18399481. System and Methods of Managing and Recognizing PCI Devices in an Active System (STRATUS TECHNOLOGIES IRELAND LTD.)

System and Methods of Managing and Recognizing PCI Devices in an Active System

Organization Name

STRATUS TECHNOLOGIES IRELAND LTD.

Inventor(s)

Lei Cao of Westford MA US

System and Methods of Managing and Recognizing PCI Devices in an Active System

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18399481 titled 'System and Methods of Managing and Recognizing PCI Devices in an Active System

Original Abstract Submitted

In part, in one aspect, the disclosure relates to a method of enumerating a device relative to a computer system. The method may include sending, using a platform driver of an operating system (OS), a PCI memory range to self-enumeration (SE) firmware once it detects a new PCIe module; establishing a communication channel between the platform driver and SE firmware; detecting, using the platform driver, the new PCIe module via the PCI hotplug capability of the OS; and configuring a communication device, using the platform driver, on the PCIe module to establish a communication channel to the SE firmware. In some embodiments, the communication device is a synthetic device on the PCIe switch that allows low bandwidth bi-directional communication.