LOADING REMOTE BINARIES ONTO A WRITE-PROTECTED DEVICE

• US 20140130031A1
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Exton, Scott A., Ferguson, Anthony B., Hockings, Christopher J., Holmes, Davin J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,043,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories

Abstract

A binary library overload instruction is received at an embedded computing device that executes a write-protected firmware build. The binary library overload instruction specifies a write-protected binary library of the write-protected firmware build to be overloaded by execution of an alternative binary library instead of the write-protected binary library of the write-protected firmware build. The alternative binary library is configured within a random access memory (RAM) storage area to execute instead of the write-protected binary library as specified in the received binary library overload instruction. The write-protected firmware build is executed using the alternative binary library instead of the write-protected binary library specified in the binary library overload instruction.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an embedded computing device that executes a write-protected firmware build, a binary library overload instruction that specifies a write-protected binary library of the write-protected firmware build to be overloaded by execution of an alternative binary library instead of the write-protected binary library of the write-protected firmware build;

configuring, within a random access memory (RAM) storage area, the alternative binary library to execute instead of the write-protected binary library as specified in the received binary library overload instruction; and

executing the write-protected firmware build using the alternative binary library instead of the write-protected binary library specified in the binary library overload instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, where the embedded computing device comprises an appliance computing device, and where:

receiving, at the embedded computing device that executes the write-protected firmware build, the binary library overload instruction that specifies the write-protected binary library of the write-protected firmware build to be overloaded by execution of the alternative binary library instead of the write-protected binary library of the write-protected firmware build comprises;

receiving the binary library overload instruction at the appliance computing device from a master library server manager module executed by a shared library catalog server; and

further comprising obtaining configuration information for use of the alternative binary library from a configuration database hosted by the master library server manager module.

3. The method of claim 2, where:

the obtained configuration information comprises a name of a binary file that comprises the write-protected binary library instructed to be overloaded, a storage location within the configuration database of the alternative binary library, credentials that allow access to the alternative binary library, and an integrity check value associated with the alternative binary library; and

further comprising obtaining, using the obtained configuration information, the alternative binary library from a shared library database hosted by the master library server manager module.

4. The method of claim 1, where the embedded computing device comprises an appliance computing device, and where configuring, within the RAM storage area, the alternative binary library to execute instead of the write-protected binary library as specified in the received binary library overload instruction comprises:

configuring a RAM disk within the RAM storage area;

obtaining a shared binary library file that comprises the alternative binary library;

storing the shared binary library file that comprises the alternative binary library within the RAM disk; and

setting an environment variable that instructs the appliance computing device to use the alternative binary library instead of the write-protected binary library that forms the portion of the write-protected firmware build.

5. The method of claim 4, where executing the write-protected firmware build using the alternative binary library instead of the write-protected binary library specified in the binary library overload instruction comprises:

using, based upon the set environment variable in response to a binary library restart, the alternative binary library stored within the RAM disk during execution of the appliance computing device instead of the write-protected binary library that forms the portion of the write-protected firmware build; and

providing status information that details execution of the alternative binary library instead of the write-protected binary library.

6. The method of claim 1, where the embedded computing device comprises an appliance computing device, and further comprising:

determining whether the write-protected binary library specified in the received binary library overload instruction to be overloaded is active on the appliance computing device; and

terminating, in response to determining that the write-protected binary library specified in the received binary library overload instruction to be overloaded is active on the appliance computing device, at least one associated process that accesses the write-protected binary library.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying integrity of the alternative shared library using an integrity check value obtained within configuration information; and

configuring the alternative binary library to execute instead of the write-protected binary library in response to successful verification of the alternative shared library.

8. The method of claim 1, where the embedded computing device comprises an appliance computing device, and further comprising:

receiving an instruction to restart execution of the appliance computing device with the write-protected firmware build using the write-protected binary library;

restarting the appliance computing device in conjunction with clearing the RAM storage area; and

using the write-protected binary library of the write-protected firmware build during execution of the appliance computing device.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an appliance computing device that executes a write-protected firmware build, a binary library overload instruction that specifies a write-protected binary library of the write-protected firmware build to be overloaded by execution of an alternative binary library instead of the write-protected binary library of the write-protected firmware build;

configuring, within a random access memory (RAM) storage area, the alternative binary library to execute instead of the write-protected binary library as specified in the received binary library overload instruction; and

executing the write-protected firmware build using the alternative binary library instead of the write-protected binary library specified in the binary library overload instruction.