Method for optimizing boot time of an information handling system

1. A computer-implemented method for optimizing boot time of an information handling system (IHS), the method comprising:

a basic input output system (BIOS) dynamically performing an authentication check of drivers within the IHS during an initial boot process of the IHS;

checking whether a boot up mode of the IHS is set to an optimized boot mode; and in response to the IHS being set to the optimized boot mode:

identifying unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) images required for operating system (OS) deployment from among a plurality of UEFI images that includes images not required for OS deployment; and

storing, within an authentication results data structure (ARDS), an identification of a UEFI image for each driver that is checked, along with a result of the authentication check associated with that driver;

wherein said dynamically performing the authentication check and said storing comprises selectively performing the authentication check on only those identified UEFI images required for OS deployment and storing only the identification and associated result of the authentication check of the identified UEFI images within the ARDS;

in response to receipt of a subsequent request to enable a secure boot of the IHS, when the initial boot process was performed with the secure boot disabled:

accessing the ARDS to determine if any of the drivers failed its authentication check;

in response to none of the drivers failing its authentication check, continuing the boot process using the authenticated UEFI images of the drivers; and

in response to at least one of the drivers failing its authentication check, outputting a notification indicating a failure of the authentication check by the at least one driver.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

the outputting of the notification comprises identifying within the notification which ones of the drivers failed its authentication check; and

the method further comprises initiating one or more actions based on a received user response to the notification.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein performing an authentication check comprises:

accessing each of the drivers and retrieving a certificate from each driver that has a certificate;

determining if a retrieved certificate of a driver is valid; and

identifying each driver that does not have a certificate and each driver whose retrieved certificate is not valid as a driver that fails authentication.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , further comprising:

generating a hash to be utilized as the identification of a UEFI image corresponding to the driver;

storing the hash within the ARDS; and

associating the result of the authentication check for the driver with the hash within the ARDS.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to completion of the authentication check of the drivers and generating a list of the UEFI images and associated result when a secure boot is not enabled, triggering an operating system (OS) deployment agent to initiate installation of an OS.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

in response to secure boot being enabled:

performing the check of the UEFI images from the ARDS to identify whether any of the UEFI images failed authentication;

in response to none of the UEFI images failing authentication, loading only the authenticated UEFI images; and

triggering the OS deployment agent to install the OS utilizing the authenticated UEFI images.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

in response to secure boot being disabled:

loading all of the UEFI images; and

triggering the OS deployment agent to install the OS.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

prompting for a user selection of an option from a group of options comprising: disabling secure boot; and re-starting the boot process.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

receiving a user selection from among disabling secure boot and re-starting the boot process; and

in response to the received user selection being to disable secure boot, triggering the OS deployment agent to install the OS in a non-secured environment.

10. An information handling system (IHS) comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor via a system interconnect, the processor having firmware executing thereon to enable optimizing boot time of the IHS, wherein the firmware configures the processor to:

dynamically perform an authentication check of drivers within the IHS during an initial boot process of the IHS via a basic input output system (BIOS);

check whether a boot up mode of the IHS is set to an optimized boot mode; and in response to the IHS being set to the optimized boot mode:

identify unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) images required for operating system (OS) deployment from among a plurality of UEFI images that includes images not required for OS deployment; and

store, within an authentication results data structure (ARDS), an identification of a UEFI image for each driver that is checked, along with a result of the authentication check associated with that driver;

wherein said dynamically performing the authentication check and said storing comprises selectively performing the authentication check on only those identified UEFI images required for OS deployment and storing only the identification and associated result of the authentication check of the identified UEFI images within the ARDS;

in response to receipt of a subsequent request to enable a secure boot of the IHS, when the initial boot process was performed with the secure boot disabled:

access the ARDS to determine if any of the drivers failed its authentication check;

in response to none of the drivers failing its authentication check, continue the boot process using the authenticated UEFI images of the drivers;

and in response to at least one of the drivers failing its authentication check, output a notification indicating a failure of the authentication check by the at least one driver.

11. The information handling system of claim 10 , wherein the outputting of the notification includes the firmware further configuring the processor to:

identify within the notification which ones of the drivers failed its authentication check; and

initiate one or more actions based on a received user response to the notification.

12. The information handling system of claim 10 , wherein performing an authentication check includes the firmware further configuring the processor to:

access each of the drivers and retrieving a certificate from each driver that has a certificate;

determine if a retrieved certificate of a driver is valid; and

identify each driver that does not have a certificate and each driver whose retrieved certificate is not valid as a driver that fails authentication.

13. The information handling system of claim 10 , wherein the firmware further configures the processor to:

generate a hash to be utilized as the identification of a UEFI image corresponding to the driver;

store the hash within the ARDS; and

associate the result of the authentication check for the driver with the hash within the ARDS.

14. The information handling system of claim 10 , wherein the firmware further configures the processor to:

check whether a boot up mode of the IHS is set to an optimized boot mode; and

in response to the IHS being set to the optimized boot mode:

identify UEFI images required for operating system (OS) deployment; and

wherein in dynamically performing the authentication check and said storing, the processor selectively performs the authentication check on only those identified UEFI images required for OS deployment and stores only the identification and associated result of the authentication check of the identified UEFI images within the ARDS.

15. The information handling system of claim 10 , wherein the firmware further configures the processor to:

trigger an operating system (OS) deployment agent to initiate installation of an OS, in response to completion of the authentication check of the drivers and generating a list of the UEFI images and associated result when secure boot is not enabled.

16. The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the firmware further configures the processor to:

in response to secure boot being enabled:

perform the check of the UEFI images from the ARDS to identify whether any of the UEFI images failed authentication;

in response to none of the UEFI images failing authentication, load only the authenticated UEFI images; and

trigger the OS deployment agent to install the OS.

17. The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the firmware further configures the processor to:

in response to secure boot being disabled:

load all of the UEFI images; and

trigger the OS deployment agent to install the OS.

18. The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the firmware further configures the processor to:

prompt for a user selection of an option from a group of options comprising: disabling secure boot; and re-starting the boot process.

19. The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the firmware further configures the processor to:

receive a user selection from among disabling secure boot and re-starting the boot process; and

in response to the received user selection being to disable secure boot, trigger the OS deployment agent to install the OS in a non-secured environment.