Web-based interface to access a function of a basic input/output system

• US 9,753,742 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2016
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ali, Valiuddin Y., Xavier Pires, Jose Paulo, Mann, James M., Balacheff, Boris, Dalton, Chris I.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, VINCENT HUY
• Application Number:
  US15/263,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20170003980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 713 2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45579 I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic

Abstract

In some examples, an electronic device receives, while an operating system is running in the electronic device, a request to access a function of a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), the request containing a web address of the function of the BIOS, and routes, based on the web address of the function of the BIOS, the request through a web-based interface to a domain that includes the function of the BIOS.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that upon execution cause an electronic device, comprising to:

receive, while an operating system is running in the electronic device, a request to access a function of a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), the request containing a web address of the function of the BIOS; and

route, based on the web address of the function of the BIOS, the request through a web-based interface to a domain that includes the function of the BIOS.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein routing the request to the domain comprises routing the request to the domain that is inside the electronic device.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein routing the request to the domain comprises routing the request to a privileged domain started by a virtual machine monitor (VMM).

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the request is received from an entity executing in a virtual machine in the electronic device.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the entity is the operating system.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions upon execution cause the electronic device to further:

send, by a virtual BIOS in the virtual machine, the request from the entity to the web-based interface.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions upon execution cause the electronic device to further:

intercept, by the VMM, the request; and

route, by the VIM, the request to the web-based interface.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein routing the request to the domain comprises routing the request to the domain that is outside the electronic device, wherein the domain is accessible by the electronic device over a network.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the web address comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions upon execution cause the electronic device to further determine, by the domain, whether to execute the function based on identifying at least one selected from among a source of the request and a context of the request.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to access the function of the BIOS comprises receiving the request to invoke a service selected from the group consisting of:

a service to update code of the BIOS;

a service to update a setting of the BIOS;

a thermal management service to perform thermal management in the electronic device;

a service to transition the electronic device between different power states;

a power management service to control power of a component in the electronic device;

a service to process activation of a button or button sequence of the electronic device;

a service associated with an ambient light sensor of the electronic device;

a service to modify a setting of a hardware component in the electronic device;

a service to change a boot order of bootable devices of the electronic device;

a service for handling a call between an operating system and the BIOS; and

a service to execute a command of an embedded controller.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a web-based interface;

at least one processor; and

an operating system executable on the at least one processor to submit a request to the web-based interface for accessing a function of a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) in a cloud, the request containing a web address of the function of the BIOS,

the web-based interface to route, based on the web address, the request to the function of the BIOS in the cloud.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, further comprising a virtual machine monitor (VMM) and a domain started by the VMM, wherein the domain includes the function of the BIOS in the cloud, and wherein the web-based interface is to forward the request to the domain.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the web-based interface is to forward the request to a domain outside the electronic device, the domain including the function of the BIOS in the cloud.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the web-based interface is to receive a request from an entity outside the electronic device to perform a service with respect to the BIOS.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the web address is a uniform resource locator (URL) or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

17. A method of an electronic device, comprising:

receiving, while an operating system is running in the electronic device, a request to access a function of a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), the request containing a web address of the function of the BIOS; and

route, based on the web address of the function of the BIOS, the request through a web-based interface to a domain that includes the function of the BIOS.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the web address is a uniform resource locator (URL) or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the request is received from the operating system executing in a virtual machine in the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the domain is started by a virtual machine monitor (VMM).