Controlling ill-behaved computer add-on device through a virtual execution mode
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising a storage medium having stored therein an initialization service of a set of basic input/output services (BIOS), the initialization service including operating logic for locating initialization tasks of devices added on to the apparatus, and for creating execution context of the initialization tasks, wherein the apparatus is equipped with system protection features that can be selectively employed or not employed, and the operating logic creates the context in a manner such that the initialization tasks are executed with the employment of the system protection features and with interrupts and exceptions arisen during execution of the initialization tasks redirected to a predetermined execution monitor.
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Abstract
A computer system is programmed with basic input/output services (BIOS), including an initialization service, and an associated virtual mode execution monitor. The initialization service scans for option ROMs of add-on devices at power on/reset. For each detected option ROM, the initialization service creates the runtime definition of its initialization task, setting up the initialization task to be executed in a virtual mode, redirecting all interrupts and exceptions arisen during execution of the initialization task to the virtual mode execution monitor. For each redirected interrupt/exception, the virtual mode execution monitor either allows the triggering attempted operation to be performed, or substitutes an impermissible triggering attempted operation with one or more fail safe recovery operations, or simply terminates the "ill-behaving" initialization task.
39 Citations
19 Claims
- 1. An apparatus comprising a storage medium having stored therein an initialization service of a set of basic input/output services (BIOS), the initialization service including operating logic for locating initialization tasks of devices added on to the apparatus, and for creating execution context of the initialization tasks, wherein the apparatus is equipped with system protection features that can be selectively employed or not employed, and the operating logic creates the context in a manner such that the initialization tasks are executed with the employment of the system protection features and with interrupts and exceptions arisen during execution of the initialization tasks redirected to a predetermined execution monitor.
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12. A method for controlling ill-behaved add on devices of computer systems equipped with system protection features that can be selectively employed or not employed, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) locating initialization tasks of the add on devices; (b) creating execution context of the initialization tasks in a manner such that the initialization tasks are executed with the employment of system protection features; and (c) further setting up the execution context of the initialization tasks such that interrupts and exceptions arisen during execution of the initialization tasks are redirected to a predetermined execution monitor. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification