Memory configuration data protection

• US 6,336,176 B1
• Filed: 04/08/1999
• Issued: 01/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Leyda, Jeffery, Hoffman, Robert R. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THAN VINH
• Application Number:
  US09/289,153
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 714/36, 714/40-42, 714/718-724, 711/1, 711/5, 711/101-105, 711/170-173
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1004 to protect a block of data words, e.g. CRC or checksum G06F11/1076 takes precedence; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorized activity G06F21/00

Abstract

A method to protect against system memory configuration data loss and/or corruption includes obtaining configuration data from a computer system memory module, determining if the obtained configuration data is incorrect, and repairing the configuration data of the memory module if the obtained configuration data is incorrect. A computer system providing memory configuration data protection includes a random access memory having one or more modules (each memory module having module configuration data), a nonvolatile storage element having configuration data for each of the memory modules stored thereon, and a processor module adapted to determine if the configuration data from one of the memory modules is incorrect and, if it is, use at least a portion of the configuration data stored in the nonvolatile storage element to replace at least a portion of the configuration data of the memory module having the incorrect configuration data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining data from a computer system memory module, the data indicating configuration information specific to the memory module;

determining if the obtained data is incorrect; and

repairing the data of the memory module if the obtained data is incorrect.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring a memory control interface in accordance with the repaired data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of configuring a memory control interface comprises configuring a memory control interface in a computer system bridge circuit.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the acts of obtaining, determining, repairing, and configuring are performed for each memory module in a computer system memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of obtaining data comprises obtaining the data from a serial presence detect random access memory module.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining if the obtained data is incorrect comprises evaluating a checksum value obtained as part of the obtained data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining if the obtained data is incorrect further comprises:

determining if the data obtained from the memory module represents a new memory module; and

if it does

storing the data obtained from the memory module in a nonvolatile storage element.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of obtaining data further comprises obtaining second data for the memory module from a nonvolatile storage element.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of obtaining the second data comprises obtaining data from a basic input-output system memory.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of determining if the obtained data is incorrect comprises comparing a portion of the data with a portion of the second data.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of repairing comprises replacing that portion of the data obtained from the memory module with a corresponding portion of the second data obtained from the nonvolatile storage.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of repairing comprises replacing all of the data obtained from the memory module with the second data obtained from the nonvolatile storage.

13. A program storage device, readable by a computer processor, comprising:

instructions stored on the program storage device for causing the computer processor to obtain data from a computer system memory module, the data indicating configuration information specific to the memory module;

determine if the obtained data is incorrect; and

repair the data of the memory module if the obtained data is incorrect.

14. The program storage device of claim 13, further comprising instructions to configure a memory control interface in accordance with the repaired memory data.

15. The program storage device of claim 14, wherein the instructions to configure a memory control interface comprise instructions to configure a memory control interface in a computer system bridge circuit.

16. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein the instructions to obtain data comprise instructions to obtain the data from a serial presence detect random access memory module.

17. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein the instructions to determine if the obtained data is incorrect comprise instructions to evaluate a checksum value obtained as part of the obtained data.

18. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein the instructions to determine if the obtained data is incorrect further comprise instructions to:

determine if the data obtained from the memory module represents a new memory module; and

if it does

store the data obtained from the memory module in a nonvolatile storage element.

19. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein the instructions to obtain data further comprise instructions to obtain second data for the memory module from a nonvolatile storage element.

20. The program storage device of claim 19, wherein the nonvolatile storage element comprises an electrically erasable programmable read only memory element.

21. The program storage device of claim 20, wherein the electrically erasable programmable read only memory element is one element of a computer processor module.

22. The program storage device of claim 19, wherein the nonvolatile storage element comprises a FLASH memory device.

23. The program storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructions to determine if the obtained data is incorrect comprise instructions to compare a portion of the data with a portion of the second data.

24. The program storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructions to repair comprise instructions to replace a portion of the data obtained from the memory module with a corresponding portion of the second data obtained from the nonvolatile storage element.

25. The program storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructions to repair comprise instructions to replace all of the data obtained from the memory module with the second data obtained from the nonvolatile storage element.

26. A computer system, comprising:

a random access memory having one or more memory modules, each memory module having data indicating configuration information specific to said each memory module;

a nonvolatile storage element having stored therein the data for each of the one or more memory modules; and

a processor module operatively coupled to the random access memory and nonvolatile storage element, the processor module adapted to determine if the data from one of the one or more memory modules is incorrect and, if it is, use at least a portion of the data from the nonvolatile storage element to replace at least a portion of the data of the memory module having the incorrect data.

27. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the random access memory comprises serial presence detect random access memory.

28. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the nonvolatile storage element comprises electrically erasable programmable read only memory.

29. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the nonvolatile storage element comprises a FLASH memory device.

30. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the nonvolatile memory element further comprises basic input-output system routine instructions.

31. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the processor module comprises a central processing unit.

32. The computer system of claim 31, wherein the processor module further comprises the nonvolatile storage element.

33. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the, nonvolatile memory element further comprises basic input-output system routine instructions.

34. A method to protect computer system memory configuration data, comprising:

obtaining configuration data from a computer system memory module;

determining if the obtained configuration data is incorrect, including determining if the configuration data obtained from the memory module represents a new memory module; and

if it does, storing the configuration data obtained from the memory module in a nonvolatile storage element; and

repairing the configuration data of the memory module if the obtained configuration data is incorrect.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising configuring a memory control interface in accordance with the repaired memory configuration data.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the act of obtaining configuration data comprises obtaining the configuration data from a serial presence detect random access memory module.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the act of determining if the obtained configuration data is incorrect comprises evaluating a checksum value obtained as part of the obtained configuration data.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the act of obtaining configuration data further comprises obtaining a second configuration data for the memory module from a nonvolatile storage element.

39. A program storage device, readable by a computer processor, comprising:

instructions stored on the program storage device for causing the computer processor to obtain configuration data from a computer system memory module;

determine if the obtained configuration data is incorrect, including causing the processor to determine if the configuration data obtained from the memory module represents a new memory; and

if it does, store the configuration data obtained from the memory module in a nonvolatile storage element; and

repair the configuration data of the memory module if the obtained configuration data is incorrect.

40. The program storage device of claim 39, further comprising instructions to configure a memory control interface in accordance with the repaired memory configuration data.

41. The program storage device of claim 39, wherein the instructions to obtain configuration data comprise instructions to obtain the configuration data from a serial presence detect random access memory module.

42. The program storage device of claim 39, wherein the instructions to determine if the obtained configuration data is incorrect comprise instructions to evaluate a checksum value obtained as part of the obtained configuration data.

43. The program storage device of claim 39, wherein the instructions to obtain configuration data further comprise instructions to obtain a second configuration data for the memory module from a nonvolatile storage element.

44. The program storage device of claim 43, wherein the instructions to determine if the obtained configuration data is incorrect comprise instructions to compare a portion of the configuration data with a portion of the second configuration data.

45. The program storage device of claim 43, wherein the instructions to repair comprise instructions to replace a portion of the configuration data obtained from the memory module with a corresponding portion of the second configuration data obtained from the nonvolatile storage element.

46. The program storage device of claim 43, wherein the instructions to repair comprise instructions to replace all of the configuration data obtained from the memory module with the second configuration data obtained from the nonvolatile storage element.

47. A computer system, comprising:

a random access memory having one or more memory modules, each memory module having module configuration data;

a nonvolatile storage element having stored therein configuration data for each of the one or more memory modules; and

a processor module operatively coupled to the random access memory and nonvolatile storage element, the processor module adapted to determine if the configuration data from one of the more memory modules is incorrect and, if it is, repair the configuration data of the memory module, and wherein the determination step further including determining if the configuration data obtained from the memory module represents a new memory module; and

if it does, storing configuration data obtained from the memory module in a nonvolatile storage element.

48. The computer system of claim 47, wherein the random access memory comprises serial presence detect random access memory.

49. The computer system of claim 47, wherein the nonvolatile storage element comprises electrically erasable programmable read only memory.

50. The computer system of claim 47, wherein the nonvolatile storage element comprises a FLASH memory device.