System for testing adaptor card upon power up and having disablement, enablement, and reconfiguration options

Claim 1

In a data processing system (DPS) having a plurality of expansion slots for receiving a plurality of adapter cards by means of which a plurality of different types of hardware devices can be connected into said system; each adapter card having registers for storing (1) an adapter ID uniquely identifying such card, (2) an enabling bit controlling enablement and disablement of such card, and (3) programmable option select (POS) data defining system resources assigned for use with such adapter card and device connected thereto; a microprocessor; a memory system for storing an operating system; a bus network interconnecting said slots, said memory system and said microprocessor; and a non-volatile memory connected to said bus network for storing POS information including (1) configuration IDs indicating which adapter cards are configured with which slots, and (2) said POS data for each adapter card, said POS information having been stored in said non-volatile memory when said DPS was most recently configured; the improvement comprising: memory means for storing a test result flag, said test result flag comprises a plurality of bits, each bit being selectively settable; power-on test means connected to said network and operative, upon said data processing system being powered on, to scan said slots, to determine if any adapter card has been changed by addition to or removal from a slot, and to set said test result flag; selection means operative, as a result of said test result flag being set, to present a user with a choice of either reconfiguring said DPS or placing said DPS in normal operation, when an adapter card has been changed; said test means is operative to compare all configuration IDs stored in said non-volatile memory with all corresponding adapter IDs read from corresponding slots and detect whether or not a card has been changed, to set said bits of said test result flag in accordance with the results of said comparing and indicate a match or a mismatch between each configuration ID and corresponding adapter ID, and, in response to the status of said bits in said test result flag, to disable an adapter card when the corresponding bit indicates a mismatch, to enable an adapter card when the corresponding bit indicates a match, and, after enabling an adapter card, to load corresponding POS data into such adapter card so that such adapter card is usable after said operating system is booted up; and means operative, in response to a user choosing to place said DPS in normal operation, to boot up said operating system and thereafter run said DPS without reconfiguring said DPS.

Claim 6

The method of operating a data processing system (DPS) having a plurality of expansion slots for receiving a plurality of adapter cards by means of which a plurality of different types of hardware devices can be connected into said system; each adapter card having registers for storing (1) an adapter ID uniquely identifying such card, (2) an enabling bit controlling enablement and disablement of such card, and (3) programmable option select (POS) data defining system resources assigned for use with such adapter card and device connected thereto; a microprocessor; a memory system for storing an operating system; a bus network interconnecting said slots, said memory system and said microprocessor; and a non-volatile memory connected to said bus network for storing POS information including (1) configuration IDs indicating which adapter cards are configured with which slots, and (2) said POS data for each adapter card, said POS information having been stored in said non-volatile memory when said DPS was most recently configured; wherein said method comprises; storing a test result flag in said memory means, said test result flag comprising a plurality of selectively settable bits; scanning said slots when said DPS is powered on, to determine if any adapter card has been changed by addition to or removal from a slot, and setting said test result flag when at least one of said cards has been so changed; presenting a user with a choice, as a result of said test result flag being set, of either reconfiguring said DPS or placing said DPS in normal operation; in response to the status of said bits in said test result flag, disabling an adapter card when the corresponding bit indicates a mismatch, enabling an adapter card when the corresponding bit indicates a match, and, after enabling an adapter card, loading corresponding POS data into such adapter card so that said adapter card can be used after said operating system is booted up; and booting up said operating system, in response to a user choosing to place said DPS in normal operation, and thereafter running said DPS without reconfiguring said DPS.

Claim 7

The method of operating a data processing system (DPS) having a plurality of expansion slots for receiving a plurality of adapter cards by means of which a plurality of different types of hardware devices can be connected into said system; each adapter card having registers for storing (1) an adapter ID uniquely identifying such card, (2) an enabling bit controlling enablement and disablement of such card, and (3) programmable option select (POS) data defining system resources assigned for use with such adapter card and device connected thereto; a microprocessor; a memory system for storing an operating system; a bus network interconnecting said slots, said memory system and said microprocessor; and a non-volatile memory connected to said bus network for storing POS information including (1) configuration IDs indicating which adapter cards are configured with which slots, and (2) said POS data for each adapter card, said POS information having been stored in said non-volatile memory when said DPS was most recently configured; wherein said method comprises; storing a test result flag in said memory means, said test result flag comprising a plurality of selectively settable bits; scanning said slots when said DPS is powered on, to determine if any adapter card has been changed by addition to or removal from a slot, and setting said test result flag when at least one of said cards has been so changed; presenting a user with a choice, as a result of said test result flag being set, of either reconfiguring said DPS or placing said DPS in normal operation; in response to the status of said bits in said test result flag, disabling an adapter card when the corresponding bit indicates a mismatch, enabling an adapter card when the corresponding bit indicates a match, and, after enabling an adapter card, loading corresponding POS data into such adapter card so that said adapter card can be used after said operating system is booted up; and booting up said operating system, in response to a user choosing to place said DPS in normal operation, and thereafter running said DPS without reconfiguring said DPS.