Patent ID: 7715450

Claim:
A method, comprising: setting in a target device communicably connected by a bus to a master device, a target domain ID identifying a target domain which is a subgroup of a plurality of target devices; dividing the plurality of target devices into a plurality of target domains, a unique device address being assigned to each target device in a target domain of the plurality of target domains; and providing a sideband multiplexer connecting the master device to a master port of the sideband multiplexer, and connecting the target domain to one of target ports of the sideband multiplexer, wherein the target domain ID is ID information identifying the target port of the sideband multiplexer to which the target domain is connected; storing the target domain ID in the master device; receiving, by the master device, via the bus, the target domain ID from the target device; and performing, by the master device, a data-setting process to the target device when the target domain ID received from the target device coincides with the target domain ID stored in the master device.