indicators, capability indicators and ability indicators.
In one embodiment, the module may include a requirement specification comprising a requirement specification length indicator and a number of requirement indicators, the requirement specification length indicator being representative of the number of requirement indicators. Similarly, a capability specification may be provided comprising a capability specification length indicator and a number of capability indicators, the capability specification length indicator being representative of the number of capability indicators. Also, an ability specification may be provided comprising an ability specification length indicator and a number of ability indicators, the ability specification length indicator being representative of the number of ability indicators.
Storage may be provided in the module for each of the requirement structure, the capability structure and the ability structure. Each of the requirement, capability and ability indicators may be formed by a bit in order to minimize the storage needed.
A module type indicator may also be provided, whereby the meaning of respective indicators may vary from module type to module type as indicated by the module type indicator.
The module may be component module connectable to a component of a system, for example a module pluggable into the component. The component may be a system component module. Alternatively, the module could be a system component such as a motherboard for receiving pluggable modules. Further the module could be interfaced with a component which is not itself modular, that is a component which could not be removed from a system and replaced, perhaps because it forms a fundamental system framework.
The module may comprise compatibility verification logic for verifying compatibility between itself and a system component. In this case, the module can be operable to evaluate the following relationships and to determine compatibility where all of the following relationships are satisfied:
MR AND SC=MR;
MA AND SC=SC;
SR AND MC=SR; and
SA AND MC=MC,
where AND is a logical AND operator, MR and SR form the requirement indicators for the module and system component, respectively, MC and SC form the capability indicators for the module and for the system component, respectively, and MA and SA form the ability indicators for the module and the system component, respectively.
However, the verification logic may be provided in the component into which the module is plugged, or indeed in a separate agent, for example a processor which does not form part of the module or the component.
Where a variable number of requirement indicators are provided, any unspecified requirements are assumed absent. Similarly, where a variable number of capability indicators are provided, any unspecified capabilities are taken to be absent. Where a variable number of ability indicators are provided, any unspecified abilities are normally taken to be present. However, any unspecified abilities could selectively be assumed present or absent depending on application requirements.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer system including:
a system component comprising system requirement indicators defining features of a module required by the system component, system capability indicators defining features provided by the system component and system ability indicators defining features of the module acceptable to the system component;
a module comprising module requirement indicators defining features of a system component required by the module, module capability indicators defining features provided by the module and module ability indicators defining features of the system component acceptable to the module; and
compatibility evaluation logic for evaluating the following relationships and for determining compatibility where all of the following relationships are satisfied:
MR AND SC=MR;
MA AND SC=SC;
SR AND MC=SR; and
SA AND MC=MC.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of testing compatibility between a module and a component, wherein each module comprises requirement indicators defining features of a component required for the module to o
Mayhead Martin
Williams Emrys J.
Conley Rose & Tayon PC
Kivlin B. Noäl
Ray Gopal C.
Sun Microsystems Inc.
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