Patent ID: 7694025

Claim:
A base address sorting device to create a sorted array of base address registers in which a target base address can be identified, for use in a serial switch, comprising: an array of shadow registers, each shadow register in said array of shadow registers being electrically coupled to a base address register of an array of base address registers, each of said base address registers containing a base address, wherein each of the base addresses contained in said base address registers designates an identifying address of a specific external device; and control logic circuitry electrically coupled to said array of shadow registers and said array of base address registers, said control logic circuitry operable upon receiving a configuration command comprising a new base address to implement a method for reconfiguring the contents of said array of base address registers, said method comprising: inserting said new base address of said configuration command into a shadow register in said array of shadow registers; sorting said array of shadow registers, including the shadow register having the new base address, into either an ascending or a descending order based on the base address of the shadow register, wherein the order of the shadow registers determines the order in which a search for the target base address in the array of base address registers will be performed; and copying said sorted contents of said array of shadow registers into said array of base address registers.