METHODS FOR ENABLING SOFTWARE IN STORAGE-CAPABLE DEVICES

• US 20100017809A1
• Filed: 07/16/2008
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Bryant-Rich, Donald Ray, Hahn, Judah Gamliel
• Granted Patent: US 8,561,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/327
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

Methods for enabling software from a storage-capable device including the steps of: loading, by a host system operationally connected to the storage-capable device, software from an authenticatable storage area residing in the storage-capable device; validating the software; and installing the validated software, wherein the validated software provides an interface between the host system and the storage-capable device. In some embodiments, the software is enabling software, the method further including the step of: loading, by the host system, device-functionality software from the authenticatable storage area. In some embodiments, the method further includes the steps of: validating the device-functionality software; and enabling the validated device-functionality software. In some embodiments, the method further includes the steps of: prior to the step of loading the software, executing a probe command in the host system; and returning, by the probe command, a list of device functional units residing in the storage-capable device.

Claims

1. A method for enabling software from a storage-capable device, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) loading, by a host system operationally connected to the storage-capable device, software from an authenticatable storage area residing in the storage-capable device;

(b) validating said software; and

(c) installing said validated software, wherein said validated software provides an interface between said host system and the storage-capable device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said software is enabling software, the method further comprising the step of:

(d) loading, by said host system, device-functionality software from said authenticatable storage area.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

(e) validating said device-functionality software; and

(f) enabling said validated device-functionality software.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(d) prior to said step of loading said software, executing a probe command in said host system; and

(e) subsequent to said step of executing said probe command, returning, by said probe command, a list of device functional units residing in the storage-capable device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said host system is configured to access, from said list, only selected device functional units that are compatible with an operating system of said host system.

6. The method of claim 4, the method further comprising the steps of:

(f) subsequent to said step of returning said list, returning said software based on a host-OS identifier sent in a security-protocol-out payload of said probe command;

(g) determining whether an operating system of said host system supports said software; and

(h) skipping said steps of loading, validating, and installing said software upon determining that said software is not supported by said operating system.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said probe command is configured to return, from said list, only selected device functional units that are compatible with an operating system of said host system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said list is an STID list.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein said probe command is configured to return, from said list, only selected device functional units that are authorized for use with a specific host system.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein said probe command is configured to return, from said list, only selected device functional units that are dependent on a specific revision of a protocol used to enumerate said selected device functional units.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said authenticatable storage area is a digital-rights management device functional unit.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of validating said device-functionality software is performed using a signature.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(d) prior to said step of loading said software, authenticating said authenticatable storage area to said host system using a device certificate;

(e) subsequent to said step of authenticating, establishing a secure session between said host system and a server; and

(f) subsequent to said step of establishing, sending an image of said software with a server certificate to the storage-capable device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said image is encrypted with a key agreed upon via a key exchange using said server certificate.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said software is enabling software, the method further comprising the steps of:

(g) validating said image;

(h) loading, by said host system, device-functionality software from said authenticatable storage area;

(i) validating said device-functionality software; and

(j) enabling said validated device-functionality software.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of validating said device-functionality software is performed using a signature in said device certificate.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for causing software to be enabled from a storage-capable device, the computer-readable code comprising:

(a) program code for loading, by a host system operationally connected to the storage-capable device, software from an authenticatable storage area residing in the storage-capable device;

(b) program code for validating said software; and

(c) program code for installing said validated software, wherein said validated software provides an interface between said host system and the storage-capable device.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein said software is enabling software, the computer-readable code further comprising:

(d) program code for loading, by said host system, device-functionality software from said authenticatable storage area.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, the computer-readable code further comprising:

(e) program code for validating said device-functionality software; and

(f) program code for enabling said validated device-functionality software.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the computer-readable code further comprising:

(d) program code for, prior to said loading said software, executing a probe command in the host system; and

(e) program code for, subsequent to said step of executing said probe command, returning, by said probe command, a list of device functional units residing in the storage-capable device.

21. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein said host system is configured to access, from said list, only selected device functional units that are compatible with an operating system of said host system.

22. The storage medium of claim 20, the computer-readable code further comprising:

(f) program code for, subsequent to said step of returning said list, returning said software based on a host-OS identifier sent in a security-protocol-out payload of said probe command;

(g) program code for, subsequent to said step of returning said software, determining whether an operating system of said host system supports said software; and

(h) program code for, subsequent to said step of determining, skipping said steps of loading, validating, and installing said software upon determining that said software is not supported by said operating system.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein said probe command is configured to return, from said list, only selected device functional units that are compatible with an operating system of said host system.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein said list is an STID list.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein said probe command is configured to return, from said list, only selected device functional units that are authorized for use with a specific host system.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein said probe command is configured to return, from said list, only selected device functional units that are dependent on a specific revision of a protocol used to enumerate said selected device functional units.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein said authenticatable storage area is a digital-rights management device functional unit.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein said program code for validating said device-functionality software is operative using a signature.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the computer-readable code further comprising:

(d) program code for authenticating said authenticatable storage area to said host system using a device certificate, prior to said loading of said software;

(e) program code for establishing a secure session between said host system and a server subsequent to said authenticating; and

(f) program code for sending an image of said software with a server certificate to the storage-capable device, subsequent to said establishing.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein said image is encrypted with a key agreed upon via a key exchange using said server certificate.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein said software is enabling software, the computer-readable code further comprising:

(g) program code for validating said image;

(h) program code for loading, by said host system, device-functionality software from said authenticatable storage area;

(i) program code for validating said device-functionality software; and

(j) program code for enabling said validated device-functionality software.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein said program code for validating said device-functionality software is operative using a signature in said device certificate.