Preboot Component Timestamp Generation for Boot Performance Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computing systems face challenges in accurately determining and diagnosing the contributions of individual components to overall boot time, particularly during the pre-boot phase, due to limitations in traditional diagnostic and monitoring tools which lack automated and convenient methods for measuring pre-boot performance.
Innovation Solution
Augmenting pre-boot components with mechanisms to collect and expose critical data to host software, enabling fully automated end-to-end boot performance measurement without external hardware, and synchronizing clocks to normalize and share pre-boot information, allowing for self-monitoring and performance optimization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional diagnostic and monitoring tools are used, then the system structure remains simple, but the measurement precision of pre-boot performance is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds timer blocks and performance monitoring logic directly within pre-boot components (nested inside the components themselves). These nested monitoring elements collect timing data during pre-boot operations and pass it through the boot sequence to system software, enabling precise measurement without adding external monitoring hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces timestamp data as an intermediary carrier that conveys pre-boot performance information from components operating before CPU activation to system software that runs after CPU activation. This intermediary mechanism bridges the gap between pre-boot and post-boot monitoring capabilities.
2Extent of automation
If manual experiments and tests are used to measure pre-boot performance, then external hardware requirements are reduced, but the extent of automation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Pre-boot components are augmented with self-monitoring capabilities through integrated timer blocks that automatically record their own execution timing. Components autonomously generate timestamps for start and end events, eliminating the need for external manual measurement while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated feedback loops where timestamp data collected during pre-boot operations is continuously passed through the boot sequence to system software, which analyzes the data and provides performance feedback. This enables automated identification of performance bottlenecks without manual intervention.
3Measurement precision
If pre-boot components are augmented with monitoring mechanisms, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring function is segmented into discrete timer blocks that can be independently integrated into specific pre-boot components. Each timer block handles a specific timing measurement task, allowing precise measurement without requiring complete redesign of component architectures.
Solution Approach 2:
The timer block design is universal and can be integrated into multiple different pre-boot components (power management controllers, security engines, boot loaders). This single monitoring mechanism serves multiple measurement purposes across different components, reducing overall system complexity while improving measurement precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a central processing unit (CPU) and components, a particular one of including logic to participate in a portion of a boot sequence of the system, where the portion of the boot sequence begins prior to activation of the CPU. The particular component is to send one or more signals to interact with another one of the components in the system during the portion of the boot sequence. The particular component includes a timer block to generate a set of timestamps during the portion of the boot sequence, where the set of timestamps indicates an amount of execution time of the particular component. The particular component sends the set of timestamps to the other component in a particular one of the one or more signals, where the set of timestamps are used to determine execution time of system components to complete the boot sequence.