Patent ID: 6061745
Filing Date: 2000-05-09
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A boot sequence adapted for use with a computer system during execution of system BIOS, wherein said computer system includes a random access memory (RAM) and a selected number of controllers, each of said controllers residing in a respective expansion slot and having at least one drive associated therewith and an option read only memory (Option ROM) that includes a BIOS initialization code and a runtime code, said boot sequence comprising:ascertaining the number of controllers residing in said expansion slots;executing the BIOS initialization code associated with a first one of said controllers to create within the RAM an initial drives' structure (IDS) corresponding to said controllers;suppressing the Option ROM of all but the first one of said controllers;building within the RAM a global drives' structure (GDS) corresponding to a predefined boot sequence priority that designates a selected one of said controllers as a boot controller, said GDS in the form of a listing of drives each having an addressable location within the readable memory, there being an entry pointer associated with a first one of said drives in said GDS; andbooting from said entry pointer thereby to execute the runtime code for the boot controller.