VIRTUAL EXPANSION ROM IN A PCIE ENVIRONMENT

摘要

Methods and structure for utilizing a virtual Expansion ROM. One exemplary embodiment is a management device. The management device includes a memory, a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) link, and a processor. The memory stores Expansion Read-Only Memory (Expansion ROM) boot instructions for a host. The processor identifies devices in a PCIe hierarchy by transmitting PCIe enumeration requests via the PCIe link. The processor also generates a synthetic PCIe hierarchy that includes an added virtual Expansion ROM which is not present in the PCIe hierarchy, and provides responses describing the synthetic PCIe hierarchy to a host. Furthermore, the processor acquires PCIe read requests initiated by the host that are directed to the virtual Expansion ROM, and provides boot instructions to the host from the memory based on the PCIe read requests.

主权项

1. A management device comprising:
a memory storing Expansion Read-Only Memory (Expansion ROM) boot instructions for a host; a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) link; and a processor operable to identify devices in a PCIe hierarchy by transmitting PCIe enumeration requests via the PCIe link, to generate synthetic PCIe hierarchy that includes an added virtual Expansion ROM which is not present in the PCIe hierarchy, to provide responses describing the synthetic PCIe hierarchy to a host, to acquire PCIe read requests initiated by the host that are directed to the virtual Expansion ROM, and to provide boot instructions to the host from the memory based on the PCIe read requests wherein the processor is further operable to mask the management device from the host by excluding the management device from the modified map of the PCIe hierarchy.