Emulating legacy video using UEFI

• US 8,490,116 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2011
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoenix Technologies EMEA Limited
• Original Assignee: Phoenix Technologies Limited (Pharaoh Acquisition LLC)
• Inventors: Ueltschey, Charles Marion III, Lewis, Timothy Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente, Emerson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sun, Charlie
• Application Number:
  US13/190,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20120159520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 719/323
• US Class Current: 719/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45508 Runtime interpretation or emulation, e g. emulator loops, bytecode interpretation

Abstract

Techniques for supporting legacy VGA video using UEFI standard and extended UEFI graphics drivers. When an operating system that does not natively support the UEFI display protocols requires video services provided by firmware, the operating system communicates a request for video services to a generic video option ROM. The generic video option ROM notifies a generic video SMM driver of the request for video services. Such notification may be performed using a software system management interrupt (SMI). Upon notification, the generic video SMM driver notifies a third party UEFI video driver of the request for video services. The third party video driver provides the requested video services to the operating system. In this way, a third party UEFI graphics driver may support a wide variety of operating systems, even those that do not natively support the UEFI display protocols.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed, cause:

upon an operating system requiring video services provided by firmware, the operating system communicating a request for video services to a generic video option ROM, wherein the operating system does not natively support the UEFI display protocols;

the generic video option ROM notifying a generic video SMM driver of the request for video services;

the generic video SMM driver notifying a third party UEFI video driver of the request for video services; and

the third party UEFI video driver providing the requested video services to the operating system.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the generic video option ROM notifies the generic video SMM driver of the request for video services by issuing a system management interrupt (SMI).

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to the operating system communicating the request for the video services, (a) initializing the generic video option ROM and (b) initializing the generic video SMM driver.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein initializing the generic video SMM driver includes:

locating instances of a graphics output protocol installed on a computer system upon which the operating system resides; and

allocating a software system management interrupt (SMI) command-port value.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein initializing the generic video option ROM includes:

recording a software system management interrupt (SMI) command-port value;

discovering attributes of graphics output devices; and

updating a real-mode interrupt vector table.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the request for video services is a request to access a hardware text buffer.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the request for video services is a request to access a graphic device'"'"'s frame buffer.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

a third party SMM UEFI video driver changing a video mode in response to the request for video services, wherein the third party SMM UEFI video driver is not the third party UEFI video driver.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the generic video SMM driver determines a pixel that would have been updated in an emulated VGA mode and makes a corresponding update in a frame buffer for a graphic device.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically scanning for changes in a memory region that corresponds to a VGA graphics buffer to determine what changes should be made in a frame buffer of a graphic device.

11. A method for firmware to support legacy operating systems, comprising:

upon an operating system requiring video services provided by the firmware, the operating system communicating a request for video services to a generic video option ROM, wherein the operating system does not natively support the UEFI display protocols;

the generic video option ROM notifying a generic video SMM driver of the request for video services;

the generic video SMM driver notifying a third party UEFI video driver of the request for video services; and

the third party UEFI video driver providing the requested video services to the operating system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the generic video option ROM notifies the generic video SMM driver of the request for video services by issuing a system management interrupt (SMI).

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

prior to the operating system communicating the request for the video services, (a) initializing the generic video option ROM and (b) initializing the generic video SMM driver.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein initializing the generic video SMM driver includes:

locating instances of a graphics output protocol installed on a computer system upon which the operating system resides; and

allocating a software system management interrupt (SMI) command-port value.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein initializing the generic video option ROM includes:

recording a software system management interrupt (SMI) command-port value;

discovering attributes of graphics output devices; and

updating a real-mode interrupt vector table.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the request for video services is a request to access a hardware text buffer.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the request for video services is a request to access a graphic device'"'"'s frame buffer.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

a third party SMM UEFI video driver changing a video mode in response to the request for video services, wherein the third party SMM UEFI video driver is not the third party UEFI video driver.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the generic video SMM driver determines a pixel that would have been updated in an emulated VGA mode and makes a corresponding update in a frame buffer for a graphic device.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

periodically scanning for changes in a memory region that corresponds to a VGA graphics buffer to determine what changes should be made in a frame buffer of a graphic device.

21. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a machine-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause;

upon an operating system requiring video services provided by firmware, the operating system communicating a request for video services to a generic video option ROM, wherein the operating system does not natively support the UEFI display protocols;

the generic video option ROM notifying a generic video SMM driver of the request for video services;

the generic video SMM driver notifying a third party UEFI video driver of the request for video services; and

the third party UEFI video driver providing the requested video services to the operating system.