The present invention includes a memory subsystem comprising at least two semiconductor devices (15, 16 , 17), including at least one memory device (15, 16 or 17), connected to a bus (18), where the bus includes a plurality of bus lines for carrying substantially all address, data and control information needed by said memory devices (15, 16 or 17), where the control information includes device-select information and the bus (18) has substantially fewer bus lines than the number of bits in a single address, and the bus (18) carries device-select information without the need for separated device-select lines connected directly to individual devices. The present invention also includes a protocol for master and slave devices to communicate on the bus (18) and for registers in each device to differentiate each device and allow bus requests to be directed to a single or to all devices (15, 16, 17). The present invention includes modifications to prior-art devices to allow them to implement the new features of this invention. In a preferred implementation, 8 bus data lines and an Address Valid bus line carry address, data and control information for memory addresses up to 40 bits wide.

Integrated circuit I/O using a high performance bus interface

A system for configuring a network adapter of a computer without user intervention. Device information for the devices of the computer, including each network adapter, is collected to uniquely identify the devices and to describe the device characteristics associated with the operation of those devices with the computer. Computer resources, which support the functions of the devices within the computer, are allocated based upon this device information. This allocation process prevents a potential conflicting use of computer resources by the installed devices. A device driver, which enables communications between a corresponding device and the computer, is also identified and loaded for each of the devices in response to the allocation of computer resources. In response to loading the driver for each network adapter, each network configuration routine or layer for a particular interface of the corresponding network adapter is identified. In response to the identification of these layers, each identified layer for the particular interface is loaded. In turn, layers are identified and loaded for each of the remaining interfaces of the corresponding network adapter.

Method for automatically configuring devices including a network adapter without manual intervention and without prior configuration information

A local host computing system, a remote host computing system as connected by a network, and service functionalities: a human interface service functionality, a starter service functionality, and a desired utility service functionality, and a Client-Server-Service (CSS) model is imposed on each service functionality. In one embodiment, this results in nine logical components and three physical components (a local host, a remote host, and an intervening network), where two of the logical components are integrated into one Remote Object Client component, and that Remote Object Client component and the other seven logical components are deployed among the local host and remote host in a manner which eases compatibility and upgrade problems, and provides an illusion to a user that a desired utility service supported on a remote host resides locally on the user's local host, thereby providing ease of use and minimal software maintenance for users of that remote service.

Remote information service access system based on a client-server-service model

A computerized system for dynamically and automatically configuring circuit boards to carry out functions from various manufacturers and a computer system without the user intervention. A single computer system may include, for example, a modem board, a video board, a disk controller board, and a multiple function board, each circuit board from a different manufacturer and each circuit board requires a computer resources for operation. These resources may include interrupt request (IRQ) lines, direct memory access (DMA) channels, I/O port addresses, memory address ranges and circuit board slot locations. The computerized system determines the type of slot required for each circuit board to be inserted in the computer by reading the circuit board configuration file for each board. The system will assign a circuit board to an available slot locations of the required type. Based on the information contained within the circuit board configuration files, the system attempts to allocate the common computer resources required by each circuit board based on the primary or default resource requirements set forth in each circuit board's configuration file. And, overlapping manufacturer default resource requirement may result in resource allocation conflict; and then, the system attempts to resolve conflicts by determining if the conflicting request may be assigned an alternate resource, as specified in the circuit board configuration file. The system stores the resource allocation information as part of a system configuration file which may then be used when the system is rebooted.

Computer implemented method and apparatus for dynamic and automatic configuration of a computer system and circuit boards including computer resource allocation conflict resolution

A cellular telephone (200) is interconnected to a host assembly (202-204) via a cable (206) The cable (206) contains both appropriate interdisciplinary connections for attachment to the telephone (200) at one end and to the host assembly (202-204) at the other end via a universal connector (254) The identity of the particular cellular telephone (200) can be provided to the host assembly (202-204) by a number of different protocols including the downloading of function-related parameters to the host assembly that are unique to the particular telephone Accordingly the host assembly can function with any one of a variety of cellular telephones having differently configured cable connections In one embodiment, a pocket adapter (202) holds the cellular telephone (200) and includes the universal connector (254)

Universal connection for cellular telephone interface

In a computer network having a system bus, a system processor connected to the system bus, and a plurality of local processors each connected to a respective local bus each having a plurality of interface cards attached thereto, each interface card includes an identification ROM. Each interface card responds to an initial reset signal enabling that interface card to respond to the same initial address. Each local processor outputs that initial address. The closest interface card of each local bus responds by transmitting information from its identification ROM to the requesting local processor, which then assigns an address to the closest interface card, which then automatically sets circuitry that enables the next closest interface card to respond to the initial address. The procedure is repeated to assign unique addresses to all of the interface cards.

Self configuring computer network with automatic bus exchange of module identification numbers and processor assigned module numbers

A computer system including a first processor and a plurality of removable interface circuits is operated by storing hardware descriptors for each interface circuit, each hardware descriptor including a name and an attribute of each component of the interface. Software templates describing each data structure and pointers to code to be executed to build software objects corresponding to each component contained on any interface board in the system are stored, which code is executed to building such software objects. The hardware descriptors are utilized to obtain lists of components of each interface from a data base, using names of such components to obtain software templates corresponding to the named component and pointing to software that utilizes the software template to build the software object representing a function that can be performed by the component, assigns a name to that software object and entering the name and corresponding software object into the data base.

Joseph N. Kovara

Papers

Self configuring computer network with automatic bus exchange of module identification numbers and processor assigned module numbers

Object building method for self configuring computer network