Method of comparing build capability flags of replacement BIOS with boot capability flags of current BIOS to determine compatibility between BIOS revisions and installed hardware during flash update
First Claim
1. An information handling system having one or more central processing units operative with main memory, said information handling system further comprising:
- a present BIOS operative with said one or more central processing units, said present BIOS having one or more build capability flags and one or more current boot capability flags;
wherein, when said present BIOS is updated with a replacement BIOS, replacement build capability flags of said replacement BIOS can be compared to said current boot capability flags of said present BIOS to determine if said replacement BIOS can be used in place of said present BIOS.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a BIOS having two sets of flags. The first set of flags is the build capability flags. The second set of flags is the boot capability flags. Each of the flags can be stored as a value through the combination of bits that make up the flags and are stored in, for example, a register. The one or more values that make up the build capability flags can be compared to the one or more values that make up the boot capability flags. The current BIOS is updateable with a BIOS version that also has a build capability flag and a current boot capability flag. More specifically, the BIOS is updateable if the replacement build capability flags enable the booting of an information system having current build capability. For example, an update of the BIOS will only occur if the value of the updated build capability flags is greater than or equal to the value of the current boot capability flags. The comparison ensures that the features needed for current operation of the information handling system are present in the updated BIOS, and thus, that the updated BIOS will not preclude operation of the information handling system as it is currently configured.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. An information handling system having one or more central processing units operative with main memory, said information handling system further comprising:
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a present BIOS operative with said one or more central processing units, said present BIOS having one or more build capability flags and one or more current boot capability flags; wherein, when said present BIOS is updated with a replacement BIOS, replacement build capability flags of said replacement BIOS can be compared to said current boot capability flags of said present BIOS to determine if said replacement BIOS can be used in place of said present BIOS. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of updating a BIOS comprising:
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a) providing a present BIOS having one or more current build capability flags and one or more current boot capability flags; b) providing a replacement BIOS having one or more replacement build capability flags and one or more replacement boot capability flags; and c) comparing said replacement build capability flags to said current boot capability flags to determine whether said updating is allowed. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. An computer system having one or more central processing units operative with main memory, said information handling system further comprising:
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a) present BIOS means having one or more current build capability flags and one or more current boot capability flags; b) replacement BIOS means having one or more replacement build capability flags and one or more replacement boot capability flags; and c) comparison means for comparing said replacement build capability flags to said current boot capability flags to determine whether said updating is allowed.
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Specification