Boot Manager for Secure Multi-OS Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current booting processes for multi-operating system processing systems require rebooting to switch between operating systems, which is inefficient and lacks secure authentication mechanisms for closed operating systems, allowing potential modifications or unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) with a pre-boot manager and authentication packets to securely authenticate and decrypt the closed operating system, ensuring only authorized access and preventing modifications during the boot process, using a combination of public and shared-secret based batch bound authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If a traditional boot sequence is used to switch between operating systems, then the system can boot different OSs, but the process requires rebooting the entire system which is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the operating system into multiple images stored in different memory regions. Instead of rebooting the entire system, only the active OS image is switched by updating the boot pointer to point to a different OS image in memory, enabling fast switching without full system reboot.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple operating system images are pre-loaded into memory during system initialization or previous boot sessions. This preliminary action allows the system to have multiple OS images ready and accessible, eliminating the need to reload the entire OS from storage during switching operations.
2Reliability
If a closed operating system is used to secure applications and secrets, then system security is improved, but traditional boot processes lack authentication mechanisms allowing potential unauthorized access or modifications
Solution Approach 1:
Authentication packets and cryptographic verification are performed during the boot process before the closed OS is loaded into memory. This preliminary authentication ensures the integrity and authenticity of the OS image before execution, preventing unauthorized access or modifications while maintaining a streamlined boot sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an authentication mechanism as an intermediary layer between the boot process and the closed operating system. This intermediary verifies the OS image using cryptographic methods and authentication packets, ensuring security without requiring complex changes to the OS itself or the boot hardware.
3Speed
If multiple operating system images are stored in memory, then fast switching between OSs is enabled, but memory usage increases and security risks arise from having multiple OS copies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent stores multiple operating system images in different memory regions with distinct characteristics. Critical security-related OS images are stored in secure, protected memory regions, while less sensitive images can be in standard memory. This local quality differentiation optimizes both security and memory resource utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
When switching between operating systems, the patent discards (unloads) previously active OS images from memory to make space for new images. This recovery of memory resources ensures that only the necessary number of OS images reside in memory at any given time, optimizing memory usage while maintaining fast switching capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Machine-readable media, methods, apparatus and system for booting a processing system are described. In an embodiment, whether to launch an open operating system or a closed operating system to boot a processing system may be determined. A key may be retrieved from a processor register of the processing system and used to decrypt an encrypted version of the closed operating system based at least in part on a determination of booting the processing system with the closed operating system. In another embodiment, the processor register stored with the key may be flushed based at least in part on a determination of booting the processing system with the open operating system.