Abstract: An embedded controller (EC) of an information handling system is configured to detect and respond to anomalous conditions in which a pre-boot or runtime error has occurred and EC-local storage resources are not sufficient to store EC telemetry data, by redirecting the EC telemetry data through an available communication channel, e.g., SBIOS MBOX packets or ACPI MMIO, to offload the data to EC-external storage such as an ESP partition or Cloud storage. In a pre-boot mode, SBIOS may invoke a UEFI storage driver to write out EC log data to EC-external storage, e.g., SSD/NVMe device or the Cloud. In a runtime mode, the EC may be flagged by an OS bugcheck handler, e.g., via eSPI MMIO path, to save the log data. In an OS-context mode, ACPI methods may notify a persistent driver, e.g., Common Platform Services (CPS) driver, to write out the log to the EC-external storage.

Abstract: Systems and methods for integrating an embedded controller (EC) into a heterogenous computing platform. In an embodiment, an Information Handling System (IHS) includes a heterogeneous computing platform having a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processor and a plurality of devices coupled to an interconnect, and an EC coupled to the interconnect. These systems and methods may provide an EC with access to an internal System-on-Chip (SoC)'s fabric, whether in a fully internal, partially internal/external, or fully external implementation (e.g., via an enhanced serial peripheral interface or “SPI”). These systems and methods may also provide voltage segregation factor and power sequencing, as well as various possible architectural variations on General Purpose I/O (GPIO) handling.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing an external embedded controller (EC) with access to internal resources of a heterogenous computing platform. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, an Information Handling System (IHS) may include: a heterogeneous computing platform having a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processor and a plurality of devices coupled to an interconnect; and an external EC coupled to the interconnect via a bridge integrated into the heterogeneous computing platform, where the bridge is configured to provide the external EC with access to the plurality of devices. These systems and methods may provide an EC with access to an internal System-on-Chip (SoC)'s fabric, whether in a fully internal, partially internal/external, or fully external implementation (e.g., via an enhanced serial peripheral interface or “SPI”).

Abstract: An information handling system includes a battery and a charger. The battery provides a battery voltage to a main power rail of the information handling system and is couplable to the main power rail through a switch. The charger has an output coupled to the main power rail and an input coupled to an external power adapter. The power adapter provides a selectable voltage level to the input. The information handling system selects a particular voltage level that is lower than the battery voltage and directs the switch to decouple the battery from the main power rail when the information handling system is in a soft power-off state.

Abstract: A system for protecting an information handling system from alterations in chain sequencing uses a root of trust to secure transition points between entities in a sequence according to a chain of trust stored in a chain of trust database. Before transitioning control from a first entity transferring control to a second entity receiving control, the root of trust validates the transferring entity and the receiving entity. Failure to validate both entities results in the root of trust stopping the boot process to prevent malicious code from interfering with the BIOS executing the correct steps in the process.

Abstract: An information handling system may establish a secure channel between an embedded controller and a processor, and request access to a resource of the embedded controller through the secured channel. The system may also receive a response to the request via the secure channel, wherein the response is based on the embedded controller validating whether the processor has a right to access the resource.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, a display device communicatively coupled to the processor, and a management controller communicatively coupled to the processor and the display device and configured to, in response to a failure of the information handling system, determine a component of the information handling system as a source of failure, generate a unique failure code associated with the failure, encrypt the unique failure code to generate an encrypted unique failure code, and display the encrypted unique failure code to the display device.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, a management controller communicatively coupled to the processor for out-of-band management of the information handling system, and configured to determine if the information handling system is docked to a docking station, boot the information handling system from a personal image local to the information handling system if the information handling system is undocked from the docking station, and boot the information handling system from an enterprise image stored on the docking station if the information handling system is docked to the docking station.

Abstract: An information handling system includes a storage that stores a thermal table associated with the information handling system. A processor detects that the information handling system is connected to a dock. In response to the information handling system being connected to the dock, the processor provides a dock temperature request to the dock. The processor receives a first temperature value for the dock, and receives a second temperature value for the information handling system. The processor retrieves thermal table data from the thermal table. The processor generates a first fan control signal based on the first and second temperature values and the thermal table data, and provides the first fan control signal to the dock.

Abstract: An information handling system is configured to implement a battery management method and perform battery management operations including receiving information indicative of an operating system associated with the information handling system and determining a battery behavior environment (BBE) based, at least in part, on the operating system. A battery management unit (BMU) profile associated with the battery behavior environment may be selected, wherein the BMU profile indicates settings for one or more battery management parameters. The BMU is then configured in accordance with the BMU profile and the battery is managed in accordance with the BMU profile.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, a plurality of information handling resources communicatively coupled to the processor, a power subsystem configured to deliver electrical energy to the processor and the plurality of information handling resources to enable operation of the processor and the plurality of information handling resources and a management controller. The management controller may be configured to create an inventory of the plurality of information handling resources; based on the inventory, determine a worst-case maximum power consumption of the processor and the plurality of information handling resources; determine if the worst-case maximum power consumption exceeds a power limit associated with the power subsystem; and if the worst-case maximum power consumption exceeds the power limit, cause a remedial action to be taken to maintain power consumption of the processor and the plurality of information handling resources below the power limit.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for providing a verbalized diagnostic message to a user of an information handling system includes: determining, by an embedded controller, an error associated with the information handling system; accessing, by the embedded controller, a memory device of the information handling system, the memory device storing a plurality of diagnostic files; selecting, by the embedded controller, a diagnostic file from the plurality of diagnostic files, the diagnostic file indicating the error associated with the information handling system; generating, by the embedded controller, the verbalized diagnostic message; sending, by the embedded controller, the verbalized diagnostic message to an audio device of the information handling system in an embedded controller audio stream; and presenting, by the audio device, the verbalized diagnostic message to the user via one or more speakers of the information handling system.

Abstract: A method for controlling operation of a fan in an information handling system using a single parameter includes measuring a temperature associated with the information handling system, determining an average power load of the information handling system, determining a ratio based on the average power load, a light power load and a heavy power load, calculating a single parameter based on the measured temperature and the ratio, determining an operating fan speed based on the single parameter and signaling a fan to operate at the operating fan speed. The ratio may be difference between the average power load and the light power load divided by a difference between a heavy power load minus the light power load. Determining an operating fan speed may include applying one or more constants to the ratio.

Abstract: An information handling system includes an embedded controller configured to transmit an error code to a pre-extensible firmware interface initialization module. A graphics font manager may generate a glyphs database during a boot process. If the error code is associated with a no power-on self-test, no video condition, then the pre-extensible firmware interface initialization module may retrieve information associated with the error code transmitted by the embedded controller, and locate the glyphs database generated by the graphics font manager from the non-volatile storage device.

Abstract: An information handling system includes a power supply unit (PSU) and a motherboard. The PSU provides power to components of the information handling system, and includes power monitoring circuitry and digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry. The power monitoring circuitry of the PSU determines whether the provided power exceeds one of a plurality of thresholds during a respective one of a plurality of time periods, and provides a digital value on one of a plurality of pins based on one of the threshold voltages being exceeded during the corresponding time period. The D/A circuitry of the PSU detects the digital value on one of the pins, and provides one of a plurality of quantized voltages. Each of quantized voltages corresponds to a different one of the pins. The motherboard receives the one of quantized voltages, and activates a throttling operation based on the received one of quantized voltages.

Abstract: An information handling system may include a processor, a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, a communications port communicatively coupled to the processor, and a basic input/output system (BIOS) comprising boot firmware configured to be executed by the processor of the information handling system when the information handling system is booted and/or powered on, and configured to initialize information handling resources of the information handling system and/or initialize interoperation of the information handling system with other information handling systems, the BIOS further configured to: responsive to a failure to complete a phase of execution of the BIOS, create a virtual disk on the memory such that the virtual disk is mountable as a volume by a second information handling system coupled to the information handling system via the communications port, and store telemetry information relevant to the failure to the virtual disk.

Abstract: A method may include, in an operating system executing on an information handling system, obtaining information regarding basic input/output system (BIOS) configuration security controls, evaluating the BIOS configuration security controls to determine if the BIOS configuration security controls satisfy a standard for performing a BIOS-managed BIOS firmware update, and if the BIOS configuration security controls fail to satisfy the standard for performing the BIOS-managed BIOS firmware update, configuring the BIOS configuration security controls to enforce a secure BIOS update policy on a subsequent boot of the information handling system and triggering a warm reboot of the information handling system.

Abstract: An information handling system executing an integrated antenna power and cooling management system may comprise an antenna situated nearby components of the information handling system, a chassis enclosing the information handling system, the antenna, and a wireless interface device with a wireless radio to generate a signal to transmit data via the antenna, where the components and the chassis are capable of absorbing a total thermal heat capacity, the chassis having an outer surface coming into contact with human skin during execution of the information handling system, a temperature sensor to determine an operating temperature of the information handling system reaching a control point value, and a processor executing code instructions to estimate antenna thermal output during data transmission relative to the total thermal heat capacity of the components, based on the operating temperature of the information handling system, and control an active cooling system for cooling the chassis.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for maintaining a threshold operating temperature in an information handling system includes: identifying an operating temperature associated with the information handling system; determining a first fan speed associated with one or more fans of the information handling system based on the operating temperature; causing the one or more fans to rotate based on the first fan speed; identifying that the operating temperature has increased to reach the threshold operating temperature; and in response to identifying that the operating temperature has increased to reach the threshold operating temperature: identifying a power consumption level associated with the information handling system; determining a second fan speed associated with the one or more fans based on the power consumption level; and causing the one or more fans to rotate based on the second fan speed.

Abstract: A method for binding applications to a platform root of trust includes pre-provisioning application binding components in an information handling system. An application requesting OS access sends its access control list (ACL) and application metadata to the BIOS, which performs initial checks. The BIOS responds with platform metadata and a first nonce. The application communicates the metadata, the first nonce and a second nonce to a server. The server checks the nonces and metadata, creates a third nonce and an application binding object (ABO). The application checks the nonces and sends a binding certificate to the BIOS. The BIOS checks the nonces, creates a binding certificate, verifies the binding certificate and sends a binding session credential (BSC) to the application. The application binds the BSC with platform credentials.