NVMe Boot Partition Exception Handling for Pre-EFI Fault Tolerance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Information handling systems face challenges in fault tolerance and debug analysis during the boot process, particularly in the early phase before system memory is initialized, leading to potential catastrophic failures if errors occur.

Innovation Solution

An information handling system detects exceptions during the pre-extensible firmware interface phase and creates a hand-off block in the NVMe boot partition, loading an exception table and exception handler to resolve the exception, enabling dynamic analysis and storing information for later analysis.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the system performs fault tolerance and debug analysis during the pre-extensible firmware interface phase, then exception handling capability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefault toleranceVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by creating a hand-off block in the NVMe boot partition before the system memory is fully initialized. The exception table and exception handler are loaded into this preallocated space during the pre-extensible firmware interface phase, enabling exception handling capabilities to be established in advance before potential failures occur during critical boot operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the boot process into distinct phases: the pre-extensible firmware interface phase where the hand-off block is created and exception handlers are loaded, and the subsequent phase where system memory is initialized. This segmentation allows fault tolerance mechanisms to be established in a dedicated phase without interfering with the main boot process, thereby managing complexity while improving reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If the system creates a hand-off block in NVMe boot partition during pre-extensible firmware interface phase, then exception handling capability is improved, but loss of time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveexception handlingVSAvoidboot time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The hand-off block is created and exception handlers are loaded during the pre-extensible firmware interface phase, which occurs before the main boot process begins. This preliminary action ensures that when exceptions occur during critical boot operations, the handling mechanisms are already in place and ready, eliminating the need to pause the boot process for setup and thereby minimizing time loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses the NVMe boot partition as a temporary copy location for the exception table and handler before they are fully integrated into the system memory. This copying approach allows the exception handling infrastructure to be established in a dedicated boot partition without blocking the main boot process, reducing the time impact while ensuring reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If the system loads exception table and handler to NVMe boot partition, then debug analysis capability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedebug analysisVSAvoidmemory initialization

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The exception table and handler are loaded into the NVMe boot partition during the pre-extensible firmware interface phase, before the system memory is fully initialized. This preliminary action allows debug analysis capabilities to be established in advance, and the NVMe boot partition serves as a stable storage location that does not require the same precision guarantees as fully initialized system memory.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The NVMe boot partition acts as an intermediary storage location between the exception handling mechanisms and the system memory. By using this intermediate partition, the system can load and store exception information without requiring the system memory to be fully initialized, thereby reducing the manufacturing precision requirements while still enabling comprehensive debug analysis capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20230267044A1Fault tolerance and debug analysis during a boot process

Publication Date: 2023.08.24 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

An information handling system may detect an exception, create a hand-off block in an NVMe boot partition in an NVMe device during a pre-extensible firmware interface phase of a boot process, and update the hand-off block with information associated with the exception. The system may also load an exception table to the NVMe boot partition, wherein the exception table includes an index associated with the exception that is mapped to a vector associated with an exception handler, and load the exception handler to the NVMe boot partition, wherein the exception handler resolves the exception.