Patent ID: 7124226

Claim:
A method for accessing a device, comprising: creating a corresponding global unique identifier root bus object for each of a plurality of root buses in a system to which the device may be coupled, wherein each root bus is capable of having one or more devices coupled thereto, wherein each globally unique identifier root bus object includes an object-oriented abstraction that identifies a plurality of methods that may be used to determine a configuration of the corresponding root bus and to determine resource requirements of the corresponding root bus; sending a resource access request to a device driver or OPROM corresponding to the device; sending a resource access command corresponding to the resource access request from the device driver or OPROM to an abstraction layer interface; verifying whether a resource operation corresponding to the resource access command is authorized to be performed on the device; determining a resource access method(s) that may be implemented to cause the device to perform the resource operation, wherein the resource access method(s) is responsive to at least one created global unique identifier root bus object; and calling the resource access method(s) to perform the resource operation on the device; wherein the abstraction layer interface hides the resource access method(s) from the device driver or OPROM.