Information Handling System Boot Recovery via Configuration Restore Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Information handling systems face challenges in automatically recovering from boot failures due to changes in configuration settings, which can lead to inefficient and user-unfriendly recovery processes.
Innovation Solution
An information handling system that includes a processor to determine successful previous boots and store current configuration settings as a restore point in non-volatile memory, allowing users to select from multiple restore points during boot failures, with options for storing known good configuration settings or deltas, and providing a method for automatic recovery using a BIOS settings recovery system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If configuration settings are automatically changed to enable recovery, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional recovery mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates restore points in advance by storing configuration settings before changes are made. When a boot failure occurs, the system can automatically revert to a previous known good configuration without requiring complex real-time decision-making or multiple recovery mechanisms to operate simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system stores copies of configuration settings in non-volatile memory at different restore points. These copies serve as backup configurations that can be restored when boot failures occur, eliminating the need for complex recovery algorithms or multiple active recovery systems.
2Ease of operation
If manual intervention is required for recovery processes, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates due to user burden
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects boot failures by checking exit codes from the operating system, identifies the appropriate restore point, and restores configuration settings without requiring user intervention. The processor executes recovery operations autonomously based on predetermined logic, making the system self-sufficient for recovery tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors boot outcomes and uses feedback from exit codes to determine whether recovery is needed. This feedback mechanism enables the system to automatically initiate recovery operations when failures are detected, eliminating the need for manual user assessment and intervention while maintaining simple system architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple restore points are stored, then adaptability is improved for different failure scenarios, but loss of information increases due to memory usage
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential configuration settings that are necessary for system operation and stores them as restore points. By extracting and storing only critical configuration data rather than complete system states, the system maintains multiple restore points while minimizing the memory space consumed by recovery information.
Data Source
AI summary
An information handling system includes a non-volatile memory and a processor configured to determine whether a previous boot of the information handling system was successful while booting the information handling system. If the previous boot of the information handling system was successful, then the processor determines whether current configuration settings of the information handling system match most recent known good configuration settings. If the current configuration settings of the information handling system do not match the most recent known good configuration settings, then the current configuration settings are stored as a most recent restore point in the memory.