Dell USA L P

Dell Products Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Kendall C Witte

John J Pearce

Alok Pant

Loren Fredlund

Geroncio Ong Tan

Craig Lawrence Chaiken

Merle Wood, Iii

Christopher A Torres

Ligong Wang

Mohammed K Hijazi

Wei-Cheng Jason Yu

Tsung-Cheng Liao

Muhammed K Jaber

Marcin M Nowak

Charles P Zeller

Karunakar Palicherla Reddy

James E Dailey

James L Walker

Benjamen G Tyner

Anthony L Overfield

Jim Walker

Lois D Mermelstein

Kurt J Lippert

Nathan Vecera

Douglas H Steves

Fu Sheng Tsai

Nicholas A Camillone

An information handling system receives power from a reversible power cable by selectively configuring outer pins to provide power or communication with a middle pin providing ground. A power manager of an information handling system embedded controller uses a low level of power input to determine which outer pin provides power and which provides communication, and then configures the connector to route power at a high level to the system charger for powering the information handling system.

Information handling system reversible charge port and magnetic charge connector

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

A method for reducing the receipt of multiple signals in a portable information handling system (IHS) is closed including receiving a first signal corresponding to a detected lid position of the portable IHS. The method further includes determining if a first predetermined amount of time has elapsed and if the first predetermined amount of time has not elapsed, preventing the receipt of an additional signal corresponding to a change in the detected lid position. Further, a portable information handling system may include a lid, a base coupled to the lid and a sensor disposed on the lid or base, wherein the sensor detects a lid position. The system further includes a processor coupled to the sensor, wherein the processor generates a first signal corresponding to the lid position and the processor is operable to generate an additional signal corresponding to a change in the lid position.

Methods for reducing the receipt of multiple signals in a portable information handling system

Communication between an information handling system and battery has improved reliability by repeated communications of information from the battery using different commands from the information handling system. A battery management unit responds to a first command from an information handling system by sending information stored at a first address associated with the command and then saving the first address at second address. A power manager of the information handling system sends a second command having the second address to the battery management unit. The battery management unit responds to the second command by retrieving the first address stored at the second address, retrieving information stored at the first address and sending the information to the power manager. The power manager restricts operations of the battery, such as charges or discharges, unless the information received in response to the first and second commands matches.

System and method for reliable information handling system and battery communication

A method for relocating system management interface code in an information handling system which includes extracting a relocation table from the system management interface code, inserting a relocation identifier in each entry of the system management interface code having an address, searching the system management code for the relocation identifier during execution of the information handling system, and inserting an address based upon a relocation address for each entry in the system management interface code having a relocation identifier.

Relocating of system management interface code within an information handling system

Information handling system functions performed with an information handling system operating system in a quiescent state, such as ROM flashing, diagnostics BIOS warning screens and hard disc drive backup, are supported through an operating system quiescent state initiated by a simulated power down state which leaves one or more processing components of the information handling system operational. For instance, an operating system utility sets a BIOS flag and pointer so that an ACPI S3 power down state places the operating system in a quiescent state but an S3 suspend call from the operating system is intercepted and a quiescent state function called by the BIOS. Recovery of the operating system from the quiescent state is initiated with the BIOS so that a reboot of the information handling system is avoided.

Method and system for operating system quiescent state

A power consumption manager reduces inadvertent information handling system shutdowns by monitoring current discharge from a battery and commanding selected components of the information handling system to operate in a reduced power mode if current discharge exceeds a warning threshold. The power consumption manager recovers the selected components from the reduced power mode if the current discharge from the battery remains less than a recovery threshold. Monitoring of current discharge reduces inadvertent shutdowns from temporary surges in power demand from the battery and allows implementation of a reduced power configuration for the information handling system as total power discharge capacity of the battery drops with total charge available due to use of the battery over time.

Method and system for dynamically adjusting power consumption of an information handling system

A portable computer is provided with enhanced power management capabilities. The portable computer includes a power management system which makes a determination as to whether the computer is 'user attended' or 'user unattended' based upon the position of the display screen in one embodiment. If the display screen is open, then the computer is regarded as being 'user attended'. In this case, a first timeout delay of I/O inactivity is applied before the computer is permitted to enter a power saving suspend mode. However, if the display screen is closed, then the computer is regarded as being 'user unattended'. Is this situation, a second timeout delay of I/O inactivity is applied before the computer is allowed to enter the power saving suspend mode. The second timeout delay is generally significantly shorter than the first timeout delay. This technique is found to significantly increase the reliability of I/O activities such as external communications with the computer when the computer is 'user unattended'.

Computer system with unattended operation power-saving suspend mode

A conversion methodology utilizes increasing microprocessor performance characteristics and System Management Mode ('SMM') to provide transparent support of hardware components that include features unsupported by executing application and operating system programs. In one embodiment, a PC system includes code that supports only conventional but unavailable communication interfaces. However, the PC system is equipped with a universal serial bus ('USB') controller. Although the USB controller is unsupported by the executing code by the application and operating system programs, the conversion methodology utilizes system management mode to facilitate transparent support for the USB controller. In SMM, a CPU executes SMM code independently of the operating system(s). The conversion methodology causes entry of SMM upon any I/O operation intended for the supported but unavailable conventional communication interfaces. The SMM code provides data from the USB controller in a format recognizable to the requesting non-supporting software. SMM code supports providing all da t that would otherwise be provided to supporting software.

Operating system independent apparatus and method for supporting

An emulation methodology utilizes increasing microprocessor performance characteristics and System Management Mode ('SMM') to emulate peripheral device functions in a computer system. The emulation methodology traps addresses associated with I/O between a CPU and one or more peripheral devices. After trapping the I/O instruction address, a system management interrupt issues, and the computer system enters the operating system independent SMM. The CPU executes SMM code which proceeds to pass instructions to the CPU which result in the complete or partial emulation of a peripheral device. When the peripheral device is completely emulated, it can be replaced, for example, with a less expensive, less functional component or possibly even eliminated without substitution. The emulation methodology also responds to asynchronous peripheral device user activity by again trapping an I/O instruction to the peripheral device, and using SMM code to emulate the peripheral device.

Operating system independent apparatus and method for eliminating

A method of reselecting a pointing device for a computer in response to a reconfiguration event. The computer has a CPU, a coprocessor, and first and second ports. The coprocessor selects one of the first and second ports for sending and receiving commands to a pointing device coupled to the one port. The reselection method includes the steps of: identifying all attached pointing devices; resetting all. attached pointing devices; choosing an attached pointing device; and setting the chosen pointing device to the correct state.

Method of selecting pointing device in a computer comprising responsive

A computer system is provided which assures that display control signals provided to a display are properly sequenced despite the presence of ill-behaved application software. The risk of damage to displays which require control signals to be in a predetermined sequence is thus significantly reduced. An enable signal from the system's graphics controller is intercepted by a microcontroller. The microcontroller generate its own properly sequenced and timed display control signals in response to the enable signal from the graphics controller. The microcontroller controls a switching apparatus which couples clock and data signals from the graphics controller to the display at an appropriate time in the control signal sequence.

Computer system including protected graphics display control signal

Method and apparatus for implementing S2D functions using a dedicated S2D partition of a fixed, minimum size, in combination with an extended partition of adjustable size are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, a hierarchy of pointers is constructed for indicating the location of the blocks of disk space comprising the extended partition, which may be located in a native OS partition of the hard disk, some other available space on the hard disk, or both, and may or may not comprise contiguous hard disk space. A root block stored in the S2D partition comprises a plurality of pointers, each of which indicate the location of a pointer block. Each pointer block comprises a plurality of pointers, each of which point to a data block. When an S2D operation is initiated, an S2D utility continuously locates a next available data block in the S2D partition or extended partition, using the entries in the root block and pointer blocks, and writes a portion of RAM to the located block until the entire RAM is saved to the hard disk. Upon returning from the S2D operation, the process is performed in reverse. In one aspect of the invention, an MKS2D utility fills in the root and pointer blocks and reserves the data blocks for use by the S2D utility. In another aspect of the invention, an RMS2D utility deletes the extended partition and returns the data blocks previously allocated thereto to the native OS and/or other partition(s).

Automatic adjustment of disk space required for suspend-to-disk operation

A computer has user IDs stored in a ROM, and user passwords associated with each stored user ID. A command from the CPU directs a coprocessor in the computer to read a password for a first ID. The coprocessor compares the password entered by the user with the password for the first ID. If the entered password matches the password for the first ID, the coprocessor reports that the password for the first ID was entered correctly. If the entered password does not match the password for the first ID, the coprocessor compares the entered password with a password for a second ID. If the entered password matches the password for the second ID, and if the second ID dominates the first ID, the coprocessor reports that the password for the first ID was entered correctly If the entered password does not match the password for the second ID, the coprocessor compares the entered password with a password for a third ID. If the entered password matches the password for the third ID, and if the third ID dominates the first ID, the coprocessor reports that the password for the first ID was entered correctly. This process continues until a match is found or there are no user IDs remaining.

Hierarchical multiple password acceptance system

A method of operating a computer which has a CPU, an input/output coprocessor, and an attached pointing device, the input/output coprocessor receiving data in packets from the attached pointing device. When the coprocessor receives data from the pointing device, if the pointing device produced the data in response to a command from the CPU, the coprocessor passes the data unmodified to the CPU. When the coprocessor receives data from the pointing device, if the pointing device did not produce the data in response to a command from the CPU, the coprocessor requires the remainder of the data packet to appear within one second before passing the packet of data to the CPU.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Kendall C Witte