Patent ID: 7162581

Claim:
A peripheral controller for coupling a peripheral to a host computing device, and for use with an optional external memory, the peripheral controller comprising: a host interface implementing an expansion bus protocol compatible with the host computing device; a memory interface implementing a memory bus protocol compatible with the external memory; a host-visible memory configured to store operational CIS data; an internal initialization memory having default CIS data; control logic coupled to the host interface, the memory interface, the host-visible memory, and the internal initialization memory; wherein if the control logic determines that the external memory is absent or blank, then the host-visible memory is initialized at least in part from the internal initialization memory; wherein if the control logic determines that the external memory is present and programmed then the host-visible memory is initialized at least in part from the external memory; and wherein the host-visible memory is initialized at least in part to include control logic generated external memory pre-initialization-status information.