IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,853,087
Granted Patent B2
US 10,853,087 · App. 15/971,770 · Granted Dec 1, 2020

UEFI boot mode OS provisioning system

Inventors: Mukund P. Khatri (Austin, TX); Wei Liu (Austin, TX)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
G06F9/4406G06F8/61G06F9/4416G06F13/24G06F13/4221G06F2213/0024
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,853,087
App. No.
15/971,770
Granted
Dec 1, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A Universally Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) boot mode operating system (OS) provisioning system includes a pre-boot execution environment system coupled to a server device through a network. The server device boots in a UEFI boot mode. While in the UEFI boot mode, the server loads a portion of a legacy Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) compatibility support module. The loading of the portion of the legacy BIOS compatibility support module provides for the configuration of a communication subsystem in the server device to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications. The server device then communicates with the pre-boot execution environment system, via the legacy BIOS communications using the communication subsystem and while in the UEFI boot mode, to retrieve UEFI boot information via a remote legacy BIOS boot mode operation, and uses the UEFI boot information to install an OS on the server device.

Claims (39)

1. A Universally Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) boot mode operating system provisioning system, comprising:

a pre-boot execution environment system; and

a server device that is coupled to the pre-boot execution environment system through a network, wherein the server device is configured to:

boot in a Universally Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) boot mode;

load, while in the UEFI boot mode, a portion of a legacy Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) compatibility support module, wherein the portion of the legacy BIOS compatibility support module provides for the configuration of a communication subsystem in the server device to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications;

communicate, with the pre-boot execution environment system via the legacy BIOS communications using the communication subsystem and while in the UEFI boot mode, to retrieve UEFI boot information via a remote legacy BIOS boot mode operation; and

install, using the UEFI boot information and while in the UEFI boot mode, an operating system on the server device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server device is configured to:

determine that a UEFI/legacy-BIOS boot mode is enabled and, in response, load the portion of the legacy BIOS compatibility support module.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the loading of the portion of the legacy BIOS compatibility support module includes preventing the loading of a testing portion of the compatibility support module that is configured to perform compatibility support module testing operations.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the communication subsystem in the server device to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications includes configuring at least one Interrupt Vector Table in the server device to provide at least one interrupt for at least one subsystem in the server device during the remote legacy BIOS boot mode operation.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the communication subsystem in the server device to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications includes configuring at least one Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Interrupt ReQuest (IRQ) setting in the communication subsystem.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the communication subsystem in the server device to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications includes configuring at least one pre-boot execution environment option Read Only Memory (ROM) in the server device.

7. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:

a processing system; and

a memory system that is coupled to the processing system and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to provide a Universally Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) engine that is configured to:

boot in a UEFI boot mode;

load, while in the UEFI boot mode, a portion of a legacy Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) compatibility support module, wherein the portion of the legacy BIOS compatibility support module provides for the configuration of a communication subsystem to communicate with a pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications;

communicate, with the pre-boot execution environment system via the legacy BIOS communications using the communication subsystem and while in the UEFI boot mode, to retrieve UEFI boot information via a remote legacy BIOS boot mode operation; and

install, using the UEFI boot information and while in the UEFI boot mode, an operating system.

8. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the UEFI engine is configured to:

determine that a UEFI/legacy-BIOS boot mode is enabled and, in response, load the portion of the legacy BIOS compatibility support module.

9. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the loading of the portion of the legacy BIOS compatibility support module includes preventing the loading of a testing portion of the compatibility support module that is configured to perform compatibility support module testing operations.

10. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the configuration of the communication subsystem to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications includes configuring at least one Interrupt Vector Table to provide at least one interrupt for at least one subsystem during the remote legacy BIOS boot mode operation.

11. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the configuration of the communication subsystem to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications includes configuring at least one Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Interrupt ReQuest (IRQ) setting in the communication subsystem.

12. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the configuration of the communication subsystem to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications includes configuring at least one pre-boot execution environment option Read Only Memory (ROM).

13. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the communicating with the pre-boot execution environment system via the legacy BIOS communications using the communication subsystem and while in the UEFI boot mode is performed using a Bootstrap Entry Vector.

14. A method for providing an operating system on a server device in a Universally Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) boot mode, comprising:

booting, by a computing device, in a UEFI boot mode;

loading, by the computing device while in the UEFI boot mode, a portion of a legacy Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) compatibility support module, wherein the portion of the legacy BIOS compatibility support module provides for the configuration of a communication subsystem in the computing device to communicate with a pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications;

communicating, by the computing device with the pre-boot execution environment system via the legacy BIOS communications using the communication subsystem and while in the UEFI boot mode, to retrieve UEFI boot information via a remote legacy BIOS boot mode operation; and

installing, by the computing device using the UEFI boot information and while in the UEFI boot mode, an operating system on the computing device.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, that a UEFI/legacy-BIOS boot mode is enabled and, in response, loading the portion of the legacy BIOS compatibility support module.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the configuration of the communication subsystem in the computing device to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications includes configuring at least one Interrupt Vector Table in the computing device to provide at least one interrupt for at least one subsystem in the computing device during the remote legacy BIOS boot mode operation.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the configuration of the communication subsystem in the computing device to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications includes configuring at least one Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Interrupt ReQuest (IRQ) setting in the communication subsystem.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the configuration of the communication subsystem in the computing device to communicate with the pre-boot execution environment system via legacy BIOS communications includes configuring at least one pre-boot execution environment option Read Only Memory (ROM) in the computing device.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the communicating with the pre-boot execution environment system via the legacy BIOS communications using the communication subsystem and while in the UEFI boot mode is performed using a Bootstrap Entry Vector.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the loading of the portion of the legacy BIOS compatibility support module includes preventing the loading of a testing portion of the compatibility support module that is configured to perform compatibility support module testing operations.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (046366/0014) Recorded May 20, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060450/0306 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 046286 FRAME 0653 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058298/0093 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (CREDIT) Recorded Jun 1, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046286/0653 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Jun 1, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046366/0014 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 4, 2018
From: KHATRI, MUKUND PURSHOTTAM; LIU, WEI
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 045723/0247 →
Continuity (1)
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