BIOS A/B Recovery Shared Memory for CPU Firmware
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Solution Overview
Problem
The BIOS memory is limited in storing multiple CPU families' firmware due to die space and cost constraints, and industry standards require storage of recovery processes, restricting the number of CPU platforms that can be supported.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a shared memory space in the BIOS that stores a single backup copy of CPU firmware for each installed CPU family, allowing freed-up memory to support additional CPU families, and utilizing a BIOS update and recovery process that prioritizes the secondary firmware to ensure compliance with anti-rollback standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the BIOS memory stores complete A/B recovery copies for multiple CPU families, then the reliability of boot recovery is improved, but the memory space requirement increases and limits the number of supported CPU families
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the storage requirements for different CPU families. Instead of storing complete A/B recovery copies for all CPU families uniformly, the system stores full recovery copies only for the currently installed CPU family while using a shared backup mechanism for other families. This selective approach reduces overall memory consumption while maintaining full recovery capability for the active platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universality through a shared backup storage mechanism that serves multiple CPU families. A single shared backup area in the BIOS memory can store recovery information for different CPU families, allowing the same memory space to serve multiple purposes across different platforms. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for dedicated backup storage for each CPU family.
2Reliability
If the BIOS stores A/B recovery copies for all CPU families, then the compliance with anti-rollback standards is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing A/B recovery mechanisms selectively. Full A/B recovery copies are maintained only for the currently installed CPU family, while other CPU families use a shared backup mechanism. This selective implementation maintains compliance with anti-rollback standards for the active platform without requiring complex recovery structures for all possible CPU families.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the recovery functionality from a complete set of A/B copies for all CPU families. By separating the recovery mechanism into a shared backup area that can be dynamically allocated, the system removes the complexity of maintaining separate A/B pairs for every CPU family while preserving the essential recovery capability where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing system may implement a basic input/output system (BIOS) update method. The BIOS also includes identifying an installed central processing unit (CPU) of a computer system coupled to a BIOS chipset, selecting CPU firmware corresponding to the installed CPU from a plurality of CPU platform firmware stored on a first memory, and loading the CPU firmware into a shared portion of a second memory coupled to the BIOS chipset, where the shared portion of the second memory is configured to store the CPU firmware as secondary CPU firmware.