Patent ID: 6216224
Filing Date: 2001-04-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for booting a computer following a power on or a reset of the computer, the computer including a ROM, a RAM, a system controller and a CPU, the ROM storing data, including firmware routines, for initializing the computer, the method comprising:intercepting a power on or reset signal within the computer and maintaining assertion of the power on or reset signal in order to hold the CPU in a reset state;while the CPU is held in the reset state, copying the ROM data to the RAM in a plurality of data transfer operations by supplying a current RAM address and a current ROM address to the system controller in order that the system controller causes data to be read from the current ROM address and written to the current RAM address, and, prior to each subsequent data transfer operation, changing the current RAM address and the current ROM address to describe the ROM data that will be copied from the ROM and to describe a RAM location to which the ROM data will be copied during the subsequent data transfer operation;after the ROM data is copied to RAM, deasserting the CPU reset signal in order to allow the CPU to be initialized; andexecuting by the CPU the firmware routines copied from ROM to RAM in order to initialize the computer.