System and Method for Bios and Controller Communication

• US 20110093689A1
• Filed: 10/16/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Walker, James, Pant, Alok, Fredlund, Loren
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes

Abstract

A system and method for BIOS and controller communication. An information handling system comprises a central processing unit coupled to a memory. The memory further comprises a BIOS. The information handling system further comprises a controller coupled to a nonvolatile memory, and a register coupled to the central processing unit and the controller. The controller is operable to initialize communication with the BIOS, and service commands from the BIOS. The central processing unit is operable to initialize communication with the controller, and send commands to the controller.

A method for communication between a BIOS and a controller in an information handling system comprises initializing communication between the BIOS and the controller. The method further comprises encrypting a command using a key by the BIOS, and sending the command to the controller. The controller processes the command, and the BIOS receives the result.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a central processing unit coupled to a memory, wherein the memory further comprises a BIOS;

a controller coupled to a nonvolatile memory;

a register coupled to the central processing unit and the controller;

wherein the controller is operable to;

initialize communication with the BIOS; and

service commands from the BIOS; and

wherein the central processing unit is operable to;

initialize communication with the controller; and

send commands to the controller.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein:

initialize communication with the BIOS comprises;

receiving a signal from the BIOS requesting a key;

generating the key; and

writing the key to the register; and

initialize communication with the controller comprises;

sending the signal to the controller requesting the key; and

reading the key from the register.

3. The information handling system of claim 2, wherein:

service commands from the BIOS comprises;

reading a command from the register;

decrypting the command; and

executing the command; and

send commands to the controller comprises;

encrypting the command using the key; and

writing the command to the register.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein initialize communication with the BIOS comprises saving the key to the nonvolatile memory.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein initialize communication with the controller comprises saving the key to a SMRAM.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

service commands from the BIOS comprises;

generating a new key;

saving the new key to the nonvolatile memory;

encrypting the result of the command and the new key to form an encrypted result; and

writing the encrypted result to the register; and

send commands to the controller comprises;

reading the encrypted result from the register;

decrypting the encrypted result; and

saving the new key to the SMRAM.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the controller is operative to confirm the command comprises;

creating a system management interrupt; and

reading a confirmation message from the register; and

the central processing unit is operative to confirm the command comprises;

receiving the system management interrupt;

writing the confirmation message to the register; and

returning from the system management interrupt.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is operative to service non-critical commands comprises:

reading a command from the register;

determining that the command is a non-critical command; and

executing the command if the command is a non-critical command.

9. A method for communication between a BIOS and a controller in an information handling system comprising:

initializing communication between the BIOS and the controller;

encrypting a command using a key by the BIOS;

sending the command to the controller;

processing the command by the controller; and

receiving the result by the BIOS.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein initializing communication between the BIOS and the controller comprises:

generating the key by the controller;

sending a signal from the BIOS to the controller requesting the key; and

writing the key to a register by the controller.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein initializing communication between the BIOS and the controller comprises reading the key from the register by the BIOS and saving the key in a SMRAM.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein sending the command to the controller comprises writing the command to the register.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein processing the command by the controller comprises:

reading the command from the register;

decrypting the command using the key;

executing the command;

generating a new key; and

encrypting a result of the command and the new key with the key to form an encrypted result; and

writing the encrypted result to the register.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the result by the BIOS comprises:

reading the encrypted result from the register;

decrypting the encrypted result using the key; and

saving the new key in the SMRAM.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising confirming the command, wherein the step of confirming the command comprises:

creating a system management interrupt by the controller; and

writing a confirmation into the register by the BIOS.

16. A software for communication between a BIOS and a controller in an information handling system, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and when executed operable to:

initialize communication between the BIOS and the controller;

encrypt a command using a key by the BIOS;

send the command to the controller;

process the command by the controller; and

receive the result by the BIOS.

17. The software of claim 16, wherein initialize communication between the BIOS and the controller comprises:

generating the key by the controller;

sending a signal from the BIOS to the controller requesting the key;

writing the key to a register by the controller; and

reading the key from the register by the BIOS and saving the key in a SMRAM.

18. The software of claim 17, wherein send the command to the controller comprises writing the command to the register.

19. The software of claim 18, wherein process the command by the controller comprises:

reading the command from the register;

decrypting the command using the key;

executing the command;

generating a new key;

encrypting a result of the command and the new key with the key to form an encrypted result; and

writing the encrypted result to the register.

20. The software of claim 19, wherein receive the result by the BIOS comprises:

reading the encrypted result from the register;

decrypting the encrypted result using the key;

saving the new key in the SMRAM.