Method and apparatus to support remote configuration code

• US 20050198487A1
• Filed: 03/03/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Zimmer, Vincent J., Rothman, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,363,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

A method and related apparatuses involve extensible framework interface (EFI) byte code images packaged within extensible markup language (XML) documents. In one embodiment, a processing system obtains an XML document, extracts an EFI byte code (EBC) image from the XML document, and then executes the EBC image. For instance, such a process may be used to obtain configuration code such as an EFI driver from a remote system. Processes are disclosed for retrieving and loading configuration code in pre-boot and runtime environments. Additional embodiments relate to XML files containing EBC images, processing systems that use EBC images from XML documents as configuration code, and processing system that provide XML documents with EBC images to other processing systems. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

extracting an extensible framework interface (EFI) byte code image from an extensible markup language (XML) document; and

executing the EFI byte code (EBC) image on a processing system.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the XML document from a remote processing system to the processing system.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

decoding the EBC image from a text-based encoding to a binary image.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

decoding the EBC image from a text-based encoding to a binary image; and

utilizing an EFI virtual machine to interpret the EBC image.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein

the EBC image comprises an EFI driver;

and

the operation of executing the EBC image comprises loading the EFI driver in a pre-operating system environment of the processing system.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein

the EBC image comprises an EFI driver;

and

the operation of executing the EBC image comprises loading the EFI driver in an operating system runtime environment of the processing system.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the XML document from local data storage.

8. A method comprising:

transmitting an extensible markup language (XML) document to a remote processing system, wherein the XML document includes a text-based encoding of an extensible framework interface (EFI) byte code image.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, from the remote processing system, a request for configuration code for a pre-operating system environment; and

automatically transmitting the XML document with the text-based encoding of the EFI byte code image to the remote processing system in response to the request.

10. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, from the remote processing system, a request for configuration code for an operating system runtime environment; and

automatically transmitting the XML document with the text-based encoding of the EFI byte code image to the remote processing system in response to the request.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a machine accessible medium; and

instructions encoded in the machine accessible medium, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to perform operations comprising;

extracting an extensible framework interface (EFI) byte code image from an extensible markup language (XML) document; and

executing the EFI byte code (EBC) image.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11., wherein the operations performed by the instructions further comprise:

retrieving the XML document from a remote processing system.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the operations performed by the instructions further comprise:

decoding the EBC image from a text-based encoding to a binary image.

14. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the operations performed by the instructions further comprise:

decoding the EBC image from a text-based encoding to a binary image; and

utilizing an EFI virtual machine to interpret the EBC image.

15. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

the EBC image comprises an EFI driver; and

the operation of executing the EBC image comprises loading the EFI driver in a pre-operating system environment of the processing system.

16. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

the EBC image comprises an EFI driver; and

the operation of executing the EBC image comprises loading the EFI driver in an operating system runtime environment of the processing system.

17. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the operations performed by the instructions further comprise:

obtaining the XML document from local data storage.

18. An apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

a processor communicatively coupled to the machine accessible medium, the processor to execute the instructions encoded in the machine accessible medium.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a machine accessible medium;

an extensible markup language (XML) document encoded in the machine accessible medium; and

a driver element within the XML document, wherein the driver element of the XML document includes a text-based encoding of an extensible framework interface (EFI) byte code image operable for use in configuring a processing system.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising:

a processor communicatively coupled to the machine accessible medium;

memory communicatively coupled to the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processing system to perform operations comprising;

transmitting the XML document with the EFI byte code (EBC) image to a remote processing system.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the operations performed by the instructions further comprise:

receiving, from the remote processing system, a request for configuration code; and

automatically transmitting the XML document with the text-based encoding of the EBC image to the remote processing system in response to the request.