Hardware configuration framework for the IBM eServer z900

This paper describes the concept, architecture, and implementation of the hardware configuration module within the support element of the IBM eServer z900. For the z900 project, this base system firmware component has been redesigned to obtain a software structure with a clear, simple, and scalable architecture that is suitable for future extensions to the z900. To achieve the desired flexibility, an object-oriented framework has been developed which supports the auto-sensing and configuration of hardware components as well as their status representation and management. The new configuration concept is based on a rule approach in which, for each sensed physical part in the system, a configuration rule specifies the object hierarchy to be instantiated upon it, including attributes and interconnections to other system parts. Furthermore, the concept and architecture of the framework are built upon a hardware object model (HOM) that has been designed to allow for further integration of key business logic of the z900 service subsystem and hardware support code.