ACPI to firmware interface

• US 7,953,996 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sumner, William, Culter, Bradley
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh; Jaweed A
• Application Number:
  US11/640,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20080148033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 719/310
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/31 Programming languages or programming paradigms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4484 Executing subprograms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45508 Runtime interpretation or emulation, e g. emulator loops, bytecode interpretation

Abstract

In one embodiment a computer system comprises a processor, a basic input/output system (BIOS) including logic instructions which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to create a virtual AML device data structure, the data structure comprising a plurality of fields to hold arguments to a native firmware function, store at least one argument for the native firmware function in a register of the AML device data structure, store an entry point and a pointer value in a register of the virtual AML device data structure, and initiate an access request to a firmware access register in the AML device data structure.

Claims

1. A method to interface between an AML interpreter and a native firmware function in a computing system, comprising:

creating a virtual AML device data structure, the data structure comprising a plurality of fields to hold arguments to a native firmware function, wherein the virtual AML device data structure is partially based on ACPI tables wherein the ACPI tables are partially static and partially dynamic;

storing at least one argument for the native firmware function in a register of the AML device data structure;

storing an entry point and a pointer value in a register of the virtual AML device data structure; and

initiating an access request to a firmware access register in the AML device data structure.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in an ACPI OpRegion handler;

detecting the access request to the firmware access register; and

calling the native firmware function; and

passing the arguments from the virtual AML device data structure to the native firmware function.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising placing at least one value returned from the native firmware function into a field in the AML device data structure.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising reading at least one value returned from the native firmware function from the AML device data structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a virtual AML device data structure comprises registering an OpRegion address space handler.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein storing at least one argument for the native firmware function in a register of the AML device data structure comprises encoding at least one store operation to write the argument to the register.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a storing an entry point and a pointer value in a register of the virtual AML device data structure comprises storing a physical address for the native firmware function as a parameter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a storing an entry point and a pointer value in a register of the virtual AML device data structure comprises storing a virtual address for the native firmware function as a parameter.

9. A computer system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory module comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, configure the processor to;

create a virtual AML device data structure, the data structure comprising a plurality of fields to hold arguments to a native firmware function, wherein the virtual AML device data structure is partially based on ACPI tables wherein the ACPI tables are partially static and partially dynamic;

store at least one argument for the native firmware function in a register of the AML device data structure;

store an entry point and a pointer value in a register of the virtual AML device data structure; and

initiate an access request to a firmware access register in the AML device data structure.

10. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, configure the processor to:

detect the access request to the firmware access register; and

call the native firmware function; and

pass the arguments from the virtual AML device data structure to the native firmware function.

11. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, configure the processor to place at least one value returned from the native firmware function into a field in the AML device data structure.

12. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, configure the processor to read at least one value returned from the native firmware function from the AML device data structure.

13. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, configure the processor to register an OpRegion address space handler.

14. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, configure the processor to encode at least one store operation to write the argument to the register.

15. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, configure the processor to store a physical address for the native firmware function as a parameter.

16. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising logic instructions stored on a computer readable medium which, when executed, configure the processor to store a virtual address for the native firmware function as a parameter.

17. A computer program product comprising logic instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium which, when executed, configure the processor to:

create a virtual AML device data structure, the data structure comprising a plurality of fields to hold arguments to a native firmware function, wherein the virtual AML device data structure is partially based on ACPI tables wherein the ACPI tables are partially static and partially dynamic;

store at least one argument for the native firmware function in a register of the AML device data structure;

store an entry point and a pointer value in a register of the virtual AML device data structure; and

initiate an access request to a firmware access register in the AML device data structure.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising logic instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium which, when executed, configure the processor to:

detect the access request to the firmware access register; and

call the native firmware function; and

pass the arguments from the virtual AML device data structure to the native firmware function.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising logic instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium which, when executed, configure the processor to place at least one value returned from the native firmware function into a field in the AML device data structure.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising logic instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium which, when executed, configure the processor to read at least one value returned from the native firmware function from the AML device data structure.