Firmware Debugger for Device Driver Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Information handling systems face challenges in identifying device drivers, especially third-party drivers, which can lead to difficulties in debugging and troubleshooting due to unknown attributes and lack of symbols, resulting in inefficiencies for testers and IT personnel.
Innovation Solution
A debugger tool is integrated into the information handling system firmware to detect processor exceptions, determine the address of memory media associated with exceptions, and search for device driver identification within address spaces using ASCII characters or Efi Component Name2 Protocol, providing identification information even if symbols are not available.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If device drivers are loaded in memory medium without symbols, then device driver functionality is provided, but identification of device drivers becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by determining device driver address spaces before an exception occurs or before debugging is needed. The debugger tool pre-identifies and stores the address spaces of loaded device drivers in memory, so that when an exception occurs, the identification process can quickly map the exception address to the corresponding device driver without needing to scan all memory at debugging time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - a protocol buffer or data structure that stores the mapping between device driver names and their address spaces. This intermediary table acts as a mediator between the raw memory addresses and the human-readable device driver identifiers, enabling efficient lookup and identification without requiring symbols or manual decoding.
2Measurement precision
If manual decoding of memory addresses is performed, then device driver identification can be achieved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-determines and stores device driver address spaces in a lookup table before troubleshooting is needed. When an exception occurs, the debugger tool immediately queries this pre-prepared table using the exception address, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual decoding while maintaining accurate device driver identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy or representation of the device driver address space mapping in a structured format (protocol buffer) that can be quickly queried. Instead of analyzing raw memory contents during troubleshooting, the system uses this copied structural representation to rapidly identify the device driver associated with an exception address.
3Productivity
If device driver identification is not automated, then system complexity is reduced, but debugging efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The debugger tool is designed with multi-functionality, integrating exception handling, address space determination, device driver identification, and information output capabilities into a single unified tool. This universal debugger automatically performs device driver identification as part of its exception handling function, improving debugging efficiency without requiring separate manual processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service automation where the debugger tool automatically determines device driver address spaces, queries the identification information from the protocol buffer, and outputs the results without requiring manual intervention. The tool serves itself by autonomously completing the identification process, reducing the need for manual decoding while managing the complexity through automation.
Data Source
AI summary
In one or more embodiments, one or more systems, methods, and processes determine an address of a memory medium of an information handling system associated with an exception; determine respective address spaces of the device drivers loaded in the memory medium; determine an address space of address spaces that includes the address associated with the exception; determine a device driver of the device drivers based at least on the address space; query the device driver for an identification of the device driver; determine if the device driver provides the identification of the device driver; if the device driver provides the identification of the device driver, output the identification of the device driver and exception information associated with the exception; and if the device driver does not provide the identification of the device driver, search for identification information of the device driver within the address space.