In-system reconfiguring of hardware resources

• US 20070006213A1
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Douglas, Jonathan, Shahidzadeh, Shahrokh, Kirby, William
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44542 Retargetable
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems

Abstract

In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for determining if a system is compatible with an upgrade to a hardware resource of the system, receiving instructions from a remote server to upgrade the hardware resource if the system is compatible, and programming the hardware resource based on the instructions. In one such embodiment, the hardware resource may be programmed via programmable fuses to enable circuitry of the hardware resource. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining if a system is compatible with an upgrade to a hardware resource of the system;

receiving instructions from a remote system to upgrade the hardware resource if the system is compatible; and

programming the hardware resource based on the instructions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an encryption key for the system to the remote system after determining that the system is compatible; and

receiving encrypted instructions from the remote system, wherein the instructions comprise microcode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein programming the hardware resource comprises permanently programming the hardware resource via dynamic fusing performed according to the microcode instructions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the dynamic fusing comprises enabling a path to circuitry of the hardware resource corresponding to the upgrade.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the system is compatible comprises analyzing a configuration table of the system for an enabled status of a feature of the hardware resource corresponding to the upgrade.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the configuration table is set at a point of sale to certify the system as upgradeable with respect to the feature, wherein the certification is to verify that the system includes an image compatible with the feature.

7. An apparatus comprising:

an integrated circuit having a feature table to store information regarding a status of one or more hardware features to be enabled after a point of sale of a system including the integrated circuit.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the feature table comprises a first status register to store information regarding a system support status for the hardware features, the first status register to be set by a vendor of the system to certify whether the system as configured by the vendor is able to support the hardware features.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the feature table comprises a second status register to store information regarding a feature enable status for the hardware features, the second status register to be set by a manufacturer of the integrated circuit to indicate presence of circuitry in the integrated circuit corresponding to the hardware features.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the feature table comprises a third status register to store information regarding an upgraded status for the hardware features, at least a portion of the third status register to be set upon successful enabling of one of the hardware features.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising dynamic fuse programming logic to program the integrated circuit to enable at least one of the hardware features according to microcode received from a remote source.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the dynamic fuse programming logic comprises a fuse burn controller to burn at least one fuse to enable the at least one of the hardware features based on the microcode and a fuse verify controller to verify the burn.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the integrated circuit comprises a processor, and further comprising a block of the processor to perform the at least one of the hardware features, the block coupled to a processor core via the at least one fuse.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the integrated circuit includes the hardware features, the hardware features unenabled unless programmed by the dynamic fuse programming logic.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the feature table comprises a centralized storage for status information available in registers of the integrated circuit, the feature table visible to an external system.

16. An article comprising a machine-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed by a machine enable the machine to perform a method comprising:

determining a target system is qualified to upgrade a hardware component of the target system by analysis of a feature table of the target system; and

preparing and transmitting upgrade instructions to the target system, the upgrade instructions to cause the target system to program the hardware component to enable the upgrade.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises providing validation instructions to the target system, the validation instructions to confirm that the upgrade to the target system was successful.

18. The article of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

charging an account associated with the target system for the upgrade upon confirmation that the upgrade was successful; and

recording information regarding the target system and the upgrade in a central database accessible by a manufacturer of the hardware component.

19. The article of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises preparing and transmitting the upgrade instructions in an encrypted manner according to an encryption key received from the target system.

20. A system comprising:

a processor including a hardware feature that is unenabled at a point of sale of the system;

a programmer coupled to the hardware feature to enable the hardware feature post-point of sale; and

an interface to connect the system to a remote system.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor comprises a feature table to store information regarding a status of the hardware feature.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the feature table comprises a first status register to store information regarding a system status for the hardware feature, the first status register to be set by a vendor of the system to certify whether the system as configured by the vendor is able to support the hardware feature.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the programmer comprises dynamic fuse programming logic to enable the hardware feature according to instructions received from the remote system.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the dynamic fuse programming logic comprises a controller to burn at least one fuse to couple the hardware feature to a processor core.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the hardware feature comprises a security feature.