Intel Corporation

Frank L Wildgrube

Orville H Christeson

Jerald N Hall

Sean R Babcock

Frank E LeClerg

Mark Albrecht

Mike Kinion

John Yuratovac

Stephen S Pawlowski

An electronic signature is generated in a predetermined manner and attached to a transferable unit of write data, to facilitate authenticating the write data before allowing the write data to be written into a protected non-volatile storage. The write data is authenticated using a collection of secured authentication functions. Additionally, the actual writing of the authenticated write data into the protected non-volatile storage is performed by a secured copy utility.

Methods and apparatus for preventing unauthorized write access to a protected non-volatile storage

A computer system is provided with a processor and a system board. The processor includes a processor core, at least one other non-processor core electronic component and a first non-volatile memory device. Stored inside the first non-volatile memory includes first programming instructions that provide initialization support for the at least one other non-processor core electronic component of the processor. The system board includes at least one non-processor electronic component and a second non-volatile memory device. Stored inside the second non-volatile memory device includes second programming instructions that provide initialization support for the at least one non-processor electronic component of the system board. Both the first and the second programming instructions further support a cooperative initialization protocol under which the first and second programming instructions cooperate with each other to initialize the computer system at power-on/reset.

Computer system formed with a processor and a system board provided with complementary initialization support

An apparatus includes a configuration selector that is selectively configurable to denote one of a plurality of operating modes for the apparatus, including a configuration mode. The apparatus further comprising a programmable multiplexer, a processor, a bus, and a storage medium having stored therein a basic input/output system (BIOS) equipped to operate in any one of the plurality of operating modes, including the configuration mode wherein the BIOS facilitates user programming of a plurality of operating parameters for the apparatus. The programmable multiplexer, responsive to the configuration selector, asserts a default bus/core ratio common to a plurality of processors and buses that can be employed to form the apparatus when the configuration selector is configured to denote the configuration mode of operation. The processor, coupled to the storage medium and the programmable multiplexer, operates to execute the BIOS, in a speed consistent with the asserted bus/core ratio. The bus, coupled to the programmable multiplexer, the processor and the storage medium, operates to provide instructions and data to the processor, including the BIOS, in a speed consistent with the asserted bus/core ratio.

Method and apparatus for setting the operating parameters of a computer system

A system and method for protecting a non-volatile storage element of an electronic system from an unauthorized write access is described. The method features the operational steps of entering a mode of operation in which an authentication process is performed, placing a security circuit of the electronic system in a first predetermined state of operation before leaving the mode of operation, checking the current state of the security circuit, and halting further operations of the electronic system if the security circuit exists in a state of operation other than the first predetermined state of operation.

Method and apparatus for increasing security against unauthorized write access to a protected memory

An apparatus includes a storage medium having stored therein a segmented basic input/output system (BIOS) divided among a plurality of segments within the storage medium, and a processor operative to execute the segmented BIOS. In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the BIOS includes a recovery function that is mode dependent in that while the apparatus is in an update mode the recovery function executes a full reflash of all relevant segments of the segmented BIOS, whereas while the apparatus is in a normal mode the recovery function executes a partial reflash of only identified corrupted BIOS segments.

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Hillsboro, OR, United States of America

Frank L Wildgrube