BIOS Pre-boot Self-healing Adaptive Fault Isolation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems for Information Handling Systems (IHS) lack effective automated support and self-healing capabilities, particularly in scenarios where the system fails to boot the primary Operating System due to hardware or software issues, leading to inefficient diagnosis and repair processes.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of pre-boot self-healing and adaptive fault isolation mechanisms within the BIOS, which allow the system to bypass failing devices, restore previous configurations, and initiate a recovery environment autonomously, using strike counts and FRU identification to isolate and address failures without user input.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the system attempts to boot from a device that has previously failed, then the boot process may succeed if the failure was temporary, but the system will experience prolonged downtime and repeated failure attempts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveboot success rateVSAvoiddowntime

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The BIOS performs preliminary actions by maintaining a strike count for each boot device and comparing it against a threshold before attempting to boot. This preliminary assessment prevents the system from repeatedly attempting to boot from devices that have historically failed, thereby reducing downtime while maintaining reliable boot operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the BIOS restores previous configuration settings automatically, then the system can recover from configuration-related boot failures, but the system may lose the ability to adapt to legitimate user configuration changes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveself-healing capabilityVSAvoidconfiguration flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The BIOS implements a feedback mechanism by monitoring boot outcomes and using strike counts to determine when automatic restoration is appropriate. The system learns from previous boot attempts and only restores configurations when failure patterns indicate a problem, rather than blindly restoring every time. This feedback loop maintains self-healing capability while preserving legitimate user configurations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The BIOS performs self-service by automatically detecting boot failures, restoring previous working configurations, and managing strike counts without user intervention. This self-service approach enables the system to recover from configuration-related failures while adapting to legitimate changes through intelligent discrimination between temporary failures and permanent configuration changes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Extent of automation

If the system implements comprehensive boot failure tracking and automatic restoration, then automated support and self-healing are achieved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomated fault isolationVSAvoidBIOS complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The BIOS complexity is segmented and managed by dividing the boot device portfolio into individually tracked entities, each with its own strike count. Rather than implementing a single complex failure tracking system, the patent segments the problem into device-specific counters and simple comparison logic, making the overall system more manageable and maintainable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Loss of time

If the BIOS bypasses devices with high strike counts, then the system can achieve successful boot faster, but the system may miss detecting devices that have recovered from failures

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveboot timeVSAvoiddevice failure detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically changes the parameter of strike count thresholds based on device history. By adjusting which devices are bypassed and in what order based on their accumulated failure counts, the system optimizes boot time while maintaining accurate failure detection. Devices with lower strike counts are attempted first, and the threshold for bypassing increases with the number of failures, allowing recovered devices to be detected when they become available.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS9734015B2Pre-boot self-healing and adaptive fault isolation

Publication Date: 2017.08.15 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

Systems and methods for providing pre-boot providing pre-boot self-healing and adaptive fault isolation. In some embodiments, an Information Handling System (IHS) includes a processor and a Basic I/O System (BIOS) coupled to the processor, the BIOS firmware having program instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause the IHS to: initiate the booting of devices within the IHS following a predetermined boot order, wherein the predetermined boot order includes a first device followed by a second device; determine that the first device has been marked for bypass; bypass the booting of the first device; and boot the second device.