Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Phoenix Technologies Ltd.

Richard Bramley

Valiuddin Y Ali

Jeffrey Kevin Jeansonne

Gaurav Banga

Lan Wang

Boris Balacheff

Christopher H Stewart

Joshua Serratelli Schiffman

Kaushik C Barde

Endrigo Pinheiro

Matthew Ryan Laue

Vali Ali

Baraneedharan Anbazhagan

Ronaldo Rod Ferreira

Charles Ricardo Staub

Jayant Mangalampalli

Mason Andrew Gunyuzlu

Tevin Richards

Robert Stephen Craig

Aamir Rashid

Dileep Venkata Rao Madhava

Paul Chicoine

Michael Provencher

Endrigo Nadin Pinheiro

An example computing device includes a storage device, a random-access memory, a read only memory, and a processor. The processor is to determine, during a booting process, whether an operating system being booted is a primary operating system, in response to a determination that the operating system being booted is different from the primary operating system, determine whether the operating system being booted satisfies a first criteria, and, in response to a determination that the operating system being booted fails to satisfy the first criteria, disable software persistence.

Disabling software persistence

In an example, a system includes a firmware controller to initiate a SM execution mode of the system. The firmware controller scans memory for a process pool tag. The firmware controller compares the process pool tag to a set of operating system process pool tags and detects a coherency discrepancy between the process pool tag and the set of operating system process pool tags. The firmware controller exits the SM execution mode of the system.

System management memory coherency detection

In an example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a method of a computing device may include determining whether a first mode or a second mode is selected. If the first mode is selected, the computing device connects a microphone to a sound processing logic. If the second mode is selected, the computing device disconnects the microphone from the sound processing logic and connecting an audio source to the sound processing logic.

Sound processing logic connections

An example non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed cause a processor of a computing device to: in response to a trigger of a system management mode (SMM), verify all processor threads have been pulled into the SMM; in response to a successful verification, enable write access to a non-volatile memory of the computing device via two registers, where the writing access is disabled upon booting of the computing device; and upon exiting the SMM, disable the write access via the two registers.

Non-volatile memory write access control

In some examples, a device includes a processor, a core hardware logic to execute instructions to perform a task in the device, and a controller separate from the processor. The controller detects corruption of the instructions, and in response to detecting the corruption, load a recovery code to the core hardware logic to trigger recovery of the core hardware logic from the corruption of the instructions.

Recovery from corruption

An example computer system includes a memory having a computer program, a set of data containing a cryptographic first hash protected by a code, and a set of trusted security guidelines for operating an electronic device; a trusted platform module device to store a second hash associated with the computer program; a trusted application computing agent to establish that a hardware initialization sequence of the electronic device is trusted upon matching the first hash with the second hash; and a controller to operate the computer program on the electronic device according to the set of trusted security guidelines.

Trusted sequence for computing devices via hashes

In an example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a method may include receiving by a controller a BIOS image, extracting a current manufacturing programming mode state corresponding to a computer system. A BIOS personality of the BIOS image is evaluated, wherein the BIOS personality is based on a differentiation of hardware and software functionality. Based on the current manufacturing programming state and the BIOS personality, a compatibility with the computer system is determined. Based on the compatibility, the BIOS image is written to non-volatile memory.

BIOS personalities

A computer system is monitored by firmware for a non-conforming state. Upon detecting the non-conforming state, firmware of the computer system outputs a keyboard code that causes an operating system to enter a predetermined state, such as a lock screen or other quiescent display state. A human-perceptible message is displayed at a display device after outputting the keyboard code.

Firmware outputted keyboard code to enter operating system state

Methods, systems, apparatuses and program products are disclosed for managing, activating and controlling file systems sharing among two or more O/S (Operating Systems) and/or the like within a computing apparatus or within a single computer operational session or context. Provision is made for journaling and resynchronization of file systems even where at least one of the O/Ses has no features for taking account of the presence of the other O/S.

Controlling file systems sharing among two or more operating system

Methods, systems, apparatuses and program products are disclosed for managing device virtualization in hypervisor and hypervisor-related environment which include both pass-thru I/O and emulated I/O. This may include setting up a page table entry so an instruction may execute untrapped in an unprivileged domain such as by creating a new entry in a page table with requisite read or write permissions set. Later the page table may be edited (or an entry deleted) so the same I/O instruction is trapped and responsively emulated. In another embodiment of the invention, an electronic device may be provided with at least one controller; and one non-volatile memory having instructions encoded therein which, when executed, implement the context-based virtualization An advantage provided by the present invention is that performance of the device may be traded off against resource consumed dynamically responsive to system operating conditions. Also, I/O access to peripheral devices may be switched to and fro between emulation and pass-thru operation.

Context based virtualization

Methods, systems, apparatuses and program products are disclosed for context sensitive selective control of usage of connection(s) to telecommunications networks, especially Internet and the like. Provision is made for allowing certain resource(s) to exploit Internet while disallowing other resource(s) from doing the same, and making the implementation hardened against attack or compromise. An exemplary implementation is to allow anti-malware products to update over Internet while preventing malware from interfering or using the same communications resource simultaneously. Previously developed implementations have shortcoming that are overcome by the present invention.

Preventing access of a network facility in response to an operation

Methods, systems, apparatuses and program products are disclosed for managing interrupt services in hypervisor and hypervisor-related environments in Message Signaled Interrupts are emulated as other type(s) of interrupt. According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of executing a program includes receiving a MSI (message signaled interrupt). Responsively, a virtual interrupt is generated and an ISR (interrupt service routine) is invoked that handles a line-based virtual interrupt transaction. A surrogate or virtual peripheral device status may also be provided and may be associated with the virtual interrupt. A single device interrupt event may, in certain circumstances, be serviced both as a line-based interrupt and also as an MSI, or as either responsive to run-time context. Embodiments of the present invention enable superior tradeoffs in regards to the interrupt sharing to a greater and more flexible extent than with previous implementations. Moreover, it makes possible interrupt sharing using an ISR that was not expressly designed for interrupt sharing.

Emulating a line-based interrupt transaction in response to a message signaled interrupt

A device operating method includes saving initial state information of an electronic device. Next, transferring control of the electronic device to a principal operating system. After transferring control and upon receiving an operating system shut down indication signal, transferring control of the electronic device to an alternate operating system without performing a power on self test. An electronic device includes a processor and at least one memory. The memory maintains instructions, in the form of program code, that when executed by the processor causes the processor to save the initial state information of the electronic device. Next, control of the electronic device is transferred to a principal operating system. After the principal operating system has been launched and upon receiving an operating system shut down indication signal, transfer control of the electronic device to an alternate operating system without performing a power on self test.

Growing community of inventors

Mansfield, MA, United States of America

Richard Bramley