UEFI Management Controller Driver Loading

Solution Overview

Problem

Previous information handling systems face inefficiencies in pre-boot operations due to the need to load and execute unnecessary drivers and applications, leading to increased initialization time and memory consumption, as they lack direct management controller access to the UEFI environment for managing pre-boot operations.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a management controller that establishes communication with UEFI and provides a memory path for loading only the required drivers and applications, using a service module UEFI proxy interface to create communication channels and load minimal data sets necessary for pre-boot operations, thereby reducing execution time and memory usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If all drivers and applications are loaded in the pre-boot environment, then system reliability is improved, but initialization time and memory consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoidinitialization time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary drivers and applications required for pre-boot operations from the complete set of available drivers. The management controller identifies and loads only those drivers needed for current operations, leaving unnecessary drivers unloaded. This selective extraction approach maintains system reliability for required functions while significantly reducing initialization time and memory consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of loading all available drivers (excessive action), the system implements partial action by loading only the specific subset of drivers required for pre-boot operations. The management controller dynamically determines which drivers are necessary and loads only those, avoiding the overhead of loading unnecessary drivers while ensuring all required functions are available.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Reliability

If all drivers and applications are loaded in the pre-boot environment, then system reliability is improved, but memory consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoidmemory consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary drivers and applications required for pre-boot operations from the complete set of available drivers. The management controller identifies and loads only those drivers needed for current operations, leaving unnecessary drivers unloaded. This selective extraction approach maintains system reliability for required functions while significantly reducing initialization time and memory consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of loading all available drivers (excessive action), the system implements partial action by loading only the specific subset of drivers required for pre-boot operations. The management controller dynamically determines which drivers are necessary and loads only those, avoiding the overhead of loading unnecessary drivers while ensuring all required functions are available.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If management controller has direct access to UEFI environment, then pre-boot operation efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepre-boot operation efficiencyVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a management controller as an intermediary between the system firmware and the UEFI environment. The management controller establishes a communication channel with the UEFI pre-boot environment and acts as a mediator to request and load only necessary drivers. This intermediary approach improves pre-boot operation efficiency by enabling targeted driver loading while managing the complexity through a dedicated control component.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11922174B2Management controller requests in a UEFI pre-boot environment of an information handling system

Publication Date: 2024.03.05 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

An information handling system includes a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and a management controller. The management controller establishes a communication channel with the UEFI, and provides a memory path associated with a driver associated with an operation to be performed in the UEFI. Based on the memory path, the UEFI receives the requested driver from a memory associated with the UEFI, and loads the requested driver. The UEFI executes the loaded requested driver, and provides an execution status for executed driver to the management controller.