Dell Products Inc.

James E Dailey

Wei G Liu

Alok Pant

Mark W Shutt

La Vaughn F Watts, Jr

Kendall C Witte

Erin Lane Price

Vinod Makhija

Benjamen G Tyner

James L Walker

Anthony L Overfield

John J Hawk

Ganesh Kuppuswamy Viswanathan

Charles L Haley

Keungsik Kim

Larry G Edington

A method, information handling system (IHS) and a computer program product for updating a unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) image in an IHS. The method includes retrieving a new UEFI image and a current UEFI image. First data type regions contained within the new UEFI image and second data type regions contained within the current UEFI image are identified. If a first data type region name from the new UEFI image matches a second data type region name from the current UEFI image and a first size of the first data type region is larger than or equal to a second size of the second data type region, data associated with the first data type region is copied to a modified new UEFI image.

System and method for updating a UEFI image in an information handling system

Systems and methods are provided that may be implemented to execute firmware and to inject executable code images into the executing firmware that are extracted from a code injection module (CIM) so as to execute the injected code and/or binary images from the firmware implementation environment.

Systems and methods to securely inject binary images and code into firmware

An information handling system which supports Pre-Boot Authentication (PBA) and which provides the ability for each authorized user of the system to have a unique ID and key at the BIOS level. In these systems, a user only needs knowledge of the traditional BIOS password only at the time the user is enrolled in the PBA feature. Later changes to the password do not have the effect of denying access to enrolled users.

Multi-user BIOS authentication

Information handling system security is simplified and enhanced with user passwords configurable to restrict access to the overall system and separately to the hard disk drive. An administrative password overrides the BIOS password to allow administrative access to the information handling system. Upon creation of a hard disk drive password on a system having an administrative password, the hard disk drive password is saved to the hard disk drive and to the BIOS with access from the BIOS restricted by the administrative password. Upon entry of the administrative password at the BIOS, the hard disk drive password is automatically provided from the BIOS to the hard disk drive to allow access to the hard disk drive.

System and method for access to a password protected information handling system

A system and method is disclosed for providing a firmware update to a device of a computer system in which a firmware update application and a firmware image are provided to a computer system. Verification steps are performed to insure that both the firmware update application and the user are authorized to perform the firmware update process. If the verification steps indicate that both the firmware update application and the user are authorized, the computer system is reset. During the boot process, the presence of the firmware update is recognized and the firmware update application is initiated, resulting in an update of the firmware of the device.

System and method for providing a secure firmware update to a device in a computer system

An ambient light sensor testing module running on an information handling system verifies that an ambient light sensor managing brightness of an information handling system display is active and responding correctly. The testing module sets the display at first and second manually-selectable brightness levels and compares the brightness set from the first and second manually-selectable brightness levels when the ambient light sensor is engaged to set display brightness. An excessive difference between the brightness set by the ambient light sensor from the first and second manually-selectable brightness levels indicates a faulty ambient light sensor.

System and method for ambient light sensor testing for an information handling system display

A computer system including a processor, an access token communicator capable of being coupled to the processor and adapted to read an access token, an input device coupled to the processor that is able to receive verification data that confirms authorized access of the access token, and software executable on the processor that includes instructions to control access to the processor and including code to access the access token and the verification data, code to verify the validity of the access token using the verification data, code to set security policies in the processor, and code to control access to resources in the processor based on the security policies. In addition, a method for reading an access token, verifying the validity of the access token, setting security policies in a computer system, and unlocking a computer system and a nonvolatile storage device attached to the computer system.

Portable computer system with hierarchical and token-based security policies

A method and apparatus are provided for sensing when a display of a portable information handling system (IHS) is moved from an open position to a closed position. The closing of the display is employed as a trigger for the generation of an undocking request to the operating system of the IHS. Undocking the IHS from the docking device is made easier because the user does not need to locate and then push a docking request button on the docking station.

Information handling system wherein display movement from an open position to a closed position triggers an undocking request

A method to distribute periodic task workload in an information handling system includes distributing processing tasks using a tick interval. A first execution trigger in a service variable may be set at a first multiple of a predetermined tick interval. A second execution trigger may be set at a second multiple of the predetermined tick interval. The second multiple may be greater than and staggered from the first multiple, such that the first and second execution triggers may not both be set during the same tick interval. The service variable may be interrogated at the predetermined tick interval. A first processing task associated with the first execution trigger may be executed in response to detecting that the first execution trigger has been set. A second processing task associated with the second execution trigger may be executed in response to detecting that the second execution trigger has been set.

Method to distribute periodic task workload

In a method and system for authenticating a smart battery for charging, the smart battery receives an encrypted random string. The smart battery is operable to provide power to a device. The encrypted random string is generated by a controller of the device by generating a random string and encrypting the random string with an encryption key. The smart battery decrypts the encrypted random string with the encryption key to recover the random string and transfer the random string to the device. The device verifies that the random string is unchanged to authenticate the smart battery for the charging. If the random string has been modified then the smart battery is disabled from the charging.

Encrypted response smart battery

A stolen computer detection and protection method and system. The method and system detect a communication to at least a first data processing system from at least a second data processing system. In response to detection of the communication from the at least a second data processing system, determination is made as to whether the at least a second data processing system is stolen. If it is determined that the at least a second data processing system is stolen, the at least a second data processing system is disabled.

Growing community of inventors

Round Rock, TX, United States of America

James E Dailey