Interactive method for configuration of computer system and circuit boards with user specification of system resources and computer resolution of resource conflicts

Claim 1

For use with a computer system that provides for circuit boards to be interchangeably inserted in a plurality of system slot locations, the circuit boards capable of being configured to utilize one or more common computer resources, the common computer resources comprising interrupt request lines, direct memory access channels, input/output port addresses and memory address ranges, an interactive method for an operator using the computer system for configuring a circuit board in a computer system the steps comprising: the computer determining the common computer resources allocated to the computer system or circuit boards in the computer system, said determining step comprising the computer reading a computer system or circuit board configuration file, said configuration file having various statements which follow a defined file format to assemble an array of statements for the computer system and all boards in the computer system in statement hierarchial order; the operator selecting a circuit board to be installed in the computer system; the operator determining the common computer resources required by said selected circuit board; the operator specifying the common computer resources to be assigned said selected board; the computer allocating the common computer resources to be utilized by the computer system and circuit boards, including the computer allocating the common computer resources specified by the operator to said selected board; the computer detecting conflicts as to the common computer resources to be utilized by the computer system or circuit boards in the computer system and said selected board; the computer resolving conflicts as to the common computer resources to be utilized by the computer system or circuit boards in the system and re-allocating resources based on the computer allocating the common computer resources specified by the operator to said selected board; and the computer storing configuration information for each circuit board based on the assignment of common computer resources to be utilized after the last of allocation, conflict resolution and reallocation.