Firmware Apparatus OS-Agnostic Hardware Enablement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current software enabling processes for new hardware innovations are complex and costly, requiring OS-specific development, compiler updates, and duplicated efforts across different OS types and versions, leading to increased development and validation costs, delayed time to market, and complexity in deployment and sustaining.
Innovation Solution
The proposed concept enhances the Platform Runtime Mechanism (PRM) in the BIOS/UEFI to host new instructions and architectures, providing an OS-agnostic runtime infrastructure that simplifies the enabling and deployment of hardware innovations by removing OS dependency and duplicating efforts, allowing new features to be shipped with the BIOS and accessed directly or within a selected OS.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If new hardware innovations are enabled through traditional software processes, then hardware functionality is achieved, but development costs and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary translation layer that sits between the hardware instructions and the operating system. This translation layer converts hardware-specific instructions into OS-agnostic operations, eliminating the need for OS-specific development and reducing software complexity while maintaining hardware adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the software enabling process into modular components: a hardware abstraction layer, a translation layer, and the operating system. This segmentation allows independent development and validation of each component, reducing overall complexity and enabling parallel development streams
2Adaptability or versatility
If OS-specific development is performed for each new hardware feature, then hardware support is achieved, but development time and validation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal translation layer that can handle multiple hardware instructions and architectures through a single implementation. This universal component supports different OS types and versions without requiring separate development efforts, significantly reducing development time while maintaining broad hardware support
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-compiling and validating the translation layer against multiple OS types and versions before deployment. This advance preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming OS-specific validation later, reducing overall development time while ensuring comprehensive hardware support
3Adaptability or versatility
If compiler updates are required for new hardware instructions, then instruction support is achieved, but deployment complexity and sustaining costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a translation layer as an intermediary between hardware instructions and the compiler/OS ecosystem. This layer handles instruction translation without requiring compiler updates, simplifying deployment while maintaining instruction support across different hardware generations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy/abstraction of the hardware instruction set in the translation layer. Instead of modifying the original compiler and OS to support new instructions, the translation layer replicates the necessary functionality, eliminating deployment complexity while maintaining full instruction support
4Productivity
If hardware features are shipped with BIOS, then time-to-market is reduced, but OS compatibility and access complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a translation layer in the BIOS that mediates between hardware features and OS access. This layer translates hardware-specific operations into standard OS-compatible interfaces, reducing time-to-market while eliminating OS access complexity through standardized interaction protocols
Data Source
AI summary
Various examples relate to a firmware apparatus (10), firmware device, firmware method, and computer program for a computer system (100) comprising processing circuitry (105), and to a corresponding computer system (100). The firmware apparatus (10) comprises an interface (12) for accessing functionality of the firmware apparatus (10) from an operating system of the computer system (100). The firmware apparatus (10) comprises control circuitry (14), configured to identify one or more processing functionalities being supported by the processing circuitry (105) of the computer system (100), provide information on the one or more processing functionalities via the interface (12) to a user mode interface of the operating system of the computer system (100), and provide access to the one or more processing functionalities for application programs being executed in the operation system, the access being based on the information on the one or more processing functionalities provided to the user mode interface.