Firmware filters and patches

• US 20070094655A1
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Rostampour, Arad
• Granted Patent: US 8,930,684 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods, including program instructions, are provided for firmware filters and patches. One method embodiment includes executing extended firmware interface (EFI) program instructions to modify a firmware implementation underlying an interface and invoking the modified firmware implementation.

Claims

1. A method for firmware modification on a system, comprising:

executing extended firmware interface (EFI) program instructions to modify a firmware implementation underlying an interface; and

invoking the modified implementation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing EFI program instructions includes executing instructions to patch a table in an interface selected from the group of:

an EFI interface;

a system abstraction layer (SAL) interface;

a processor abstraction layer (PAL) interface; and

an advanced power configuration interface (ACPI).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein executing instructions to patch the table in the interface to modify the firmware implementation underlying the interface includes executing instructions to change static table data in an existing memory location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein executing instructions to patch the table in the interface to modify the firmware implementation underlying the interface includes allocating a new memory location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method includes executing instructions to generate a new static table and to insert the new static table into the new memory location.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the method includes executing instructions to generate new runtime instruction entrypoints and to insert the new runtime instruction entrypoints into the memory location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein executing EFI program instructions includes executing instructions to filter runtime services.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein executing instructions to filter runtime services includes executing instructions to do one or a combination of:

modify arguments in a call to a particular set of firmware;

pass the modified arguments on to the particular set of firmware;

receive return values from the particular set of firmware; and

provide the received return value to a calling entity.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein executing instructions to filter runtime services includes executing instructions to do one or a combination of:

receive return values from the particular set of firmware;

change the received return values; and

provide the changed return values to the calling entity.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein executing instructions to filter runtime services includes executing instructions to do one or a combination of:

pass unchanged a call to a particular set of firmware;

receive return values from the particular set of firmware;

modify the received return values; and

provide the modified return values to a calling entity.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein executing instructions to filter runtime services includes executing instructions to point to a new firmware implementation allocated in a new memory location.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein executing instructions to filter runtime services includes, having executed instructions to patch runtime service instruction entrypoints, executing instructions to do one or a combination of:

pass unchanged a call to a particular set of firmware;

receive return values from the particular set of firmware; and

deliver the received return values, unchanged, to a calling entity.

13. A computer readable medium having executable instructions stored thereon to cause a device to perform a method for firmware modification, comprising:

executing extended firmware interface (EFI) program instructions to patch tables and runtime service entrypoints to modify a firmware implementation underlying an interface; and

invoking the modified implementation.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method includes executing instructions to move a device in advanced power configuration interface (ACPI) namespace.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the method includes patching a differentiated system description table.

16. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method includes executing instructions to hide a device in ACPI namespace.

17. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method includes executing instructions to change a runtime service in a system abstraction layer (SAL) interface.

18. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method includes executing instructions to delete a runtime service in a SAL interface.

19. The medium of claim 13, wherein the method includes executing instructions to add a runtime service in a SAL interface.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the method includes executing instructions to add a subordinate runtime service that describes a device not known to a firmware image on a system but useable by a particular OS.

21. The medium of claim 19, wherein the method includes executing instructions to add an OS particular table that describes attributes of a platform particular to the OS.

22. A computer readable medium having executable instructions stored thereon to cause a device to perform a method for firmware modification, comprising:

executing extended firmware interface (EFI) program instructions to;

patch tables and runtime service entrypoints to modify a firmware implementation underlying an interface; and

filter a call to firmware to invoke the modified firmware implementation.

23. The medium of claim 22, wherein executing instructions to filter the call to firmware includes executing instructions to modify the call to firmware before passing the call to a particular set of firmware.

24. The medium of claim 22, wherein executing instructions to filter the call to firmware includes executing instructions to pass the call, unchanged, to a particular set of firmware and to modify return values received back from the particular set of firmware.

25. The medium of claim 22, wherein executing instructions to filter the call to firmware includes executing instructions to pass the call to a different set of firmware the called by a calling entity.

26. A computing system, comprising:

a processor;

memory connected to the processor;

a number of operating systems (OSs) on the system;

an extended firmware interface (EFI) on the system;

various platform hardware associated with particular OSs on the system; and

program instructions storable in the memory and executable by the processor to modify firmware behavior on the system without changing EFI.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the program instructions executable to modify firmware behavior include instructions that can execute to patch static tables associated with boot time services to modify firmware behavior associated with booting a particular OS.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the program instructions executable to modify firmware behavior include instructions that can execute to patch runtime service entrypoints to modify firmware behavior associated with a particular runtime service.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the program instructions executable to patch runtime service entry points to modify firmware behavior associated with a particular runtime service includes program instructions executable to do one or a combination of:

change a runtime service entrypoint,

add a runtime service entrypoint; and

delete a runtime service entrypoint.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the program instructions executable to modify firmware behavior include instructions that can execute such that a particular operating system sees a single disk during an install.

31. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

memory connected to the processor;

a number of operating systems (OSs) on the system;

an extended firmware interface (EFI) on the system;

various platform hardware associated with particular OSs on the system; and

means for applying OS specific changes on a multiple-OS firmware image.

32. The computing device of claim 31, wherein the means includes executing extended firmware interface (EFI) program instructions to:

patch tables and runtime service entrypoints to modify a firmware implementation underlying an interface; and

filter a call to firmware to invoke the modified firmware implementation.

33. The computing device of claim 32, wherein the instructions execute to provide a file system filter to add a file to a CD-ROM file system which is read only such that a particular file is visible to an operating system boot.

34. The computing device of claim 32, wherein the instructions execute to remap PCI bus numbering for a particular OS.

35. The computing device of claim 34, wherein the instructions execute to insert a driver on to PCI accesses performed by a system abstraction layer.