System and method of enabling a function within a module configured to be used within an information handling system

• US 8,627,052 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Mohrmann, Vaden, Rangarajan, Madhusudhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Yanchus, III, Paul
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US12/102,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20090259833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,094 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 711/164
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/77 in smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A system and method of enabling a function within a module configured to be used with an information handling system is disclosed. In one form, the method of enabling functions includes detecting whether to install a custom install routine within a module configured to enable access to a hash function, and accessing a lock bit configured to lock access to the hash function. The method can further include detecting whether to set the lock bit to lock access to the hash function.

Claims

1. A method of enabling functions of a security card comprising:

detecting whether to install a custom install routine within a module configured to enable access to a hash function during a manufacturing process of the security card;

accessing a lock bit configured to lock access to the hash function; and

detecting whether to set the lock bit to lock access to the hash function based on whether the custom install routine has been installed during the manufacturing process of the security card;

setting, at a manufacturing site, the lock bit to disable installation of another hash function when the custom install routine has been installed during the manufacturing process; and

sending the security card to a customer site with the lock bit not set to allow a customer to install hash functions at the customer site when the custom install routine has not been installed during the manufacturing process.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the custom install routine;

installing the custom install routine within the module; and

executing the custom install routine using the module.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising updating a BIOS of an information handling system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a customer site install preference of the custom install routine;

ensuring a hash function install routine is not executed using the module; and

ensuring the lock bit is not disabled.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the module as a trusted platform module (TPM);

detecting a hash function install routine to use with the trusted platform module;

executing the hash function install routine using the trusted platform module; and

setting the lock bit configured as a hash function lock bit of the trusted platform module.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the security card during a software installation within the manufacturing process;

detecting whether to install the hash function onto the security card;

installing the hash function onto the security card; and

setting a hash function lock bit of the security card.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the security card during a software installation within the manufacturing process;

ensuring the hash function is not installed onto the security card; and

ensuring the lock bit configured is not set.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ensuring a hash function is not installed on the module; and

shipping the module to the customer with the lock bit unset.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving the module at a customer site;

accessing the module;

installing the hash function using a customer hash function installation routine; and

setting the lock bit upon installing the hash function.

10. A security card comprising:

a module configured to execute a hash function installation routine to install a hash function;

a memory coupled to the module and configured to store a hash function loaded during the installation process; and

a hash function lock bit configured to be set, at a manufacturing site, in association with completing the installation of a hash function routine during a manufacturing process of the security card, wherein the security card is sent to a customer site with the lock bit not set to allow a customer to install hash functions at the customer site when the hash function routine has not been installed during the manufacturing process.

11. The security card of claim 10, wherein:

the module is configured to detect that the hash function is not to be installed during execution of the hash function installation routine; and

the module is configured not to set the hash function lock bit when the hash function is not installed.

12. The security card of claim 10, wherein:

the module is configured to execute a generic hash function installation routine;

the module is configured to install a generic hash function; and

the module is configured to set the hash function lock bit.

13. The security card of claim 10, wherein:

the module includes a processor configured to execute the hash function installation routine; and

the module is configured to not access a system bus during execution of the hash function installation routine.

14. The security card of claim 13, wherein the module includes a trusted platform module.

15. The security card of claim 10, further comprising:

a plurality of hash functions installed during execution of the hash function installation routine, wherein the plurality of hash functions are accessible to an information handling system; and

a hash function lock bit configured to disable an updating of the plurality of hash functions.

16. An information handling system comprising:

a security card configurable to access a hash function installed during execution of a hash function installation routine;

a unique identifier stored within a memory, wherein the unique identifier is accessed to identify a type of operations to be performed by the security card;

a trusted platform module configured to execute the hash function installation routine; and

a hash function lock bit configured to be set upon installation of the hash function using the hash function installation routine during a manufacturing process of the security card, wherein the information handling system is sent to a customer site with the lock bit not set to allow a customer to install hash functions at the customer site when the hash function has not been installed during the manufacturing process.

17. The information handling system of claim 16, further comprising:

an I/O interface configured to communicate the hash function installation routine to the system board using a data bus; and

wherein the trusted platform module is configured to initiate disabling access to the data bus during installation of the hash function.

18. The information handling system of claim 16, further comprising a hash function lock bit configured to be set only one time.

19. The information handling system of claim 18, further comprising the hash function lock bit configured to be set at a customer site.