Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP

Jason Spottswood

Darren John Cepulis

Kevin G Depew

Mark A Piwonka

E David Neufeld

Andrew C Cartes

Patrick L Gibbons

Scotty M Wiginton

Andy Brown

Scott B Marcak

Ramez N Badaoui-Najjar

In some examples, a system receives an update image including a first device driver to execute in a pre-operating system (pre-OS) environment of the system, and detects a second device driver that is already in the system. The system accesses a pre-stored dynamically configurable policy in the system, the pre-stored dynamically configurable policy relating to selection from among device drivers in the pre-OS environment, and determines, based on the pre-stored dynamically configurable policy, an action to take in response to the update image.

Device driver update images

A method and a system for reserving a device for a system are provided herein. The method includes accessing a reserved device, where a basic input/output system (BIOS) uses the reserved device. The method includes initializing a register, via the BIOS firmware, to disable a port that connects to the reserved device. The method includes disabling the port that connects to the reserved device. The disabling may occur before the BIOS firmware transfers control of the system to an operating system. The disabling may hide the reserved device from the operating system and reserve the reserved device for the BIOS firmware without interference from the operating system.

Hardware for system firmware use

Maintaining system firmware images remotely using a distributed file system protocol is described. A method of preserving a system firmware image on a computer includes identifying that system firmware on the computer is to be updated with a new image, identifying an original image of the system firmware using a management processor of the computer, establishing a network connection to a remote storage system through a network interface of the computer using the management processor, sending the original image through the network connection to the remote storage system using a distributed file system protocol.

Maintaining system firmware images remotely using a distribute file system protocol

Using a cryptographic co-processor in a computing system to encode data parameters determined during initialization, or during operation, or determined from machine specific values or states to bind data optionally to a specific machine, a specific cryptographic co-processor, or a specific operating environment machine state.

Binding data to computers using cryptographic co-processor and machine-specific and platform-specific keys

In at least some embodiments, a computer system includes a processor and a firmware storage medium in communication with the processor. The firmware storage medium stores a default image invoked during a boot process and selectively stores a customized image. If the customized image is stored by the firmware storage medium, the boot process selectively substitutes at least part of the default image with at least part of the customized image.

Firmware storage medium with customized image

A method and other embodiments associated with an interface controller () are described. One example method () includes monitoring an interface device presence signal for an interface port connector () associated with an interface controller (). The example method () also includes controlling () the interface controller () to be selectively hidden from an operating system () in response to the interface device presence signal being negative. The example method () further includes controlling () the interface controller () to be selectively disclosed to the operating system () in response to the interface device presence signal being positive.

Selectively hiding an interface controller from an operating system

There is provided a system and method for programming a data storage device with a password. Specifically, there is provided a method comprising initiating a password programming routine for a data storage device, and programming the data storage device with the password associated with an external storage medium, wherein the data storage device is configured to condition access to the data stored on the data storage device based on the password.

System and method for programming a data storage device with a password

In one embodiment a computer system, comprises a processor, a basic input/output system (BIOS) including logic instructions which, when executed by the processor, configure the processor to initiate power on self test (POST) processing in the basic input/output system (BIOS) of a computing device, detect a connection to a remote memory device, and write an access level indicator stored on the remote memory device to an output device.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Jason Spottswood