Method for updating firmware in an operating system agnostic manner

• US 20040230963A1
• Filed: 05/12/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Zimmer, Vincent J., Rothman, Michael A.
• Application Number:
  US10/438,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230963A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

Firmware-based method and architecture scheme for updating firmware in an operating system agnostic manner. A generic (i.e., non component-specific) application program interface (API) is published during a pre-boot phase and remains available during operating system runtime. The API is independent of operating systems that may run on a computer system containing the firmware that is updated. A runtime update application interfaces with the generic API to store update variable data corresponding to the update. During a subsequent pre-boot phase, the update variable data are read to identify a component-specific API or a firmware component that does not publish an API to use for the update and to locate a firmware image and/or explicitly define configuration data corresponding to the update. The firmware update is then effectuated by writing the firmware image and/or configuration data to a firmware device corresponding to the component for which firmware is updated via the component-specific API or firmware component.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing at least one programmatic interface to facilitate update of firmware corresponding to a computer system component, said at least one programmatic interface being independent of operating systems that may be run on the computer system; and

employing said at least one programmatic interface in connection with performing an update of the firmware for the computer system component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method updates firmware stored in a boot firmware device of the computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system component comprises an add-in card.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one programmatic interface is published during a pre-boot phase during which the computer system is initialized prior to booting the operating system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the firmware update is performed via a two-phase process including a first phase that is performed during an operating system runtime phase and a second phase that is performed during a computer system pre-boot phase.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second phase is commenced by automatically causing a warm reset for the computer system after the first phase is completed.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the firmware is updated via said at least one programmatic interface by performing operations comprising:

storing update data corresponding to the firmware update via an update application running during the operating system runtime phase;

retrieving the update data during the pre-boot phase; and

employing a firmware component identified by the update data to effectuate the firmware update.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the update data include firmware configuration data corresponding to the firmware update.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the update data includes information identifying a location of a firmware image that is copied to a firmware device on which firmware corresponding to the system component is stored to effectuate the firmware update.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the computer system includes volatile memory, and the update data are stored in the volatile memory.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the update data are stored on a computer network to which the computer system is coupled.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the update data are stored in a non-volatile storage device of the computer system.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the firmware component provides an interface for directly accessing a firmware device on which the firmware to be updated is stored.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the method is performed in accordance with the extensible firmware interface (EFI) framework, and said at least programmatic interface includes a variable services programmatic interface corresponding to runtime services provided by the EFI framework that is used to interface with the update application.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said at least one programmatic interface further includes a programmatic interface published by an EFI firmware driver.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the programmatic interface published by the EFI firmware driver is specific to the computer system component for which firmware is updated and provides direct access to a firmware device on which the firmware for the computer system component is stored.

17. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine-readable medium on which instructions are stored, which when executed facilitate an update of firmware for a computer system component by performing operations including;

publishing an operating system-independent firmware application program interface (API) that is accessible during operating system runtime operations;

receiving update data via the firmware API during operating system runtime; and

employing the update data to update the firmware for the computer system component.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the update of the firmware is effectuated by performing operations comprising:

retrieving the update data during a pre-boot computer system initialization phase; and

employing a firmware component identified by the update data to facilitate the firmware update.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the firmware component publishes a second firmware API that is used to interface with a firmware device on which the firmware corresponding to the update are stored.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the update data include firmware configuration data corresponding to the firmware update, and wherein execution of the instructions further performs the operation of writing data corresponding to the firmware configuration data to a firmware device used to store the firmware being updated.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the update data includes information identifying a memory buffer in which a firmware image corresponding to the firmware update is stored, and wherein execution of the instructions further performs the operation of writing data corresponding to the firmware image to a firmware device used to store the firmware being updated.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the computer system includes volatile memory, and the update data are stored in the volatile memory.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the update data are stored on a computer network to which the computer system is coupled.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the update data are stored in a portion of a firmware device comprising non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).

25. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the update data are stored on a host-protected area (HPA) of a hard disk device operatively coupled to a motherboard for the computer system

26. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the instructions correspond to firmware components that comply to the extensible firmware interface (EFI) framework standard, and the firmware API corresponds to a variable services EFI runtime service component.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the firmware component comprises an EFI driver that is specific to the computer system component for which firmware is updated and provides direct access to a firmware device on which the firmware for the computer system component is stored.

28. A computer system, comprising:

a motherboard;

a processor, coupled to the motherboard;

volatile memory, coupled to the motherboard; and

a boot firmware device, coupled to the motherboard and comprising flash memory having firmware instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processor effectuate an update of firmware for a computer system component by performing operations including;

publishing generic and component-specific firmware application program interfaces (APIs), each being independent of operating systems that may be run on the computer system;

enabling an operating system runtime application to define update data via the generic interface; and

updating the firmware for the system component via the component-specific firmware API based on the update data.

29. The computer system of claim 28, further comprising an add-in card coupled to the motherboard, the add-in card including a non-volatile rewritable memory device having firmware stored thereon that is updated during the firmware update.

30. The computer system of claim 28, wherein the update data includes information identifying a memory buffer stored in the volatile memory in which a firmware image corresponding to the firmware update is stored, and wherein the component-specific firmware API facilitates the operation of writing data corresponding to the firmware image to a firmware device used to store the firmware being updated.