Methods and apparatus to operate in multiple phases of a basic input/output system (BIOS)

• US 7,093,116 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2003
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Lei, Ma, Xiang, Chen, Lechong
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Chun
• Application Number:
  US10/424,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to operate in multiple phases of a basic input/output system (BIOS) are described herein. In an example method, an initialization driver retrieves resources associated with a plurality of phases of the BIOS from an initialization library to initialize a platform. Based on the resources, the initialization driver is executed in a first phase and a second phase of the BIOS.

Claims

1. A method to operate in multiple phases of a basic input/output system (BIOS), the method comprising:

retrieving resources to initialize a platform from an initialization library, the initialization library configured to provide resources associated with a plurality of phases of the BIOS;

executing an initialization driver associated with the initialization library in a first phase of the BIOS based on the resources; and

executing the initialization driver in a second phase of the BIOS based on the resources.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein retrieving resources to initialize the platform from the initialization library comprises retrieving resources to initialize the platform from an extensible firmware interface (EFI) combination library configured to provide resources associated with one of a pre-EFI (PEI) phase and a driver execution environment (DXE) phase.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein retrieving resources to initialize the platform from the initialization library comprises retrieving resources associated with one of a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) configuration space accessing function, an input/output accessing function, and a memory operation function.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein executing the initialization driver in the first phase of the BIOS based on the resources comprises executing an extensible firmware interface (EFI) driver in one of a pre-extensible firmware interface (PEI) phase and a driver execution environment (DXE) phase of an EFI-based BIOS.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein executing the initialization driver in the second phase of the BIOS based on the resources comprises executing an extensible firmware interface (EFI) driver in one of a driver execution environment (DXE) phase and a pre-EFI (PEI) phase of an EFI-based BIOS.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein executing the initialization driver in the second phase of the BIOS based on the resources comprises executing an extensible firmware interface (EFI) combination driver in a driver execution environment (DXE) phase during a resume boot path of a sleep state associated with the Advanced Computer Power Interface (ACPI) protocol.

7. A processor system comprising:

an initialization library configured to provide resources associated with a plurality of phases of a basic input/output system (BIOS) to initialize a platform; and

an initialization driver in communication with the initialization library, the initialization driver being configured to operate in the plurality of phases associated with the BIOS based on the resources from the initialization library.

8. A processor system as defined in claim 7, wherein the initialization library comprises an extensible firmware interface (EFI) combination library configured to provide resources associated with one of a pre-EFI (PEI) phase and a driver execution environment (DXE) phase of an EFI-based BIOS.

9. A processor system as defined in claim 7, wherein the initialization library comprises an extensible firmware interface (EFI) combination library configured to provide resources associated with one of a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) configuration space accessing function, an input/output accessing function, and a memory operation function.

10. A processor system as defined in claim 7, wherein the initialization driver comprises an extensible firmware interface (EFI) combination driver configured to operate in a pre-EFI (PEI) phase and a driver execution environment (DXE) phase.

11. A processor system as defined in claim 7, wherein the initialization driver comprises an extensible firmware interface (EFI) driver configured to operate in a driver execution environment (DXE) phase during a resume boot path of a sleep state associated with the Advanced Computer Power Interface (ACPI) protocol.

12. A machine readable medium storing instructions, which when executed, cause a machine to:

retrieve resources to initialize a platform from an initialization library configured to provide resources associated with a plurality of phases of a basic input/output system (BIOS);

execute an initialization driver associated with the initialization library in a first phase of the BIOS based on the resources; and

execute the initialization driver in a second phase of the BIOS based on the resources.

13. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions to cause the machine to retrieve resources to initialize the platform from the initialization library by retrieving resources associated with one of a pre-EFI (PEI) phase and a driver execution environment (DXE) phase from an EFI combination library.

14. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions to cause the machine to retrieve resources to initialize the platform from the initialization library by retrieving resources associated with one of a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) configuration space accessing function, an input/output accessing function, and a memory operation function.

15. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions to cause the machine to execute an initialization driver associated with the initialization library in the first phase of the BIOS by executing an extensible firmware interface (EFI) combination driver in one of a pre-extensible firmware interface (PEI) phase and a driver execution environment (DXE) phase of an EFI-based BIOS.

16. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions to cause the machine to execute an initialization driver associated with the initialization library in the second phase of the BIOS by executing an extensible firmware interface (EFI) driver in one of a driver execution environment (DXE) phase and a pre-EFI (PEI) phase of an EFI-based BIOS.

17. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions to cause the machine to execute an initialization driver associated with the initialization library in the second phase of the BIOS by executing an extensible firmware interface (EFI) combination driver in a driver execution environment (DXE) phase during a resume boot path of a sleep state associated with the Advanced Computer Power Interface (ACPI) protocol.

18. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 12 is one of a programmable gate array, application specific integrated circuit, erasable programmable read only memory, read only memory, random access memory, magnetic media, and optical media.

19. A processor system comprising:

a dynamic random access memory (DRAM);

an initialization library stored in the DRAM and configured to provide resources associated with a plurality of phases of a basic input/output system to initialize a platform; and

an initialization driver in communication with the initialization library, the initialization driver being configured to operate in the plurality of phases associated with the BIOS based on the resources from the initialization library.

20. A processor system as defined in claim 19, wherein the initialization library comprises an extensible firmware interface (EFI) combination library configured to provide resources associated with one of a pre-EFI (PEI) phase and a driver execution environment (DXE) phase of an EFI-based BIOS.

21. A processor system as defined in claim 19, wherein the initialization library comprises an extensible firmware interface (EFI) combination library configured to provide resources associated with one of a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) configuration space accessing function, an input/output accessing function, and a memory operation function.

22. A processor system as defined in claim 19, wherein the initialization driver comprises an extensible firmware interface (EFI) combination driver configured to operate in a pre-extensible firmware interface (PEI) phase and a driver execution environment (DXE) phase.

23. A processor system as defined in claim 19, wherein the initialization driver comprises an extensible firmware interface (EFI) driver configured to operate in a driver execution environment (DXE) phase during a resume boot path of a sleep state associated with the Advanced Computer Power Interface (ACPI) protocol.