Electronic computing device and reboot method thereof

• US 9,619,246 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cloud Network Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lu, Chi-Chang, Liu, Deng-Rung
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Vincent
• Application Number:
  US14/558,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20150089105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 713 1, 713 2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/24 using interrupt G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/442 Shutdown
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5022 Mechanisms to release resources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An electronic computing device comprises first and second nonvolatile memories. The second nonvolatile memory serves as a main memory of the device. A processor clears the second nonvolatile memory in response to shutdown command according to a setting reflecting a first user operation. A processor clears the second nonvolatile memory and loads the kernel from the first nonvolatile memory to the second nonvolatile memory in response to a boot command according to a condition of a second user operation detected by the processor regardless of the setting reflecting the first user operation.

Claims

1. An electronic computing device comprising:

a processor;

a main memory of the processor, the main memory comprising a nonvolatile memory and retaining data and programs stored in the main memory even if the electronic computing device is shut down, wherein the electronic computing device further comprises a backup nonvolatile memory area storing a kernel of an operating system of the electronic computing device, a setting parameter of the electronic computing device is indicative of one of a plurality of memory related values and reflects a first user operation, and the processor executes the reboot method comprising;

retaining an executable instance of the kernel in the main memory during a shutdown process of the electronic computing device in response to an interrupt representing a shutdown command according to the setting parameter of the electronic computing device; and

shutting down the electronic computing device in response to the shutdown command; and

detecting a second user operation for a defined condition of the second user operation;

clearing the main memory and loading the kernel to the main memory to replacing the executable instance of the kernel during a bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device according to the second user operation regardless of whether the executable instance of the kernel is retained in the main memory during the shutdown process.

2. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reboot method further comprises:

clearing a located memory area of the main memory during the shutdown process of the electronic computing device in response to the shutdown command if the setting parameter is indicative of a first setting parameter value; and

bypassing the clearing of the located memory area of the main memory during the bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device in response to a boot command upon a specific condition of detecting the second user operation.

3. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the setting parameter is indicative of one of a plurality of memory releasing processes, and the reboot method further comprises:

performing a portion of the bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device before shutdown of the electronic computing device in response to the shutdown command, wherein the portion of the bootstrapping process comprises;

reloading the kernel to the main memory to retain a updated instance of the kernel in the main memory upon a condition that the setting parameter is indicative of a more aggressive memory releasing;

recording in a bootstrap-related field a resume address of the main memory from which execution of the kernel is designated to resume in response to reboot of the electronic computing device; and

shutting down the electronic computing device in response to the shutdown command.

4. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

disabling interrupt handling during the reloading of the kernel.

5. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

retaining an existing instance of the kernel prior to the shutdown command as the executable instance of the kernel in the main memory through the shutdown process in response to the shutdown command of the electronic computing device;

recording in a bootstrap-related field a resume address of the main memory from which execution of the kernel is designated to resume in response to a reboot of the electronic computing device; and

shutting down the electronic computing device in response to the shutdown command.

6. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

retaining the executable instance of the kernel and at least one application program in the main memory through the shutdown process upon a condition that the setting parameter is indicative of the less aggressive memory releasing.

7. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a wireless cellular communication channel;

establishing a wireless local area network communication channel; and

providing a service of wide area network access by providing a wireless access point function offering the service based on the wireless cellular communication channel and the wireless local area network communication channel.

8. A reboot method executable by an electronic computing device comprising a first nonvolatile memory operable to store a kernel of an operating system of the electronic computing device, a main memory comprising a second nonvolatile memory of the electronic computing device, and a processor operable to utilize the second nonvolatile memory operable as the main memory of the electronic computing device, a setting parameter of the electronic computing device is indicative of one of a plurality of memory related values, wherein the setting parameter reflects a user operation and is associated with a decision of whether the main memory retains executable programming codes over shutdown of the electronic computing device for resumable execution during a next bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device after the shutdown, and the reboot method comprises:

clearing a portion of the main memory during a state transition process of the electronic computing device in response to an interrupt representing one of a shutdown command and a bootstrapping command if the setting parameter of the electronic computing device is indicative of a first parameter value; and

clearing the entirety of the main memory according to the setting parameter of the electronic computing device indicative of a second parameter value during the state transition process of the electronic computing device in response to the interrupt, wherein the interrupt is issued to change an operating state of the electronic computing device in response to an operation of the input unit;

wherein at least one of the clearing of at least one of the portion of the main memory and the clearing of the entirety of the main memory make more memory space for a next bootstrapping of the electronic computing device.

9. The reboot method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

retaining an executable instance of the kernel in the main memory through a shutdown process associated with the shutdown command, wherein the setting parameter reflects whether the executable instance of the kernel is formed from a old version of the kernel lasting in the main memory or a new version of the kernel reloaded to the main memory.

10. The reboot method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the reboot method further comprises:

shutting down the electronic computing device in response to the shutdown command;

clearing the entirety of the main memory according to a configurable bootstrap-related field of the electronic computing device during a bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device in response to a first instance of a boot command of the electronic computing device upon a condition that the bootstrap-related field comprises a first value, wherein the bootstrap-related field reflects a bootstrapping sequence among a plurality of bootstrapping sequences of the electronic computing device associated with the bootstrapping process, and reflects a decision of whether to resume executable programming codes retained in the main memory during the bootstrapping process, wherein the executable programming codes is retained in the main memory over shutdown of the electronic computing device; and

bypassing the clearing of the entirety of the main memory during the bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device in response to the first instance of the boot command according to the bootstrap-related field upon a condition that the bootstrap-related field comprises a second value.

11. The reboot method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the setting parameter is indicative of one of a plurality of memory releasing processes, and the reboot method further comprises:

performing a portion of a bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device before shutdown of the electronic computing device in response to a first instance of the shutdown command, wherein the portion of the bootstrapping process comprises;

reloading the kernel to the main memory upon a condition that the setting parameter is indicative of a more aggressive memory releasing;

recording in a configurable memory-related field a resume address of the second nonvolatile memory from which execution of the kernel is designated to resume in response to reboot of the electronic computing device;

shutting down the electronic computing device in response to the shutdown command; and

bypassing clearing of the main memory and bypassing the reloading of the kernel during an instance of the bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device according to the configurable memory-related field.

12. The reboot method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the reboot method further comprises:

disabling interrupt handling during the reloading of the kernel.

13. A reboot method executable by an electronic computing device comprising a first nonvolatile memory, a second nonvolatile memory, and a processor, wherein the first nonvolatile memory is operable to store a kernel of an operating system of the electronic computing device, the processor utilizes the second nonvolatile memory operable as a main memory of the electronic computing device, a setting parameter of the electronic computing device is indicative of one of a plurality of memory related values, the setting parameter reflects a user operation and is associated with a decision of whether the main memory retains executable programming codes over shutdown of the electronic computing device for resumable execution during a next bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device after the shutdown, and the processor executes the reboot method comprising:

clearing the entirety of the main memory during a shutdown process of the electronic computing device in response to an interrupt representing a shutdown command according to the setting parameter of the electronic computing device is indicative of a first parameter value; and

shutting down the electronic computing device in response to the shutdown command; and

loading the kernel to the main memory and bypassing clearing of the main memory prior to the loading of the kernel during a bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device according to the configurable memory-related field.

14. An electronic computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a main memory of the processor, which comprises a nonvolatile memory and retains data and programs stored in the main memory even if the electronic computing device is shut down, wherein the electronic computing device further comprises a backup nonvolatile memory area storing a kernel of an operating system of the electronic computing device, a setting parameter of the electronic computing device is indicative of one of a plurality of memory related values and reflects a first user operation, and the processor executes the reboot method comprising;

clearing the entirety of the main memory during a shutdown process of the electronic computing device in response to an interrupt representing a shutdown command according to the setting parameter of the electronic computing device is indicative of a first parameter value; and

shutting down the electronic computing device in response to the shutdown command; and

clearing of the main memory and loading the kernel to the main memory during a bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device according to a second user operation regardless of whether the clearing of the main memory is complete during the shutdown process.

15. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

retaining application programs in the main memory through the shutdown process upon a condition that the setting parameter is indicative of the less aggressive memory releasing.

16. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

clearing the entirety of the main memory including the nonvolatile memory in response to the bootstrapping command according to a configurable memory-related field.

17. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the setting parameter reflects the first user operation and is associated with a decision of whether the main memory retains executable programming codes over shutdown of the electronic computing device for resumable execution during a next bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device after the shutdown.

18. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

establishing a wireless cellular communication channel;

establishing a wireless local area network communication channel; and

providing a service of wide area network access by providing a wireless access point function offering the service based on the wireless cellular communication channel and the wireless local area network communication channel.

19. An electronic computing device comprising a main memory of a processor of the electronic computing device, the main memory comprising a nonvolatile memory and retaining data and programs stored in the main memory even if the electronic computing device is shut down, the reboot method comprising:

clearing the entirety of the main memory according to a configurable bootstrap-related field of the electronic computing device during a bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device and loading an operating system kernel to the main memory in response to a first instance of a boot command of the electronic computing device upon a condition that the bootstrap-related field comprises a first value, wherein the bootstrap-related field reflects a bootstrapping sequence among a plurality of bootstrapping sequences of the electronic computing device associated with the bootstrapping process; and

resuming execution of an existing instance of the operating system kernel retained in the main memory by bypassing the clearing of the entirety of the main memory during the bootstrapping process of the electronic computing device in response to the first instance of the boot command according to the bootstrap-related field upon a condition that the bootstrap-related field comprises a second value;

wherein the existing instance of the operating system kernel is retained in the main memory through a shutdown state of the electronic computing device before the bootstrapping process.

20. The electronic computing device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the execution of the existing instance of the operating system kernel is resumed according to a resume address during the bootstrapping process to bypass reloading of the operating system kernel, and the resume address indicates an instruction of the existing instance of the operating system kernel and is stored in a nonvolatile memory area before a shutdown process prior to bootstrapping process.