BIOS Network Access

• US 20140181500A1
• Filed: 08/30/2011
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Mann, James M., Ali, Valiuddin Y.
• Application Number:
  US14/238,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181500A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]

Abstract

Embodiments provide devices and operations which enable a computing device to access a network. The computing device may execute a basic input/output system (BIOS). In response to the BIOS, the computing device may establish a wireless link with a client device and receive, from the client device, network access information.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having basic input/output system (BIOS) stored thereon, wherein instructions of the BIOS, if executed, cause a computing device to:

establish a wireless link with a client device;

receive network access information from the client device via the wireless link; and

access a network based on the network access information.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the instructions of the BIOS, if executed, cause the computing device to:

communicate with the client device via near field communication (NFC) to establish the wireless link.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the instructions of the BIOS, if executed, cause the computing device to:

communicate with the client device via a Bluetooth transmission to establish the wireless link.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the instructions of the BIOS, if executed, further cause the computing device to:

retrieve another BIOS from a remote server via the network; and

replace the BIOS with the another BIOS.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the instructions of the BIOS, if executed, further cause the computing device to:

load an operating system.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the instructions of the BIOS, if executed, cause the computing device to:

receive the network access information via a keyboard of the client device.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory, wherein the memory includes a basic input/output system (BIOS);

a client interface coupled to the memory, wherein the client interface is to wirelessly communicate with a client device to receive network access information associated with a network access point; and

a controller coupled to the client interface, wherein the controller is to execute instructions of the BIOS to control receipt of the network access information and establish a wireless link with a network access point based on the network access information.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the client interface is a near field communication device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the client interface is a Bluetooth device.

10. The apparatus o claim 7, further comprising:

a network interface, wherein the network interface is to establish the wireless link with the network access point.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is to execute another instruction of the BIOS to retrieve another BIOS from a remote server via the network access point, and replace the BIOS with the another BIOS.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a client device, a request r a wireless link from a computing device, wherein the computing device is in a pre-operating system (OS) state;

establishing, by the client device, the wireless link with the computing device in the pre-OS state in response to receipt of the request; and

transmitting, by the client device, network access information via the wireless link.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the request for the wireless ink comprises receiving the request via a near field communication (NFC).

14. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the request for the wireless link comprises receiving the request via a Bluetooth communication.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting the network access information comprises comprises receiving a Bluetooth Human interface Device (HID) profile.