Abstract: In a computer network having a system bus, a system processor connected to the system bus, and a plurality of local processors each connected to a respective local bus each having a plurality of interface cards attached thereto, each interface card includes an identification ROM. Each interface card responds to an initial reset signal enabling that interface card to respond to the same initial address. Each local processor outputs that initial address. The closest interface card of each local bus responds by transmitting information from its identification ROM to the requesting local processor, which then assigns an address to the closest interface card, which then automatically sets circuitry that enables the next closest interface card to respond to the initial address. The procedure is repeated to assign unique addresses to all of the interface cards.

Abstract: A computer bus structure includes a plurality of separate bus segments on a mother board. Plugging in of each of a plurality of interface boards automatically connects the right-hand portion of a particular bus segment to the left-hand portion of an adjacent bus segment so that a local bus of the needed length is created from the separate bus segments by the plugging of a processor board and a plurality of interface boards into successive adjacent connector slots, respectively, of the mother board. Insertion of processor boards into a particular connection slot of the mother board prevents the two bus segments adjacent thereto from being connected.

Abstract: A computer system including a first processor and a plurality of removable interface circuits is operated by storing hardware descriptors for each interface circuit, each hardware descriptor including a name and an attribute of each component of the interface. Software templates describing each data structure and pointers to code to be executed to build software objects corresponding to each component contained on any interface board in the system are stored, which code is executed to building such software objects. The hardware descriptors are utilized to obtain lists of components of each interface from a data base, using names of such components to obtain software templates corresponding to the named component and pointing to software that utilizes the software template to build the software object representing a function that can be performed by the component, assigns a name to that software object and entering the name and corresponding software object into the data base.