Execution parallelism in extensible firmware interface compliant systems
View Patent ↗Methods, systems, apparatuses and program products are disclosed for providing execution parallelism during the DXE phase of computer start-up. Provision is made for loading a microkernel (or other kernel program) which presents itself as though it were a DXE Driver and changes a single threaded environment into multithreaded. This is while the supervisor program continues its role as loader/initiator but remains unaware that it no longer has overarching control of Driver scheduling (which has been acquired by Kernel).
1. A method for loading and initializing a computer comprising:
executing an EFI (extensible firmware interface) core program to load a kernel program into memory;
executing the kernel program to create an ISR (interrupt service routine);
reentering the EFI core program as a first thread supervised by the kernel;
executing the EFI core program to load a driver program; and
executing the driver program on the first thread to invoke a service provided by, the kernel to create and initialize a second thread supervised by the kernel and further to return control to the EFI core program,
wherein the second thread is initiated to run in a SMM (system management mode) or a virtualized SMM (system management mode).
2. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the kernel is a microkernel.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the ISR hooks a timer circuit interrupt.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the second thread is initiated to run of a multi-processor core distinct from the multi-processor core in which the first thread runs.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the kernel exports a service to provide a timer and the driver program invokes the service to provide a timer.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the driver program is a DXE (Driver Execution Environment) program.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein:
the kernel exports a service to provide a timer and the DXE program invokes the service to provide a timer.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein:
the service to provide a timer provide dynamic granularity.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein:
the kernel exports a service to provide an interrupt service response to a hardware event.
10. The method of claim 6 wherein:
the kernel exports a service to provide an interrupt service response to a SMI (system management interrupt).
11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processing units to execute a method, comprising:
executing an EFI (extensible firmware interface) core program to load a kernel program into memory;
executing the kernel program to create an ISR (interrupt service routine);
reentering the EFI core program as a first thread supervised by the kernel;
executing the EFI core program to load a driver program; and
executing the driver program on the first thread to invoke a service provided by the kernel to create and initialize a second thread supervised by the kernel and further to return control to the EFI core program,
wherein the second thread is initiated to run in a SMM (system management mode) or a virtualized SMM (system management mode).
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein:
the EFI core program and the kernel program are loaded from one ROM (read-only memory).
13. An electronic device comprising:
a controller; and
a first system memory having instructions encoded therein, the instructions when executed by the controller cause said controller to operate by steps to:
execute an EFI (extensible firmware interface) core program to load a kernel program into memory;
execute the kernel program to create an ISR (interrupt service routine);
reenter the EFI core program as a first thread supervised by the kernel;
executing the EFI core program to load a driver program; and
executing the driver program on the first thread to invoke a service provided by the kernel to create and initialize a second thread supervised by the kernel and further to return control to the EFI core program,
wherein the second thread is initiated to run in a SMM (system management mode) or a virtualized SMM (system management mode).
14. A method for loading and initializing a computer comprising:
executing an EFI (extensible firmware interface) core program to load a kernel program into memory;
executing the kernel program to create an ISR (interrupt service routine);
reentering the EFI core program as a first thread supervised by the kernel;
executing the EFI core program to load a driver program; and
executing the driver program on the first thread to invoke a service provided by the kernel to create and initialize a second thread supervised by the kernel and further to return control to the EFI core program,
wherein the second thread is initiated to run in a VM (virtual machine) distinct from the VM in which the first thread runs.
15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processing units to execute a method, comprising:
executing an EFI (extensible firmware interface) core program to load a kernel program into memory;
executing the kernel program to create an ISR (interrupt service routine);
reentering the EFI core program as a first thread supervised by the kernel;
executing the EFI core program to load a driver program; and
executing the driver program on the first thread to invoke a service provided by the kernel to create and initialize a second thread supervised by the kernel and further to return control to the EFI core program,
wherein the second thread is initiated to run in a VM (virtual machine) distinct from the VM in which the first thread runs.
16. An electronic device comprising:
a controller; and
a first system memory having instructions encoded therein, the instructions when executed by the controller cause said controller to operate by steps to:
execute an EFI (extensible firmware interface) core program to load a kernel program into memory;
execute the kernel program to create an ISR (interrupt service routine);
reenter the EFI core program as a first thread supervised by the kernel;
executing the EFI core program to load a driver program; and
executing the driver program on the first thread to invoke a service provided by the kernel to create and initialize a second thread supervised by the kernel and further to return control to the EFI core program,
wherein the second thread is initiated to run in a VM (virtual machine) distinct from the VM in which the first thread runs.