System and method for expanding processor functionality
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- at least one processor;
supporting firmware for supporting at least one function of said at least one processor;
logic operable to expand the functionality of said at least one function in a fashion that is not natively supported by said supporting firmware; and
an interposer for supporting the expanded functionality of said at least one function.
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Abstract
A system comprises at least one processor, and supporting firmware for supporting at least one function of the at least one processor. The system further comprises logic operable to expand the functionality of the at least one function in a fashion that is not natively supported by the supporting firmware, and an interposer for supporting the expanded functionality of the at least one function. A method for expanding the functionality of an execution unit of a system comprises implementing an execution unit in a system, and implementing pre-existing support firmware for the execution unit in the system, wherein the pre-existing support firmware supports at least one function of the execution unit. The method further comprises implementing logic expanding the at least one function in a manner not supported by the pre-existing support firmware, and implementing an interposer to support the expansion of the at least one function.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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at least one processor;
supporting firmware for supporting at least one function of said at least one processor;
logic operable to expand the functionality of said at least one function in a fashion that is not natively supported by said supporting firmware; and
an interposer for supporting the expanded functionality of said at least one function. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for expanding the functionality of an execution unit of a system, said method comprising:
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implementing an execution unit in a system;
implementing pre-existing support firmware for said execution unit in said system, wherein said pre-existing support firmware supports at least one function of said execution unit;
implementing logic expanding said at least one function in a manner not supported by said pre-existing support firmware; and
implementing an interposer to support the expansion of said at least one function. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for supporting an expanded function of an execution unit of a system, said method comprising:
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intercepting a call intended for support firmware of an execution unit of a system;
determining whether said call is for an expanded function of said execution unit that is not supported by said support firmware; and
if said call is for said expanded function, using logic other than said support firmware to support said call for said expanded function. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A system comprising:
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at least one execution unit;
first layer of supporting firmware for supporting said at least one execution unit; and
second layer of supporting firmware for supporting an enhancement to said at least one execution unit, wherein said enhancement is not supported by said first layer of supporting firmware and wherein said second layer of supporting firmware comprises an interface that is transparent to said first layer of supporting firmware. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A system comprising:
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at least one processor;
Processor Abstraction Layer (PAL) firmware for supporting a function of said at least one processor;
logic expanding said function of said at least one processor in a fashion that is not natively supported by said PAL firmware; and
interposer firmware for supporting said expanded functionality. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39)
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Specification