What PCI Configuration Accomplishes
During system initialization, low level BIOS or other system software uses configuration transaction cycles to “walk” each PCI-compatible bus (PCI, PCI-X, HyperTransport, AGP, etc.) and read the PCI configuration space of each device function it finds. Once discovered, basic and advanced capability features of each device are set up as appropriate. Collectively, PCI configuration cycles may be used for many aspects of device management, including:
Assignment of system resources. Unlike earlier bus protocols, including the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), PCI compatible plug-and-play devices are not allowed to establish their own base addresses and interrupt levels using fixed schemes or through user manipulation ...
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