System firmware back-up using a BIOS-accessible pre-boot partition

• US 20040025002A1
• Filed: 08/01/2002
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Cepulis, Darren J., Callegari, Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 7,143,275 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1417 Boot up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate generally to providing cost-effective data integrity in computer systems and, more particularly, to providing a back-up for system firmware in a BIOS-accessible pre-boot environment. Back-up copies of a system BIOS or other firmware are placed on a partition that is accessible to the system BIOS prior to system boot. The back-up copy may be retrieved and loaded if the system BIOS becomes corrupted. Multiple back-up versions may be stored on the partition.

Claims

1. A back-up device for a computer system, the computer system having a storage media with a back-up partition, the computer system adapted to execute a system BIOS, the back-up device comprising:

a back-up driver that is adapted to;

detect changes to the system BIOS;

back up the system BIOS onto the back-up partition to create a back-up BIOS when changes to the system BIOS are detected; and

substitute the back-up BIOS for the system BIOS if the system BIOS is not operable.

2. The back-up device of claim 1 wherein the system BIOS is not operable because it is corrupt.

3. The back-up device of claim 1 wherein the system BIOS is not operable because it is invalid.

4. The back-up device of claim 1 wherein the back-up driver is adapted to reboot the computer system after substituting the back-up BIOS for the system BIOS.

5. The back-up device of claim 1 wherein the system BIOS is stored in an EEPROM memory.

6. The back-up device of claim 1 wherein the storage media is a hard disk.

7. The back-up device of claim 1 wherein the storage media is a floppy disk.

8. The back-up device of claim 1 wherein the storage media is a R/W CDROM disk.

9. The back-up device of claim 1 wherein the back-up partition is an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) partition.

10. A back-up device for a computer system, the computer system having a storage media with a back-up partition, the computer system adapted to execute a system BIOS, the back-up partition adapted to store at least one back-up version of the system BIOS, the back-up device comprising:

a boot manager that is adapted to;

display an indicia corresponding to each of the at least one back-up versions of the system BIOS;

responsive to input from a user, substitute a selected back-up version selected from the at least one back-up versions of the system BIOS for the system BIOS; and

reboot the computer system after substituting the selected back-up version for the system BIOS.

11. The back-up device set forth in claim 10, wherein the system BIOS is stored in an EEPROM memory.

12. The back-up device of claim 10 wherein the storage media is a hard disk.

13. The back-up device of claim 10 wherein the storage media is a floppy disk.

14. The back-up device of claim 10 wherein the storage media is a R/W CDROM disk.

15. The back-up device of claim 10 wherein the back-up partition is an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) partition.

16. A computer system, the computer system comprising:

a microprocessor that executes commands;

a core logic chipset that is connects to the microprocessor;

a user input device for providing user input to the microprocessor;

a system BIOS stored on a first storage media, the system BIOS being adapted to be executed by the microprocessor;

a second storage media connected to the core logic chipset, the storage media being adapted to store data for use by the microprocessor, the storage media having a back-up partition; and

a back-up driver that is adapted to;

detect changes to the system BIOS;

back up the system BIOS onto the back-up partition to create a back-up BIOS when changes to the system BIOS are detected; and

substitute the back-up BIOS for the system BIOS if the system BIOS does not execute correctly.

17. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the back-up driver is adapted to reboot the computer system after substituting the back-up BIOS for the system BIOS.

18. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the first storage media is an EEPROM memory.

19. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the second storage media is a hard disk.

20. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the second storage media is a floppy disk.

21. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the second storage media is a R/W CDROM disk.

22. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the back-up partition is an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) partition.

23. A computer system, the computer system comprising:

a microprocessor that executes commands;

a core logic chipset that is connects to the microprocessor;

a user input device for providing user input to the microprocessor;

a system BIOS stored on a first storage media, the system BIOS being adapted to be executed by the microprocessor;

a second storage media connected to the core logic chipset, the storage media being adapted to store data for use by the microprocessor, the storage media having a back-up partition, the back-up partition being adapted to store at least one back-version of the system BIOS;

a boot manager that is adapted to;

display an indicia corresponding to each of the at least one back-up versions of the system BIOS;

responsive to input from a user, substitute a selected back-up version selected from the at least one back-up versions of the system BIOS for the system BIOS; and

reboot the computer system after substituting the selected back-up version for the system BIOS.

24. The computer system of claim 23 wherein the first storage media is an EEPROM memory.

25. The computer system of claim 23 wherein the second storage media is a hard disk.

26. The computer system of claim 23 wherein the second storage media is a floppy disk.

27. The computer system of claim 23 wherein the second storage media is a R/W CDROM disk.

28. The computer system of claim 23 wherein the back-up partition is an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) partition.

29. A method of updating a system BIOS in a computer system that is operating in a pre-boot environment in which the system BIOS has access to a back-up partition, the system BIOS being stored on a first storage media, the computer system having a second storage media that includes the back-up partition, the method comprising the acts of:

detecting a change to the system BIOS;

backing up the system BIOS to the back-up partition to create a back-up BIOS in response to detecting a change to the system BIOS;

detecting whether the system BIOS is inoperable; and

replacing the system BIOS with the back-up BIOS in response to detecting whether the system BIOS is inoperable.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising rebooting the computer system after replacing the system BIOS with the back-up BIOS.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the first storage media is an EEPROM memory.

32. The computer system of claim 29 wherein the second storage media is a hard disk.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein the second storage media is a floppy disk.

34. The method of claim 29 wherein the second storage media is a R/W CDROM disk.

35. The method of claim 29 wherein the back-up partition is an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) partition.