Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention involves off-loading processor workloads to reduce power requirements of a multi-processor system. In one embodiment, a multi-processor system redistributes computing among the multiple processors and changes the state of one or more processors to sleep mode. In another embodiment, a multi-processor system throttles the processor speed of under-utilized processors to reduce power consumption. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is a system and method relating to automatic firmware image recovery. When a server equipped with a baseboard management controller (BMC) and operational code detects that its operational code image is corrupted or out of date, it broadcasts a request for an image update over an out-of-band network. One or more donor systems on the network may respond to the request and send the requestor a new image. The recipient system use management policies to determine from which donor system to accept an update.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is a system and method relating to seamlessly enable enhanced management and scripting of a computer system and its add-in devices. In at least one embodiment, the present invention enables a system administrator or integrator to script a common configuration for multiple devices and then automatically configure the devices using the script. The language construct and central data repository for configuration settings are extended to comprehend a scripting language. A script is read by a script engine during either pre-boot or runtime. The script engine searches a keyword database on the central data repository to determine requested configuration settings. A data offset is corresponding to a specific op-code is used to determine where configuration settings are located, for modification.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention involves a system and method relating to software caching with bounded-error delayed updates. Embodiments of the present invention describe a delayed-update software-controlled cache, which may be used to reduce memory access latencies and improve throughput for domain specific applications that are tolerant of errors caused by delayed updates of cached values. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, software caching may be implemented by using a compiler to automatically generate caching code in application programs that must access and/or update memory. Cache is accessed for a period of time, even if global data has been updated, to delay costly memory accesses. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Geographic location determination for a client is facilitated by performing a trace route between a known network device and the client. The trace route results in a list of intermediary network devices between the client and the known network device. Network addresses may be configured with geographically significant portions. Thus, network addresses for the client and/or one or more of the intermediary devices can be inspected to facilitated a geographic location determination for the client based on the geographically significant portions. An online service provider hosting network sites may prepare client activity reports for the hosted sites using the determined geographic data. The determined geographic locations may also be used to ensure compliance, such as with regulations, distribution agreements, etc., for data distributions to clients.

Abstract: A boot routine is initialized in a computer by bootstrapping a volume top file (VTF) located in a first addressable location accessible upon the initializing of the boot routine and the volume top file bootstrapping a set of firmware modules.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention involves reducing platform power consumption. In an embodiment, the platform may handle a predetermined set of events by the platform firmware when the platform is in sleep, or low power, mode, thereby eliminating the need to wake the processor and utilize the operating system. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention involves a system and method relating to switching to protected mode to access extended memory while executing instruction code that is designed for real mode memory access. In at least one embodiment, the present invention is intended to enable complex option-ROM code to be executed during pre-boot without corrupting system memory used by the BIOS or other option-ROMs. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for a device to boot as though it were another device. The various devices have published personas describing their operation. A persona selection interface enables a user to select a remote device as which the local device should reboot. Updated personas can be retrieved from the remote devices themselves, or from a persona server. If the emulated operation requires a resource not locally available, the local device negotiates with the remote device to share the remote resource, and failing that, the local device emulates the resource.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention involves a system and method relating to autonomic boot recovery. In at least one embodiment, the present invention utilizes an out-of-band (OOB) microcontroller to safeguard boot information to be used in the event of a boot failure. The OOB microcontroller enables the preservation of “Last Known Good” boot configurations as well as providing an agent to provide self-healing to a platform which might have run into some type of corruption of critical data. In some embodiments a variety of intelligent filter mechanisms are enabled to allow a user to target the preservation of only certain types of configuration data. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Device write operations may be controlled by receiving a request to perform a write operation to a device and determining whether the device is activated or inactivated. If the device activated, the device may be accessed to perform the requested write operation. If the device is inactivated, the write operation may be buffered to physical memory. Device read operations may be controlled by receiving a request from a process to read a portion of a file from a device and determining whether a limited power condition exists. If a limited power condition does not exist, the device is accessed to read the requested file portion into memory. If a limited power condition exists, the device is accessed to read a superset (either the entire file or less than the entire file) of the requested file portion into memory.

Abstract: A security device restricting access to various machines, places or data, using a security device that is kept in close proximity to a portion of the body of a person and is activated to provide access to those machines, places or data to that person only when that person is confirmed to be a designated person, and which is automatically deactivated when it ceases to be in close proximity to that person's body.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention relates generally to computer configuration and, more specifically, to a system and method to seamlessly determine the component configurations of a series of heterogeneous platforms and enable their respective component configurations to be intelligently migrated from one platform to another. In some embodiments, the invention involves generating configuration binaries for a plurality of target platforms. The configuration binaries are used with tools to create configuration directives for the target machines. In at least one embodiment, the configuration directives are sent to the target platforms in a scripting language. In some embodiments, the scripts are automatically generated by a tool using the configuration binaries for various platforms and policy guidance to determine which settings should be set on or off. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: To facilitate interface navigation, accelerator keys are assigned to links within the interface. If the interface is a web browser, for example, accelerator keys may be associated with link elements, e.g., URLs, images, objects, scripts, etc., linking to a resource. Link indicators may be displayed to visually indicate the accelerator keys. If there are more links elements than accelerator keys, the accelerator keys may be shifted to other links, such as through activation of a shifting key.

Abstract: A driver and methods therefore provide automated testing of USB client devices in real-time. The driver may use the layered driver or filter driver feature in Microsoft® Windows® Driver Model (WDM) layered architecture for the Microsoft Windows operating system. The driver may be inserted between the USB bus driver and the USB client driver stack. The driver may intercept, inspect, and modify the requests between the client drivers and the bus driver.

Abstract: A method for configuring a mobile computer based on location. The method including determining a change in location of the mobile computer, scoring a current location signature for the mobile computer against previously stored location profiles having location signatures to obtain a highest scoring location profile, and determining whether the highest scoring location profile exceeds a threshold. If the highest scoring location profile exceeds the threshold, then the computer settings for the highest scoring location profile are activated on the mobile computer. If the highest scoring location profile does not exceed the threshold, a new location profile is generated and stored for the current location signature. The new location profile is then activated on the mobile computer.

Abstract: A system and method for sharing pre-boot data with agents in the operating system (OS) runtime is disclosed. The disclosed system and method provides a means by which one may be able to provide access to firmware data in the OS runtime without assuming the OS provides non-volatile (NV) variable abstractions. The disclosed system and method leverages Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) constructs to achieve the same result for firmware data propagation into the OS runtime. A descriptor table is constructed which describes the location of the system table. The OS application is provided a pointer to the descriptor, which allows it access to firmware (pre-boot) resources.

Abstract: A system and method for initialization of a computer system is described. Faster initialization of a computer system is possible by allowing certain device driver initialization tasks to overlap with other initialization and operating system tasks. option-ROMs resident on hardware device drivers define the initialization tasks to be performed prior to device driver initialization. Initial computer code for booting the computing device, such as a BIOS, is executed. As option-ROMs for hardware devices are scanned and executed, specific device initialization information is accessed from the devices and placed in pre-defined buffer areas. These accesses occur in parallel to other start up tasks. When device drivers are loaded, some of their initialization has already completed, thereby shortening the time necessary to boot the system.

Abstract: A system and method is described that takes an existing operating system (OS) level driver and transforms it into a firmware extension, in one embodiment, for the extensible firmware interface (EFI). In one embodiment, an existing driver is stored in flash memory, without modification. When initializing the system, a mapping driver examines this image. Based on a determined image format and subtype, it is known whether the existing driver is compatible with Linux, Windows, fcode, or another type. Based on the type, the mapping driver either fills in the blanks and maps directly to the EFI services, or rewrites some of the flash with binary (in memory). The driver is typically compressed when in flash memory. Once the OS is booted, the OS uses its own driver.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention bridges event data from the pre-boot environment to the operating system runtime environment. Event logs are stored in a memory buffer during pre-boot. Prior to launching the operating system (OS), the event log is registered to a known memory location accessible to the OS. A preferred embodiment uses the extensible firmware interface (EFI) configuration table to store the event log. A globally unique identifier (GUID) may be used to identify the memory buffer location. Once accessible to the OS, the event data may be displayed using standard extensible Markup Language (XML) forms, or via any other desired method.