Computer Startup Hibernation File State Restoration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing computer startup and shutdown processes are inefficient, leading to slow boot times due to the need to reconfigure and reload operating systems and applications, which can frustrate users and consume system resources.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hibernation mode that captures a target state during shutdown and recreates it during startup, allowing for a faster return to operation by copying a hibernation file into volatile memory, thereby skipping unnecessary startup steps and reducing CPU consumption and disk access times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a full startup process is performed to load and configure the operating system, then the computer can be fully operational, but the startup time is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing the complete operational state (including loaded software, configuration parameters, and system state) into a hibernation file during shutdown. This pre-prepared state file enables rapid restoration without repeating the full startup configuration process, thus resolving the contradiction between full operational capability and startup time.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of re-creating the system state through execution, the patent copies the previously captured operational state from the hibernation file directly into volatile memory. This copying mechanism bypasses the time-consuming steps of loading and configuring software, achieving fast restoration while maintaining complete operational fidelity.
2Reliability
If the complete startup sequence is executed including loading all software and configuring parameters, then system state is properly established, but CPU resources are consumed during boot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential system state information (software images, configuration parameters, and operational data) from the full startup process and stores it in a hibernation file. During restoration, only this extracted state data is copied into memory, eliminating the need to re-execute CPU-intensive configuration routines and significantly reducing startup energy consumption while maintaining complete system state integrity.
3Speed
If data is cached in volatile memory during operation, then access speed is improved, but data must be written back to non-volatile memory during shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cached data from volatile memory with the system state capture process. Instead of treating cache flushing as a separate time-consuming operation, the hibernation mechanism combines state capture and cache persistence into a single unified process, capturing the volatile memory state directly as part of the hibernation file. This eliminates the need for separate write-back operations and maintains the performance benefits of caching across shutdown and restart cycles.
Data Source
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.