Computer Startup Using Hibernation File State Restoration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing startup and shutdown processes of computers are inefficient, particularly in terms of time and user experience, as they often require full system reconfiguration and loading, which can be slow due to the random access nature of hard disk storage and the need to re-establish user-specific states.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hibernation file that captures a target state during shutdown and allows for quicker startup by selectively performing portions of the startup sequence, including user logon and application loading, while conditionally determining the need for a full shutdown or hibernation based on component changes and user preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a full startup process is performed to load operating system software from non-volatile memory into volatile memory and configure hardware, then the computer can be fully operational, but the startup time is prolonged due to sequential disk access requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing a partial shutdown process before hibernation that pre-configures the system state, breaks down user sessions, and flushes dirty data to non-volatile memory. This preparatory work enables faster startup by having critical system state already prepared and stored, eliminating the need to perform these operations during the subsequent startup process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and separates the user session breakdown and data flushing operations from the full startup sequence. By performing these specific operations during shutdown and storing the resulting system state in a hibernation file, the patent isolates time-consuming configuration tasks from the critical startup path, allowing startup to proceed more quickly by only restoring from the pre-prepared hibernation state.
2Productivity
If the operating system loads and configures software components during startup, then the system can execute applications, but the random access nature of hard disk storage causes delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the system state including operating system configuration and user session information, storing it in a hibernation file on non-volatile memory. During startup instead of performing random access disk operations to load and configure each component, the system simply restores from this pre-created copy, replacing numerous random disk accesses with a single sequential read operation.
3Reliability
If the computer performs a complete shutdown process including flushing dirty data to non-volatile memory, then data integrity is maintained, but the shutdown and subsequent startup time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the dirty data flushing operation as a preliminary action during the shutdown process, before the system enters hibernation. By completing this time-consuming I/O operation beforehand and storing the flushed state in the hibernation file, the patent ensures data integrity is maintained while preventing this operation from delaying the subsequent startup process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the shutdown and startup processes into distinct phases with specific operations performed at appropriate times. The shutdown phase performs data flushing and session breakdown, while the startup phase only performs hibernation restoration. This segmentation prevents redundant execution of time-consuming operations and maintains data integrity without excessive timing penalties.
4Reliability
If user sessions are maintained during shutdown, then user state is preserved, but the system cannot fully power down and energy savings are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts user session information and system state data from volatile memory during shutdown, transferring it to the hibernation file on non-volatile memory. This extraction enables complete power down of volatile memory while preserving user state in the hibernation file, allowing the system to achieve full power savings during shutdown while maintaining the ability to restore user state quickly through hibernation resume.
Data Source
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AI summary
Fast computer startup is provided by, upon receipt of a shutdown command, recording state information representing a target state. In this target state, the computing device may have closed all user sessions, such that no user state information is included in the target state. However, the operating system may still be executing. In response to a command to startup the computer, this target state may be quickly reestablished from the recorded target state information. Portions of a startup sequence may be performed to complete the startup process, including establishing user state. To protect user expectations despite changes in response to a shutdown command, creation and use of the file holding the recorded state information may be conditional on dynamically determined events. Also, user and programmatic interfaces may provide options to override creation or use of the recorded state information.