Patent ID: 6965927

Claim:
A method for performing a hardware setup operation on a data processing system, said method comprising: storing a hardware setup program and a plurality of dynamic link modules in a server data processing system; coupling a data processing system to said server data processing system via a data processing system network; in response to a request to execute said hardware setup program by said data processing system, executing said hardware setup program within said server data processing system, wherein said hardware setup program performs a hardware setup operation required by said data processing system by using a service provided by an operating system when said hardware setup operation exists within said operating system running on said data processing system, wherein said hardware setup program calls a BIOS program within said data processing system to perform said hardware setup operation when said hardware setup operation does not exist within said operating system running on said data processing system; and modifying hardware configuration data within said data processing system according to instructions generated from said execution of said hardware setup program within said server data processing system.