Abstract: Systems and methods for continuously secure Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Remote Authenticated Key-Exchange Protocol (RAKP) over hash cracks. The system includes a management controller, which may receive, from a computing device via a network under the IPMI RAKP protocol, a credential information including a password. In response, the management controller may generate a hash information based on the password, and send the hash information to the computing device. Since the hash information may be used to crack the password, after a time interval from sending the hash information to the computing device, the management controller may change the password to a new password, in order to maintain the security of the password.

Abstract: In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be an embedded-system device. The embedded-system device receives a first message including first command or data from a client. The embedded-system device triggers a BIOS of a host of the embedded-system device to communicate with the embedded-system device. The embedded-system device receives a request from the BIOS. The embedded-system device sends the first command or data to the BIOS in response to the request.

Abstract: A method for determining when to load read I/O operations into an SSD cache medium for a physical storage medium of a data storage system can include maintaining an SSD filter bitmap with a plurality of bits, where each of the bits corresponds to a respective data block of the physical storage medium. The method can also include initially setting each of the bits to a first predetermined value, receiving a first read I/O operation directed to a particular data block of the physical storage medium and, in response to receiving the first read I/O operation, setting a bit corresponding to the particular data block to a second predetermined value. The method can further include receiving a second read I/O operation directed to the particular data block and, in response to receiving the second I/O operation, loading data for the particular data block into the SSD cache medium.

Abstract: A proximity-based input device is disclosed. The proximity-based input device may include a display device, a detection surface, an input detection unit, and a processor. The input detection unit detects the presence of a target in proximity to the detection surface and generates a corresponding proximity signal. The input detection unit also detects contact on the detection surface and any movement or breakage in movement of the contact, and generates a corresponding touch signal. The processor may display an object on the display device, displays a virtual image of the target in proximity to the detection surface on the display device with reference to the proximity signal, highlights the object on the display device in response to the virtual image of the target overlapping the object, and selects the object in response to receiving the touch signal from the input detection unit when the object is highlighted.

Abstract: A method for performing cache flushing operations in a data storage system can include maintaining a plurality of SSDs as a cache medium for a data storage medium, controlling a region of the SSDs in a write-back cache mode, and monitoring a status of the SSDs to detect a low-performance condition. In the write-back cache mode, data is mirrored across the SSDs. The method can also include performing normal purge operations on the data stored in the region under a condition that the low-performance condition is not detected, and performing aggressive purge operations on the data stored in the region in response to detecting the low-performance condition. The normal purge operations can include flushing the data stored in the region to the data storage medium. The aggressive purge operations can include sequentially mirroring the data stored in the region to one or more special territories of the data storage medium.

Abstract: A touchless controller includes output pins corresponding to detected touchless gestures. The touchless controller may include a memory that stores a gesture table that associates gestures respectively with the output pins, a proximity sensor that detects the presence of a target in proximity thereto and generates a corresponding detection signal, a gesture recognition unit, and an output controller. The gesture recognition unit is configured to determine the gesture that the detection signal corresponds to. The output controller is configured to determine the output pin that the determined gesture corresponds to by referencing the gesture table stored in the memory. The output controller then controls the state of the output pin according to the determined gesture.

Abstract: In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a thin client. The thin client detects one or more remote session protocols supported by a first remote machine. The thin client determines a first remote session protocol from the one or more remote session protocols based on a first predetermined rule. The thin client determines a first protocol application from one or more protocol applications supporting the first remote session protocol based on a second predetermined rule. The thin client launches the first protocol application to establish a remote session with the first remote machine in accordance with the first remote session protocol.

Abstract: Certain aspects direct to systems and methods for defining interactions between internet of things (IoT) devices. The system includes a gateway device, which is communicatively connected to a control device and to multiple IoT devices. The gateway device provides a web user interface (UI), and a user at the control device may operate the web UI to generate a rule command defining an interaction between two IoT devices. The interaction includes an event occurred at a first IoT device, and an action performed at a second IoT device triggered by the event. Upon receiving the rule command, the gateway device creates a corresponding interaction rule. When the gateway device receives a signal from the first IoT device to indicate that the event has occurred, the gateway device generates a triggering command based on the interaction rule, and sends the triggering command to the second IoT device to trigger the action.

Abstract: Systems and methods for cross-building a non-native application on a computing device under a different architecture. In one example, the computing device may be a x86 host computing device, and the non-native application may be a non-x86 application intended to be executable on a non-x86 embedded system. To cross-build the application on the x86 host, the x86 host may provide a protected environment, such as a Linux container (LXC). The application and corresponding library files for the non-x86 embedded system are provided in the LXC. When the application is to be executed, the system determines that the application is non-x86, and loads a corresponding translator module to translate the non-x86 code of the application and the corresponding library files in the LXC to x86 code. Thus, the application may be executable in the LXC on the x86 host to access and utilize resources of the x86 host.

Abstract: One aspect of the disclosure relates to a digital signage display system. In one embodiment, the digital signage display system includes: a camera configured to capture an image frame; a service processor in communication to the camera; and a digital signage display. The service processor includes a processor and a non-volatile memory storing a firmware. The firmware is configured, when executed at the processor, to process the captured image frame, detect persons in the image frame, generate a demographic-map data structure, and send the demographic-map data structure to a server system. The demographic-map data structure contains demographic information of the persons detected in the image frame. The digital signage display is configured to receive a display content provided by the server system in response to the demographic-map data structure.

Abstract: Technologies are disclosed herein for utilizing near field communication (“NFC”) to improve the security, performance, and configuration of computing systems. In particular, NFC can be utilized to power an NFC-equipped server computer on or off, to log directly into an operating system executing on the NFC-equipped server computer, to stream firmware debugging data from an NFC-equipped server computer to an NFC-equipped mobile device, to initiate the update or recovery of firmware, to provide hardware inventory data, or to pair hardware devices. Firmware debugging data can also be streamed from a firmware to an NFC-equipped mobile device. NFC can also be utilized to disable functionality provided by a mobile device while the device is in motion, such as when a user of the mobile device is operating a motor vehicle.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an enhanced volume manager (VM) for a storage system that accelerates input/output (I/O) performance for random write operations to a striped disk array using parity. More specifically, various implementations are directed to accelerating “random writes” (writes comprising less than a complete stripe of data) by consolidating several random writes together to create a “sequential write” (a full-stripe write) to eliminate one or more read operations and/or increase the volume of new/updated data stored for each write operation. Several such implementations comprise functionality in the VM (volume manager) for identifying random write I/O requests, queuing them locally in a journal, and then periodically flushing the journal to the disk array as a sequential write request.

Abstract: Firmware determines during a boot of a computer, if a bus enumeration is needed or if the computer can be booted quicker by skipping a bus enumeration. The firmware performs a bus enumeration if this a first boot or if the bus has had it infrastructure changed since the previous boot. For buses that have only fixed resources coupled to it, then the bus configuration cannot change. Also, for buses that do not have only fixed resources, the infrastructure may be probed to determine if the bus configuration has changed. If there is no change, bus enumeration is not needed. Metadata is created, updated and stored in flash memory involving the bus infrastructure. Since the metadata is stored, a bus enumeration is not needed to gather information about the bus when no change has occurred.

Abstract: Firmware interfaces scale a fixed-font utilized by the firmware interfaces to display glyphs of the fixed-font at a native resolution or a preferred resolution of a display. A conversion factor is generated for scaling the glyphs of the font using the native resolution or the preferred resolution. The glyphs may be scaled using the conversion factor. The scaled glyphs may be stored and utilized to display text of the firmware interface in the native resolution or the preferred resolution.

Abstract: A method for managing a caching medium for a storage system includes providing an SSD cache including a plurality of cache lines, providing a data structure including a plurality of buckets for managing the SSD cache, and providing a plurality of cache headers for managing the cache lines. Each cache line has a first predetermined size, and each bucket corresponds to a contiguous region of a physical storage capacity having a second predetermined size. Each cache header associates a cache line and a corresponding data block stored in the data storage system. The method also includes assigning two or more cache headers for cache lines associated with corresponding data blocks stored in a same contiguous region of the physical storage capacity to a same bucket, and maintaining the two or more cache headers as a first group of cache headers within the same bucket.

Abstract: A computer system firmware is provided that includes functionality for using a system management mode (SMM) to efficiently boot to a secondary operating system prior to booting to a primary operating system. The SMM is utilized to store data describing the state of the computer system at a point just prior to booting the secondary operating system. This data is used following execution of the secondary operating system to restore the system to the same state that it was in prior to executing the secondary operating system. Execution can then be continued at a location just following the location at which the secondary operating system was booted in order to execute a primary operating system.

Abstract: A debugger is provided that is capable of connecting internally or externally to a host device using one or more of multiple host interfaces. The debugger can also connect, over a network, to a remote communication device executing a debugging application. Through the debugger, the debugging application receives messages from the host device regarding the status of a firmware on the host device, and sends debugging commands to the host device for performing operations such as updating the firmware on the host device.

Abstract: Certain aspects direct to systems and methods for performing boot configuration of a thin client device with a portable storage device, such as a universal serial bus (USB) storage device. The system includes a computing device functioning as a thin client device, which has an interface under a protocol, such as the USB interface, allowing the portable storage device to be connected to the computing device via the interface. The portable storage device stores configuration data for configuring the computing device. Before booting, the computing device checks if the configuration data exists in a local storage device. If not, the computing device attempts to access the portable storage device, in order to automatically retrieve the configuration data from the portable storage device. Once the configuration data is obtained, the computing device may proceed with booting, and configure the computing device based on information of the configuration data without manual intervention.

Abstract: Certain aspects direct to systems and methods for platform simulation on virtual machine for development projects of a management controller on virtual machines. At least one virtual machine (VM) is provided to simulate a management controller and a host computing device for the management controller. The at least one VM includes: a firmware module for the management controller, configured to receive at least one output signal from the host computing device or from at least one device connected to the host computing device; and a simulator module configured to simulate the host computing device or the at least one device connected to the host computing device. In operation, the simulator module generates the at least one output signal based on configuration data of the host computing device or the device connected to the host computing device, and sends the at least one output signal to the firmware module.

Abstract: A backplane system, which includes a backplane board and a backplane controller module having a backplane controller. The backplane controller module is configured to be detachably connected to the backplane board via a small outline dual in-line memory module (SODIMM) connector interface to enable communications between the backplane controller and the backplane board via the SODIMM connector interface, such that the backplane controller is configured to control a plurality of components on the backplane board. Specifically, the SODIMM connector interface may include a SODIMM connector socket disposed on the backplane board, and a SODIMM connector pin set provided on the backplane controller module to be detachably inserted into the SODIMM connector socket. The SODIMM connector pin set may be a 144-pin SODIMM connector having 144 contact pins.